2009 Mercedes-Benz ML320 Reviews

Britain’s Range Rover had the luxury 4WD market all to itself for many years until the Germans finally entered the arena. Led by the M-Class, Mercedes’ first luxury SUV, this market segment has become highly competitive. There are now also entrants from Mercedes’ biggest rivals, BMW and Audi.Mercedes-Benz M-Class arrived in Australia in September 1997 and has sold well since then thanks to a combination of image, price (more about this in a moment) and genuine 4WD ability. While the M-Class is used by most owners as a luxury station wagon rather than a 4WD, if you choose the right off-road packages it is pretty competent on unsealed surfaces.You wouldn't tackle Jeep’s Rubicon Trail in an M-Class, but it will cope with far tougher conditions than likely to be attempted by 99 per cent of owners. Why mention the famed ultra-tough Rubicon Trail? Because the Mercedes SUV was primarily aimed at the American market - and is made in the USA.Build quality was poor in the early days, but following some serious overhauls in the factory systems things improved greatly. Vehicles from the early 2000 update are noticeably better than the original units. The body on the original vehicle had a fair bit of movement, even squeaks and rattles in the really rough stuff, but was stiffened up for the year 2000 model.The high centre of gravity when compared to a car reduces the cornering ability of the big Mercedes 4WD on sealed roads. But electronic aids in the form of traction and stability controls make it cling to the road remarkably well. Amazingly, the big Merc M-class corners safely at speeds far higher than are likely to be attempted by the average owner.The generation-two models (W164) replaced the original W163 in October 2006 and the gen-three (W166) came to us in April 2012. Each version increased the stylishness of the vehicle, but put ever more emphasis on on-road performance. However, the Off-Road Pro packages are there for those who want to get down and dirty in the serious stuff.There's good interior space and the boot is a good size. As is the norm in the car business each model was larger than the previous, came with more a luxurious finish - and sold in greater numbers. Mercedes-Benz offers a staggering range of V6 and V8 petrol and engines. Diesels come with five or six cylinders, with the great majority featuring the V6 powerplants.Automatic transmissions are fitted to all vehicles, with five forward ratios in the early days and seven since the introduction of the W164 in 2006. At the top of the performance tree are the AMG variants of the M-Class. Improbable as they may seem, the ML 55 AMG and later the ML 63 AMG rocketships are much loved in Australia and ours is one of the world’s biggest market on a population basis.The Mercedes-Benz dealer network is very well established in Australia. Spare parts aren't overly expensive for what the vehicle is. Insurance charges are surprisingly moderate for an imported German luxury vehicle, reflecting some of the cost cutting that has gone into the manufacture of the M-class.Few vehicles are more popular on the Australian used-car market than Mercedes-Benzes with full service records. You will usually be asked to pay more, but wise men say they are well worth the additional money.If you don’t want to be seen driving a large 4WD why not consider a Mercedes-Benz R-Class. These are much more conventional-station wagon in appearance than the M-Class, but are driven by all four wheels and share many major components under the skin.WHAT TO LOOK FORVery few M-Class will have been used in serious off-road conditions; clues are light scratches to the body sides caused by squeezing past bushes and trees, scars on and/or under the bumper corners or scrapes on the underbody protection plates.Carting kids around the suburbs isn't all that easy on a 4WD, either. So have a good look over the interior, particularly at the seats, door pockets and the door controls.Make sure the engine starts easily, even the old-style turbo-diesels in the first models only take a second or two on the glow plugs.Check that the engine idles smoothly from the moment it fires up.On your road test make sure the engine pulls strongly without any initial hesitation, diesels won’t be as responsive as petrols but if you feel one is too slow to react be very careful.The automatic transmission should work almost imperceptibly, even when worked hard by the driver.Try engaging all the 4WD modes to make sure that they operate.Having done your preliminary inspections, always call on the services of a professional before committing yourself.CAR BUYING TIPAnyone buying an upmarket vehicle without a professional inspection - or a large budget on standby - is taking a major risk. 

What am I? I have a lineage stretching back to the beginning of my species, am highly regarded by my peers and am decidedly wealthy thanks to keeping ahead of the pack in mechanical and electronic technology.Though I am embedded in my heritage, I constantly think of tomorrow.What am I? I am, of course, a Vacheron Constantin watch.Silly you. You thought it was a car, didn't you?The company was founded in 1755 in Geneva by Jean-Marc Vacheron and has since remained in constant production.The problem here is that you can't derive any pleasure from driving a watch. It won't take you places though, once there, it will impress people in the know.Too hard? Buy a Mercedes.It too is the world's oldest — in this case, the car maker with uninterrupted production since inception — and will take you places you may dream about.Even more places if it's an all-wheel drive ML320 turbo-diesel.And many will grovel at your impression of wealth because Mercedes-Benz products are for those who still have superannuation and a credit limit.Or so I thought. In fact, the good looking, high riding pretend off-road adventurer is relatively affordable at $87,500. But why settle for entree when you can buy the Sports Luxury model, as tested, for $97,000.It's a diesel so while oil companies aren't exactly giving away the smelly fuel, it will take the ML320 up to 1055km between filling stations. That could produce quite a saving compared with using petrol.You would expect great things from a vehicle such as the ML320CDI. Unfortunately, driving pleasure isn't one of them.This is a big machine with styling influenced by Tonka that is purposeful and even bullish in appearance.It has big wheels so they fill out the fender arches, a definite wedge shape enhanced by a crease along the flanks and an abrupt tail.At 4.8m long, it's not into the gross dimensions of some rivals. However, its bulk — and you'll really pick up on this when your parking or on narrow streets — is mainly in its width.That gives it a big cabin which easily seats five adults and there's a huge boot area as well, overlaying a space-saver spare that won't take you and your friends very far.The cabin is from the Mercedes instrument cloning factory which makes it easy for model-hopping owners. But it adds a couple of its own special annoyances.The foot park brake yells America — incidentally, where this model is made — and in practice is a double-handed effort that gives the driver no sensitivity to park brake conditions, especially off the road.Then there's the right-hand gear lever. It is a stalk from the steering wheel column and only has four modes — park, reverse, drive and neutral.The problem is it easily gets knocked or mistaken for an indicator lever. The good news is that it defaults to neutral. The bad news is the traffic behind you while you reactivate drive.DrivingSitting so high gives a wonderful view of the back of all the other SUVs on the road.But it is very comfortable. The seats are broad and infinitely adjustable, as is the steering column.The gearshifter has some lag which frustrates the impatient but at least it's as simple as pressing down to engage drive. Paddle shifts on the steering wheel activate the manual access to the seven cogs.The transmission extends its lag to include acceleration, where there is some disparity between pressing the accelerator and actually proceeding forward.No complaints about the acceleration. There's 510Nm on tap here and it's used to brilliant effect. This thing literally jumps off the starting blocks and will shred the reputation of many sports cars.It's amazingly quiet and, even after some brisk driving, rarely went beyond 12 litres/100km.You may be one of the quickest away from the lights but you may be coy about keeping the pressure up through the bends.Though the body is taut and the suspension nice and firm, this is still a near 2.1-tonne dry-weight vehicle that stands almost 1.9m high. Bodyroll isn't as bad as the perception.On the road it's quick and quiet but in the dirt you know this is going to take a long time to dig out.But it went through soft black sand reasonably well, all attributable to the big, fat tyres and the gobs of low-end torque.The lack of a low-range gearbox and the only passable 218mm of ground clearance should keep enthusiasts away from softer areas. Yes, the traction control works perfectly but there is always the occasion where nothing but a low-range transmission will help.Mercedes has its Off-Road Pro Engineering option on the ML320 and, for $6500, it's worth considering. The pack includes the additional gearbox, air suspension, underbody protection and lockable differentials.As much as I like the concept of this vehicle, there are better SUVs around.That's basically because the ML320CDI doesn't do anything special.It's not a memorable vehicle. It drives well, is smooth and comfortable and well equipped.But it is very insular and lacking expression and character, so that you end up feeling like the whole experience of driving is as interesting as sitting in the back seat of a bus. Alone.The Mercedes ML320 costs from $87,500. A Vacheron Constantin mans watch starts from about $16,000.MERCEDES-BENZ ML320CDI SPORTS LUXURYPrice: $97,000Engine: 3-litre, V6 turbo-dieselPower: 165kW @ 3800rpmTorque: 510Nm @ 1600-2800rpmFuel economy (official): 9.6 litres/100km, tested): 10.9 litres/100kmTransmission: 7-speed automatic, sequential; constant 4WD