2006 Mercedes-Benz ML350 and ML500

[BMWDave]

2006 Mercedes-Benz ML350 and ML500: More Class, at Last, for the M-Class

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By CHERYL JENSEN
Published: July 10, 2005
PROGRESS is great, except when you are the one it leaves behind, a predicament that stings all the more when you are a company, like Mercedes-Benz, with a reputation for innovation.


Mercedes's first high-volume S.U.V., the M-Class, was certainly an innovator when it arrived eight years ago as a 1998 model. It was among the first luxury utility vehicles, and the first from a German company; the first product of a new plant in Alabama; and the first utility with a carlike independent suspension at both the front and the rear.

But by 2005, the M-Class had been overshadowed by a pack of sport wagons that were sleeker, plusher and more up-to-date.

Sales faded, to 39,680 in 2003 from 52,764 in 2000, which was the model's strongest year. They dropped again last year to 25,681 as the company prepared a redesigned model.

That new M-Class went on sale in the spring as a 2006 model, reflecting changes intended to address what Mercedes said were the biggest complaints of owners: ride, handling and cup holders. The interior, too, has been significantly upgraded from the cheap-looking plastic that marred the original.

The first M-Class combined trucklike construction - a body on a ladder-type frame - with that sophisticated suspension. But later competitors, including the Lexus RX 300, took things a step further, retaining the independent suspension but using a one-piece unibody that further improved ride and handling. The new M-Class makes this leap, too, with a rigid unibody nearly 6 inches longer and 3 inches wider; the wheelbase was stretched almost 4 inches.

The old M-Class, with its upright design and unsexy tailgate, looked like a minivan from some angles. Thankfully, the new design is sleeker and a bit aggressive, with a wedge shape more in tune with the styling of Mercedes-Benz sedans and coupes.

I tested the six-cylinder ML350, and also drove the ML500 with a V-8 engine. In each case, the unibody construction made the M-Class feel wonderfully solid, with none of the quivers and shakes that often afflict body-on-frame trucks. With the redesigned independent suspensions, handling is agile for a vehicle so large and heavy. While the body leans if you force it hard into a turn, the motions remain well controlled, giving the driver a sense of calm and confidence.

The steering had a pleasing, consistent weight, though enthusiasts might complain that it lacks "feel" - a quality difficult to define, but something that sporting drivers miss in its absence.

The ride is comforting, though on rough roads passengers still feel the bumps. While the brakes performed well, the pedal wasn't as crisply responsive as I'd have liked.

While the new M-Class plays catch-up in a crowded field, its seven-speed transmission sets a benchmark. Even with the V-6 engine it is almost like having a continuously variable transmission; one gear moves seamlessly to the next.

The new V-6, which displaces 3.5 liters and is rated at 268 horsepower, pulls strongly. All 258 pound-feet of torque is available from just 2,400 r.p.m. up to 5,000 r.p.m.

Pick the ML500 instead of the ML350 and you get a 5-liter V-8 that gained 14 horsepower since last year, to 302, with 339 pound-feet of torque. Acceleration is stronger, as you'd expect, but highway fuel economy is nearly as good as that of the V-6: 20 m.p.g. for the ML350 and 19 for the ML500. Mercedes says the added sixth and seventh gears lifted highway mileage 10 percent.

Prices, while steep, are on par with the competition. The ML350 starts around $40,000; my test model nudged $49,000 with self-indulgent options like a DVD navigation system, satellite radio, DVD player, sunroof and upgraded interior trim. The ML500 starts at $49,275.

The interior is strikingly different from before. Instead of a flat, straight dash in mediocre plastic, there is a modern design with round vents and nicer materials.

Mercedes went to great lengths to atone for its cup holder sins, moving the shifter off the console to make room for two adjustable holders. (One can handle a 44-ounce Big Gulp!) The shifter is now a small stalk protruding from the steering column. To shift manually with the TouchShift function, you press buttons on the back of the wheel.

The more stylish sloping roof has stolen some cargo room. With the second row of seats up, there is 3.3 cubic feet less space; with the seats down, the deficit is 8.8 cubic feet.

The second row is missing some nice features. The seatbacks don't recline, and they don't slide forward and back as the ones in the Lexus RX do. But the rear seat is now much easier to fold down.

The M-Class carries only five people. If you want a third row, Mercedes will offer it in the R-Class, a more conventional wagon.

There are lots of safety features, including new tire-pressure monitors and rollover sensors for the side curtain air bags.

The M-Class still has a full-time all-wheel-drive system that can transfer power to just one wheel, if only one has grip. A new feature lets the vehicle crawl down steep grades without driver interference, and an off-road mode lets the wheels spin a bit to gain traction in mud, gravel or slush. An air suspension is optional.

While the vehicle doesn't have low-range gearing now, it will be included in an off-road package later.

Most M-Class buyers won't care about that. They will appreciate the fact that this Mercedes provides the kind of carlike ride and handling Americans now demand in luxury S.U.V.'s, along with more style and the latest safety features.

The new M-Class is not so indisputably fabulous that it destroys the competition, and past quality problems may be a cause for concern. Still, the redesign brings the M-Class up to date and makes it much more competitive in a very crowded field.

INSIDE TRACK: Back in the hunt.

[TBR]

I really like the new M-class, but if I was looking for a mb family hauler the R-class would definitely be my choice, more room and better handling.