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The Specialist Crossover

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The Specialist Crossover

Mercedes-Benz proposes to keep a large slice of the sales pie with their formidable, restyled and reengineered mid-size luxury, the 2014 ML 500 SUV

Published: Fri 25 Jul 2014, 2:07 PM

Updated: Tue 7 Apr 2015, 10:54 PM

  • By
  • George Kuruvilla

The ever popular M-Class is now in its third generation; the new shape moved from sketch to showroom in 2011. It has come a long way since its launch in 1997; almost pioneering a segment then, and although there was and seems to be nothing radical about its design or technology, it gave customers a formula for luxury that works.

This week, we take on the Arabian terrafirma in the 2014 Mercedes-Benz ML 500, the gutsier of the two models available. It may not have the all-conquering powertrain of the ML 63 AMG but it borrows some of its aesthetics. Read on...

Design & Aesthetics

The M-Class, stylistically, has moved on from being a potential mud-plugger to an all-out road-going family hauler. This is evidence that there is a large market for this kind of vehicles.

A strong family resemblance has been maintained in the new ML, although it is quite distinctive from its predecessor. The boldness of the frontal design rem-ains, thanks to a high-sheen chrome-plated three-slat grille and the large three-pointed star taking centre stage. You can order the ML with the illuminated tri-star option, which basically lights up the emblem whenever the car is locked, unlocked etc. The grille is flanked by two fluidly-shaped headlamps clusters that enclose xenon lamps and eyebrow-shaped LED day-time 
running lamps. A cluster of these LEDs is also seen between the air intakes on either end of the lower bumper.

The hood have a quartet of creases that lead to AMG-style vents that allow hot air to break out of the engine bay; up and over the roof!

From the sides, it is evident that the designers have given the new ML a squared off rear corner, much like a station wagon. There are plenty of creases that play with the lighting — especially when on the move — and pronounced wheel arches to keep things muscular. The functional aluminium running boards are basically steps that leads you up to the cabin.

I don’t see anyone going gaga over the rear styling; maybe because it could be mistaken for something out of Korea, even with the LED powered tail lamps. There is a rear diffuser for show, and a chrome sill for the tail gate to keep things busy in this otherwise bland rear end.

There is a choice of 16 different alloy wheel designs, almost as many models as Mercedes-Benz have in their range. You can have it in 5-spoke, twin-spoke, multi-spoke designs; some of them having a turbine styling; others, rather traditional. It comes down to personal preference, but remember, larger wheels with low-profile tyres provide greater traction and economy, but they sacrifice ride comfort to some extent.

The ML has gained a few units dimensionally and now measures 4,804 mm in length and 1,796 mm in height. And the 2,141 mm girth certainly allows for more shoulder room especially in the rear seats. At 2,235 kg, it is chubbier than the Cayenne and X5; but its pays off in visual heft and space.

The special AMG Exterior Sports package our test car adorned had a body-coloured front apron, rear apron and side skirts, in addition to 19-inch 5-spoke shiny alloy wheels. We expect a lot of customers to favour this look.

Talking about paint schemes, besides black and white, you can get the ML painted in eight metallic colours; a blue, maroon, brown... it’s all in there!

Entering the vehicle is made easy by keyless entry, and for added convenience, the engine can be remotely started via the key fob. You will love that feature as long as the summer stays!

The fine folk at Stuttgart know how to build a luxury interior without a chrome overkill or a mash of geometric shapes to define the various areas of 
the cabin. The four-spoke steering, for example, has a fine amalgam of leather wrappings and satin finish trims covering the areas around the multi-function buttons. The dashboard is a cautious example of ergonomics, meaning that the screen, buttons and knobs are right where you would expect them to be, especially if you have proved your loyalty towards the brand in recent time.

The large longitudinal trims across the dash can be specified in either eucalyptus, burr walnut poplar, or ash wood. If cutting a tree to decorate your car is not your thing, you can have either piano black lacquer-like material or the very popular brushed aluminium look. There is some subtle ambient lighting hidden in coves in the cabin that come alive in the dark hours of the day.

No longer is the stalk for the cruise control to be confused with the turn signal toggle. The placement has been revised to suit common convention. The Internet-capable COMAND Online infotainment is accessed via the 7-inch multimedia screen and controlled by the iDrive-like controller that Mercedes have made their own in recent time.

There are close to a dozen buttons in a satin-finish for radio and navigation on the centre console, with icons that are etched and not painted. It looks classy, I must say, but may be not be as identifiable.

The ‘designo’ quilted leather adds a degree of visual luxury, a cue borrowed from vintage cars mostly, and is worth every penny. The front seats are completely power adjustable to suit different bodies and provide good amount of back, thigh and lateral support. The rear seats can quite comfortably accommodate three and the backrest can be 
reclined, which is nice! The ML has not been created to accommodate more than five passengers, but if you’d like to seat seven, you have to get the substantially more expensive GL-Class. The other highlight is the stupendous panoramic sunroof that allows for a large expanse of the sky into the cabin.

Powertrain & Performance

The underpinnings of the ML 500 centres around the tried-and-tested direct injected 4.7-litre V8 with a turbo for each of the two cylinder banks. It is both gratifying in terms of power delivery and torque. What sends that power to the ground is a 7-speed conventional and a reliable all-weather 4Matic all-wheel drive system. The cog-box provides for imperceptible shifts that add to cruising comfort.

The motor quite easily develops 402 horses and a torque band that extends from 1,600 rpm all the way till 4,750 — enough to push this chunk of German metal past 100 km/h in 5.6 seconds. This puts it in the company of Chevrolet Camaros and Porsche Boxsters and punishes them if need be, and if you keep the momentum going, it hits an electronically limited 250 km/h, like all other German cars.

Or if you are power-hungry, you can always opt for the ML 63 AMG that brings an excess of 500-horsepower and a ‘gazillion torques’ to your garage. Assume a big delta in cost, though.

The 11.8 metre turning diameter, light steering and good visibility makes it reasonably agile at parking lot speeds while that pendulum feel — going from side to side — has been eliminated to a great extent. It handles more like a car on the curves. Merc has managed to camouflage the mass on the run and in corners, but it is certainly felt when shedding speed, so act with caution on the brakes. The 4matic maintains a 50:50 torque split on dry payment and is capable of transferring upto 100 per cent to one wheel if the occasion calls for it. No lack of traction here!

What keeps Mercedes a step above the rest is the plush ride quality and the ML 500 displays that perfectly. Thanks to the Airmatic suspension, it floats over troubled tarmac like it is second nature. However, in extremely choppy conditions, the 20-inch rims are bound to transfer some shudder to your seats.

Although the power train has the willingness to go off pavement, ground clearance is a decent 285 mm and maximum fording depth is 600 millimetres, it is not quite the off-roader you would think. It feels at home on the roads and nothing beyond; there are plenty of rival automakers off-ering more competent products for dune-bashing.

If speedy returns to home for Iftar are avoided and the cars are driven at sensible speeds, the ML 500 will deliver a claimed economy between 11.5-11.0 l/100 km, and it will emit no more than 269 grams of CO2 per kilometre. The largish 93-litre tank with its 12 reserve capacity will keep you from the gas pump for more than a couple of days and the stop/start function, which customers have a tendency to complain about, is smooth in operation and doesn’t interfere with your driving style or pace.

Features & Functionality

Quite believably, there is 1.83 metre of loading space behind the driver, i.e. a 6ft laying down flat. The stowage area behind allows for 690-litre of luggage space, which is bigger than any large-size car. Drop those rear seats down and you get 2010-litre. Quite impressive! It also helps that the rear seats fold down flat, the ride height is low, there is no lip to hinder the transfer of goods and also, the tailgate is electrically operated. You can also order 1,025-litre roof boxes that are fixed onto lightweight aluminium carrier bars atop the roof, to provide for additional luggage space. There is an additional 90-litre under the compartment floor.

The ML comes equipped with as many as nine airbags; the severity of a crash surely would be downplayed by something that has a bouncing castle built into the insides. Gripes don’t come that often in the ML but it’s rather unusual that if you switch off the multimedia screen, it does not come on temporarily while you reverse and you need a view of the rear.

There is a plethora of assists both passive and active to keep you well within the confines of safety. A system scans the speed marker and displays it on the screen, one to keep you in lane, one to warn you of a vehicle in the blind spot, ISOFIX seat mounting for child seats, 10 ultrasound parking sensors and a set of cameras that give you a 360-degree or bird’s-eye view.

For the gypsies at heart, the ML 500 delivers a solid tow rating of up to 3,500 kg, which challenges some heavy-duty pick-up trucks even.

As for entertainment, almost every imaginable audio-visual asp-ect has been covered. You get a DVD player, a 10GB music register, a navigation system with livid colours and 3D graphics, a Bang & Olufsen surround sound system with 1,200 Watt output and 14 high-end speakers that provides crisp notes and a deep bass, in case the standard Harman Kardon doesn’t cut it. It even has a 6-CD changer, if you are one who refu-ses to give up on the 90s. The rest can play songs via the USB port or have your iPod synced or stream via Bluetooth. Rear seat passengers get two 8-inch TFT screens to play out the visuals from a DVD movie and 2 sets of wireless headphones, for the sound bit.

And finally how about the airconditioner? Is it chill-worthy? Yes, very much and we loved the clim-ate-controlled seats as well.

Verdict

The 2014 Mercedes-Benz ML 500 is a practical-sized, great cruising tool with almost car-like dynamics. The levels of craftsmanship and quality are exceptional. Yes, it’s no serious off-roader and neither will it reset the clocks at the local circuits for SUVs, but for what it was designed to be and what it is, i.e. a comfortable family cruiser... there is nothing like a Merc ML!



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