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SUVs Mercedes Benz M-Class Mercedes-Benz M-Class (2006+)
123 messages, Last post on Nov 15, 2009 at 5:18 AM
You are in the Mercedes Benz M-Class Forum. Your Hosts are steve_ & tidester
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Replying to: merc1 (Apr 04, 2005 3:17 pm)
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Replying to: stroudman (Apr 04, 2005 5:44 pm) M |
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Got the call from my local dealer, Fletcher Jones Mercedes of Newport Beach, where we bought our previous cars including my wife's Wonderful 2004 E 320 to come test the new ML 350. First observations, very nice styling. The body is sleek yet still keeps the rugged SUV looks many drivers want. The fit and finish were on par with the E and S class so this speaks well for US assembly. Climbing in was okay but not great. The wood was fine but not excellent like the E. I feel they missed the mark on the dash. It looks mid-market not high-end. The seats were firm but the leather was a joke. I had to go back to the window sticker on every ML I saw to confirm the seats were really leather inserts and not 100% MB Tex. My C had nicer feeling seats. The drive was firm without being stiff. I did notice a bit more body roll than in the X3/X5. Very little dive under braking and the brakes are excellent! Performance was fine, I never really pushed the car hard but the 350 V6 seems to have a good bit of power on tap. The 7-speed is like a hot knife through butter. Smooth and quick shifting all the way. I did notice a LAG in shifting when using the steering wheel toggle switches. Driver training will be required to remember the odd shift pattern especially putting the car in Park. Sun roof seemed small. AC worked well. Sound system was quite good but not up to the E class standard. Interior is a bit stark. It just did nothing for me. The instrument panel is plain and feels more Nissan like than Mercedes. The doors are boring and would be third-world if not for the wood trim. I can not imagine how cheap the aluminum trim version must look. Interior volume is excellent. If you want room for a family of four or five this baby has it. The rear seats, other than the questionable "leather", are comfortable, easy to get in and out of, and have plenty of room to relax in. No cramped feet or legs here. Cargo bay has some nice size to it. Easy to take a ton of luggage on a trip and stuff the dog back there at the same time with room to spare. This is one area Mercedes really got right. Overall - I wouldn't spend $48,000 for this SUV. The interior is cheap, the ride is less than sporty, the fuel economy is not very good especially when compared to the Lexus or Toyota Hybrids. For a lot less you can buy a very nice GMC Denali, get similar MPG, have more room, and get a REAL leather interior. Both have similar instrument styling and mid-market feeling interiors. As a multi-Mercedes owner it pains me to say that this was an easy vehicle to walk away from. I wouldn't want one in my driveway unless perhaps it was priced in the $35-$38 range where it would be more comparable to the X3 or XC 90. even then both of those get much better MPG. Finally, the Toyota Highlander Hybrid is available fully loaded in 4x4 configuration for around $42k and gets 33 MPG city, 28 Highway. Now thats a serious piece of technology in action.
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Replying to: jpouchet (Apr 07, 2005 9:54 am) As far as sporty, think X5. The M-class is a luxury car, it's fairly athletic, but the priority is on luxury. The E-class costs more, it should feel and look nicer inside, shouldn't it? |
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I took a look at the new M class, but did not drive it. Interior seemed diappointing, especially the leather. I have a 2001 M class and a c320 (MB of Laguna Niguel). Reliability of both has been dismal, although dealer service has been excellent. I am sure that Mercedes will sell a fair number of these, but you probably get more for your money (and probably better reliability) with a lexus or toyota.
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Replying to: afif (Apr 07, 2005 11:27 am)
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Replying to: stroudman (Apr 07, 2005 12:08 pm)
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Replying to: afif (Apr 07, 2005 1:43 pm) Granted, the ML is still one FINE vehicle. Please don't think for a moment that I do not find the ML to be a vast improvement offer the previous offering. The ride and handling are much better, the visibility is improved, and the cargo area is fantastic, probably the best of anything in its class with the possible exception of the Escalade/Denali/Navigator which are all on a larger truck platform. I truly believe Mercedes Benz North America will sell as many as they can produce with very little trouble just not to me. (Note: after a lot of research on the subject, several lengthy test drives, some research on the cost of a rental SUV, and a series of long talks with the family to determine what we would really use versus want, I opted to go and buy a convertible instead of an SUV. Long story short - more fun, cheaper to drive, significantly better MPG, and I can rent a plain-jane SUV for about $275/week if I really want one for a long trip. So I will be leaving this forum shortly. Best wishes to those of you who pursue a new ML. I think you will be quite happy with your purchase.
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Replying to: jpouchet (Apr 08, 2005 12:24 pm) The base on the M-class is $39,750, over $10k less than the E. Once you put the basics on that vehicle - leather, power seats, roof, tint, sound + 6-disc, you're up to about $45k, maybe $46K. Once you've reached the $48-50k range, you have navi, metallic paint, heated seats, a very well equipped M-class. Same 268 hp, same 7-speed gearbox, and now a monocoque chassis, that there is no reason to believe is inferior in build quality to the W211 E-class. |
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Just picked up our new ML500 last weekend. Silver with dark charcoal interior. Bought it off the showroom floor and it was pretty loaded....premium package, light package, comfort package etc. In fact, the only options not on the car were the off road package and the AMG package. Took it to Chicago this weekend and so far, love the vehicle. The 500 has lots of power, and with the airmatic, handles very well. The M class is also the first vehicle that doesn't require the "hockey puck" for satellite radio. It's already intergrated, so we got that too. Can't give you much help on getting a good deal because we used the Daimler employee discount of 12.25% off of sticker (my son works for Daimler-Chrysler). However, over the next few weeks, will be able to comment on the car in general. FYI, also picked up the new CLS500 on the same day. Got it in the Launch Edition. Two really great cars, and we are excited to be in the MB family.
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