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 The
new Mercedes-Benz ML320 is unlike any other
sport-utility vehicle you've ever driven. But it's
not unlike every Mercedes you've ever driven. It's
a sign of the strength of the upscale sport-ute
market that Mercedes has decided to belatedly enter
the fray. For years, the German automaker has been
content to let the Range Rover and Toyota Land
Cruiser grab a few customers who might have
otherwise opted for an E-Class station wagon.
But it was not
content to see the market for $30,000-plus sport
utilities go ballistic and watch hundreds of
thousands of buyers shun luxury sedans in favor of
plush four-wheel drives. A new plant would be built
in Alabama of all places, and it would produce a
vehicle that could legitimately be called the
Mercedes-Benz of sport-utility vehicles. Good idea,
but the vast majority of sport-utility vehicles are
based on pickup trucks, which put Mercedes at a
disadvantage -- it has no pickups. It does make a
rugged military vehicle -- which a bright
entrepreneur out West has been importing and
selling to trendy Hollywood moguls for $120,000 a
pop -- but that vehicle would not easily translate
into a sport ute for the well-heeled masses.
 So
out came the clean sheets of paper and Mercedes
essentially reinvented the sport-utility vehicle.
The final vehicle is unmistakably a kin to the Ford
Explorer Limited or the Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo,
but its design philosophy was so different that the
ML320 sits slightly askew to the rest of the
market. Which is exactly how Mercedes wanted it.
The exterior of the ML320 was sculpted without the
typical pickup parameters, so it looks a little
different, especially at the back. It's wider and
taller than many of its competitors, although the
overall length is about midway between a four-door
Explorer and a Grand Cherokee.
The rakish back
end makes it look much shorter, and more than a few
people said it was smaller than they expected.
Cargo space, measured in cubic feet, is greater
than the Explorer or Cherokee, though that's
somewhat deceiving. The Mercedes gets its carrying
capacity from its width and height, while the
length of its rear cargo area is a little shorter
than competitors. Inside, the ML320 is so much like
a Mercedes E-Class sedan in its seating and
appointments that it's easy to forget what you're
driving. The instruments are housed in the same
style binacle, with a large tachometer and
speedometer offset by smaller gauges for fuel and
engine temperature. The center air conditioning and
stereo controls are also dead ringers for what you
would find in a Mercedes sedan. Ditto the leather
seats and the gated automatic shift lever. The only
major change for the ML320 is the
industrial-strength cupholders.
Overall, the
cockpit is roomy and the four-door ML320 -- the
only body style available -- can carry five adults
comfortably. There also are four air bags on board
-- two up front and two for side crash protection.
Under the hood, which carries the Benz star in the
grille, the ML320 breaks with Mercedes sedan
tradition. It uses a 3.2-liter V-6, an all-new
engine that is as smooth as the traditional in-line
Mercedes sixes, but is far more compact. It
produces a hefty 215 horsepower and 233 foot-pounds
of torque, which gives the ML320 a towing capacity
of 5,000 pounds. Going from 0 to 60 mph takes about
9.5 seconds, which is quite speedy for a
six-cylinder sport ute. The engine drives all four
wheels through a five-speed automatic gearbox that
uses open differentials at the front and back.
 That's
another break from the standard design of a
four-wheel-drive sport ute. Rather than using
heavier locking differentials to reduce wheel spin
and regulate traction, Mercedes engineers gave the
task to the vehicle's anti-lock braking and
traction control system. The system was less costly
to develop because Mercedes already had most of the
parts in use on its cars. The ML320 automatically
controls traction front and back and,
theoretically, the electronic system could deliver
all the power to a single wheel, if conditions
demanded it. A dash switch shifts the differentials
into low, stump-pulling range if needed. Otherwise,
the four-wheel-drive setup is automatic.
On the road, the
ML320 is the most car-like of the sport-utility
vehicles. The fully independent suspension smoothes
out just about every possible road imperfection,
while providing handling that is not at all tipsy,
given the ML320's height. It's also the quietest
sport ute I've driven. In a week with the ML320 it
wasn't possible to give it any real off-road test
-- I looked in vain for a mountain -- but some
national magazines have praised its ability to
climb over rocks and fallen trees. The last
surprise that the ML320 throws at you is its price.
Given the cachet the Mercedes name brings to the
sport-ute market, the base list price of $33,950 is
surprisingly cheap. There are a few Explorers,
Grand Cherokees, Toyota 4Runners, Chevy Tahoes and
Nissan Pathfinders with comparable window stickers.
Even adding
leather seats, a sunroof and a few other goodies
raises the price to about $39,000 -- comparable to
a Ford Expedition and far less than a Range Rover,
Lexus LX450 or Toyota Land Cruiser. The ML320 may
not have a rugged truck background like most of its
competitors, but it has come to the market with a
get-tough attitude.
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Vehicle
Type:
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front-engine,
four-wheel-drive sport-utility
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Base
Price:
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$33,950
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Engine
Type:
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3.2-liter
aluminum DOHC V-6
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Power
(SAE net):
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215-hp
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Transmission:
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five-speed
automatic with full-time
four-wheel-drive
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Wheelbase:
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111
inches
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Length:
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180.6
inches
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Curb
Weight:
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4,420
pounds
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EPA
fuel economy, city driving:
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17
to 21 mpg
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