GLE [First drives] 2012 ML First Drives/Reviews Thread

[Human]

^
Get a X5 my fellow countryman

Yes the ML is new and yes the X5 did not make the marginal win from the ML easy. The X5 will always be the one to beat. The new Cayenne is arguably the best of the trio, all until the new X5 arrives. Hate or fanboy, the X5 is already an icon in it's respective segment and rightfully so. The E53 set the class leading tone which only continued with the E7O.

 

[SKY]

I´m starting to see MLs around here. The other dat I sat inside one in our MB dealer as we were to change one xeon lamp of the E. Hmmm, what to say. Certanly is not a design that makes you fall in love with it. The side profile lines are far from being perfect. There are lines here and there, and one does not know what´s the whole point of it. The front is the best looking part of the exterior. It looks nice. Bland, but nice. The rear end is so so. The rearlights look fine, specially when turned on. But the rear bumper, with its non-visible exhausts (honestly, don´t know what is MB playing to with this) and the horrid chrome, makes the rear end worse looking that what it would be with a more standard rear bumper. Same goes for the chorme in the front bumper. Simply out of place.

The best part of the new ML is the interior. Really really improved over the old ML. I drive one everyday and know what is like. The plastics, the fit and finish, is all far better executed. There´s also more trim across the dash, which gives the whole interior a more upscale look. The wrong stuff about the interior are the nav screen, which looks YINY when compared to the other luxury brands standards, the speedo cluster, that looks like the one of a cheap car. And the other thing I fin hatable aobut the interior is the steering wheel. I consider myself a maniatic regarding this. If you buy a 80K € car, it has to have a damm good looking steering wheel for God´s shake. MB is the german manufacturer with the worst looking steering wheels.

Overall, I´d say it is not nicer than a Touareg, or my favourites in the segment, the Cayenne and the X5. It´s a car that will suffer from a design point of view when newer car come out.

 

[K-A]

The only M-B steering wheels that are nice are the AMG-Package wheels, which IMO are the best on the car market (awesome feel and quality and look, IMO).

However, the 4-spoke wheels, although, for some reason looking overdesigned and awkward, are classic M-B pure-functionality.

 

[Wolfgang]

When is this car comming to SA the damm dealers have no idea ...i want a white ML 350 the new white i dont know what you call it but i dont know howlong i must wait now...

Looks like a 2nd quarter intro?

The all-new B-Class and M-Class models will be introduced in the 2nd quarter of 2012, with the new SL coming later during the year.

Mercedes-Benz South Africa | 3D Car Shows

 

[Human]

Mercedes ML 350 CDI (AUTO EXPRESS)

Our verdict on the volume-selling V6 diesel version of the new Mercedes ML​

​

Rating: 4 STAR

It’s been a long time since Mercedes built a genuinely class-leading SUV – but that could be about to change with the arrival of the new M-Class. Its refinement and off-road ability impressed us in Europe, but how will the car fare on tougher UK roads?​

Outside, it looks imposing, with an AMG styling pack that includes side skirts and 19-inch alloys as standard. It’s also longer and wider than before, so it matches rivals such as the BMW X5 and Porsche Cayenne for road presence.​

In addition, the luxurious interior feels much smarter and better built than the outgoing model’s. A long list of standard equipment includes climate control, sat-nav and durable artificial leather upholstery.​

The efficient new four-cylinder ML 250 grabbed the headlines at the launch, but the majority of UK cars will still be powered by this revised 3.0-litre V6 diesel engine.​

Push the accelerator and it’s easy to see why: with 255bhp and a whopping 620Nm of torque on tap, the ML 350 provides truly effortless performance in any of its seven gears. It shrugs off its two-tonne bulk and sprints from 0-62mph in only 7.4 seconds, yet it also claims nearly 40mpg and emits 189g/km of CO2 – big improvements over the old car’s 32.5mpg and 230g/km.​

As you’d expect from a Mercedes, the M-Class is also superbly quiet and refined. The ride is smooth, even on those sporty 19-inch alloys, while the engine makes only a muted roar under acceleration and fades into the background when cruising on the motorway. The M-Class is a great long-distance car.​

Around corners, it’s also more agile than the old version, thanks to a more precise steering system. Although it doesn’t have the pin-sharp dynamics of a Cayenne or X5, it’s a more comfortable choice than either of those.​

The M-Class doesn’t have seven seats like a Land Rover Discovery, but there’s room for five adults and plenty of luggage, too. You can fold the seats flat for a maximum 2,010 litres of storage room, which is pretty impressive.​

Factor in the big range of off-road gadgets, such as the clever hill-descent system, and you have a great all-rounder.​

PHOTOS & SOURCE
Read more:http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/carreviews/firstdrives/282325/mercedes_ml_350_cdi.html#ixzz1tVXRxSZV​

 

[Mr. Mercedes]

The wrong stuff about the interior are the nav screen, which looks YINY when compared to the other luxury brands standards.

Mercedes doesn't need to have a nav screen as large as the BMW's because of the additional display that is located in the middle of the speedometer. This is a far more logical place to have a lot of the information such as arrow displays, trip computer information etc. In newer models, this is now even a full LCD display to match the navigation. And besides this display comes as standard. On the BMW models you have to pay more for the 'professional' navigation screen which occupies the space completely. Otherwise you're left with a small screen surrounded by a whole lot of ugly plastic that just doesn't look or feel nice.

 

[Kowalski]

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[Soup]

 

[Wolfgang]

Remember this post from last summer? Turns out Daimler patented the new switch/layout.

All-new M-Class first Mercedes to
switch placement of turn signal
above cruise control stalk.


M-Class Signals Change in Blinker Placement

By Tom Murphy WardsAuto.com

MISSOULA, MT – Just about anyone who has driven a Mercedes-Benz in the past decade has experienced it: unintended sudden acceleration because of awkward placement of the cruise-control stalk on the left side of the steering wheel.

A driver may think he is signaling to turn right, when inadvertently he has pushed the cruise control lever upward to the “accel” position, occasionally sending the vehicle bolting forward instead of slowing down to turn at an intersection. This could happen if the cruise control was on but not active.

Left turns were somewhat less problematic because pushing the lever downward put the cruise-control system into “decel” mode.

Nevertheless, with the all-new ’12 M-Class cross/utility vehicle going on sale in September, Mercedes has corrected the problem once and for all by placing the turn indicator at the 10 o’clock position and the cruise-control stalk at 8 o’clock.

Until now, those placements were reversed in virtually all Mercedes vehicles, triggering complaints.

The turn-indicator stalk, which also controls the windshield wipers and high-beam headlamps, is longer than the cruise-control lever, and Mercedes engineers are hopeful the new configuration will eliminate any confusion.

Bernie Glaser, general manager-product management for Mercedes-Benz USA, emphasizes the change in his presentation of the new M-Class to journalists here this week.

A lot of research has been done,” he says. “Customer feedback went into that decision, and the M-Class is the first Mercedes where this has been changed.

You will see that change in our philosophy here coming with launches of other new models.”

Jim Burch, assistant product manager for the M-Class and GLK CUV, says the market drove the new layout.

“The comments were that there was some confusion with the cruise control,” Burch says.

“We wanted to address that issue, and this was the best solution based on testing with those consumers.”

http://wardsauto.com/ar/signals_change_blinker_110715

 

[SKY]

What a waste of money. I do not find that difficult to learn that the upper one is the tempomat and the lower one the blinkers, and I´m not Albert Einstein. The best position for the tempomat should be the buttons of the steering wheel.

 

[Wolfgang]

^ That may be so, but good to see MB has their own patented switch, instead of just copying someone.

 

[K-A]

^ That may be so, but good to see MB has their own patented switch, instead of just copying someone.

Kia/Hyundai, are you listening?? M-B still goes their own way, good to know.

 

[fortuner]

Personally i still prefer the older switches or maybe i am just tooo used to using the old ones maybe i need to sepnd more time in my new ML....