We admit to being just a little bit disappointed with the new Mercedes ML
320. This probably would not have been the case, had there not been quite
so much hype about this particular sport utility. From all the hype, we
expected a vehicle that was going to be absolutely magical; a truck that
actually drives like a Mercedes sedan. Well, we were disappointed to
discover that it drives like, what? A truck. A very, very nice truck--
don't get us wrong. But a truck nonetheless.
There was no revelatory moment where we crossed the time/ space/car/truck boundary and were transported into a better world. What Mercedes has done is put together a very nice sport utility vehicle that instantly jumps ahead of the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Ford Explorer in the high end of the SUV market.
Unfortunately, we didn't think for a minute that we were driving a Mercedes sedan... we felt like we were driving a Nissan Pathfinder or any other good quality sport ute. Granted, if we had immediately driven a Pathfinder or a Cherokee, we would have noticed a difference. But, the ML320 is no Mercedes Sedan, at least when it comes to the ride.
The ML320 handled well, and it was comfortable over long distances. The engine and transmission were flawless, as one might expect from MB. And, in case you hadn't noticed, this is one wide vehicle. As Raymond can personally attest (along with Father Giovani-- our apologies, Signor!), you definitely need to watch out for those side mirrors!
As with all our test vehicles, we did our obligatory time in the back seat. Ray, his son and wife attempted to ascertain just how commodious it was back there. As it turns out, the backseat is really quite comfortable. It seats three across very nicely, and you'd be hard pressed to do that in most other sport utilities. Incidently, Mercedes is planning to offer an option for a third, rear seat-- but we have no idea how they're going to squeeze anyone back there. You'd have to be Danny DeVito or Tara Lipinski to sit comfortably in the cargo compartment.
The ML320 is also reputed to be very good in real, off-road conditions. (As if 99% of the people who buy it actually care!)
One thing's for sure: we felt extraordinarily safe in the ML320. After all, this is a Mercedes, and its got all their usual safety features, including side air bags, crumple zones, and all the other goodies that help keep you alive to make the next car payment.
What's the downside to this being a Mercedes? Put it this way: when the warranty period is over, and you need to pay for repairs, you'd better have several credit cards handy-- and each of them should have its own five digit line of credit.
Surprisingly, there were a few things that didn't work well-- or didn't work at all. For example, the rear windshield wiper broke the first time we used it. Ray had to jump out, run to the back, and clobber the living daylights out of it to get it to move away from the middle of the window. From that point on, the ill fated rear wiper worked-- but only on the wash cycle.
For the price, we would probably buy an ML320 over any of the current competitors. Remember: it's still a Mercedes, and to be getting a Mercedes sport utility in the high thirty-thousand dollar range is a pretty darn good deal-- especially when the fully dressed up Grand Cherokees and Eddie Bauer Explorers are in the low to mid thirties. We're a little suspicious that Mercedes is trying to accomplish the same feat that Lexus and Infiniti pulled off ten years ago ago. They introduced incredible new cars at extremely competitive prices. (The Lexus LS400 and Infiniti Q45 both sold for $35,000 when they first came out.) Word got around that these cars were great deals, and it took people several years to catch on that the prices had snuck up to $55,000-- and they weren't such good deals anymore. So, keep an eye on the price.
But bottom line? If you can live with the snob factor associated with owning a Mercedes, go buy yourself an ML320 now-- while the price is still decent!
View cars.com model report on this vehicle.
