The first generation of the Mercedes-Benz ML was facelifted in 2001 and it received important updates to keep up with the competition.
It received new engines and new features.

For the 2002 model, shown in 2001, a total of 1100 completely new or modified components were used for the facelift. It wasn’t that the car was not fit for the market anymore, but with the new rules regarding pollution, some engines had to be improved and others needed to be completely changed.

On the exterior, the 2002 model ML-class featured a new front fascia, with clear lenses over the headlights. The turn-signals were moved from the front fenders into the side-mirrors cases. For a complete changeover of the exterior, new light-alloy wheels options were included on the list. In the back of the car, a different bumper was installed.

More improvements were made inside the car. A new steering wheel and a new center console were installed. The buttons for the windows were moved from the center stack to the center console, next to the gear-stick, regardless if the car was manual or automatic.

Under the hood, there were more important upgrades. For the diesel engines, a new, V8 4.0-liter turbocharged diesel was installed. It was mated as standard with an automatic transmission. The 3.2-liter V6 gasoline was replaced by a new, 3.8-liter unit and the 4.3-liter V8 was replaced by a 5.0-liter V8. The top-of-the-range ML55 AMG had better performances even though the engine output was kept the same. Most of the models were available with either a 5-speed manual or a 5-speed automatic, but some very rare units were fitted with a 6-speed manual.