Depreciation should be the biggest concern of any owner who has bought an ML63 new. The list price is around £75,000 (before options) and buyers will see up to half its value wiped off in the first year at least two-thirds after three. Fuel consumption is an eye-watering 17mpg in everyday driving and even lower when the car’s being pushed hard. As well as the cost of filling the car every time (tank capacity is 95 litres), you’ll need to consider how regularly you’ll be doing so – the ML63 has a maximum range of just 360 miles.

Push the car harder and it’s considerably less. Insurance, road tax and servicing costs are understandably high.

The ML63 doesn’t even pay lip service to being green. This is the ultimate M-Class and as such environmental issues are ignored in favour of performance. In an age when manufacturers are shouting about the low emissions of some models, Mercedes-Benz is coy about those of the ML63. At 392g/km of CO2, it has a place among the greediest of the gas-guzzlers.

No major issues have been identified since the ML63 went on sale in 2006. The build quality is excellent and as long as it’s well cared for, should prove to be very durable.