| Mid-life model revamp | 2008 New York Auto Show | Mercedes-Benz M-Class |

The Mercedes M-Class has taken a small step towards sportier styling with a facelift that was shown off at the New York motor show. Merc's SUV has a lightly reshaped front end that includes new projector headlights, three slat grille and new bumper.

It's a similar story at the rear where there are new lights and a deeper bumper. The ML 63 AMG model has a new, more aggressive body kit and 20-inch alloy wheels as standard and it also now comes with the 510bhp 6.2-litre V8 engine.

The other engines for the standard M-Class range stay the same, but they have been tweaked for improved economy, delivering up to 1.1mpg better consumption. All now have the 7G-Tronic seven-speed automatic gearbox as standard.

Changes to the interior are minimal, with a new material used for the door panels. Bluetooth mobile phone connection is now standard, as is an MP3 connector.

The revised M-Class range goes on sale in the UK in September.

Alisdair Suttie - 20 Mar 2008