1 Sep 1998
Arriving on sale in Australia in September 1998, the original ML-class was launched with a single 160kW/310Nm 3.2-litre V6-powered ML320 variant.
The 200kW/390Nm 4.3-litre V8 ML430 was released in March 1999, while the 120kW/370Nm 2.7-litre turbo-diesel ML270 CDI went on sale in February 2000 and the flagship ML55 AMG (complete with 255kW/510Nm 5.4-litre V8) arrived in January 2001.
A facelifted M-class was launched here in November 2001 for the 2002 model year, which continued to comprise the ML320, ML270 and ML55 variants, while the 215kW/440Nm 5.0-litre V8 ML500 replaced the ML430.
The 175kW/346Nm 3.7-litre V6-powered ML350 replaced the ML320 in May 2003.
