Manual Transmision

2006 Mercedes Benz M Class ML350 Reviews

Mercedes-Benz has finaly got the Lexus RX300 formula right. Got rid of the subframe. Got variable cam shafts. Copied the Mitsubishi counter balance shafts. Not a bad thing since Porsche does same. Copied the sleek looks of the RX330. Which also means no more misstaking it for a minivan. And you got Mercedes-Benz quality.

The best of all worlds in my favourate Benz. I forgot to mention the handling. It is German all the way, no one can touch this performance when you go around corners. Simply floor the gas and turn the handle. It is like, how do you say, ah yes, "riding on rails."



You cannot lose control going around corners. No other SUV comes close in the handling department. If you prefer to "drive" and not be "driven" this is your ticket. Get one, take it to the limit, and have a blast. Get the 5 liter engine and double your fun. You will guzzel gas with the V-8 but you will surely not only have fun in the corners but also enjoy dragster perfomance at the lights. Not the most sophisticated but there is absolutely no substitute for gas burning cubic centimeters and 2 extra pumping cylinders.

Whats New for the 2006 Mercedes-Benz M-Class ?

Redesigned with a clean sheet of paper, the 2006 Mercedes-Benz M-Class includes a fresh skin; a sophisticated four-wheel-drive system; a choice between a 3.5-liter V6 and a 5.0-liter V8 mated to a seven-speed automatic transmission; a larger interior filled with higher quality materials; advanced safety features; and improved ride and handling characteristics.

The new 2006 M-Class, on sale since the spring, has been totally redesigned and now rides on a stiff car-like unibody frame, instead of the truck-like ladder-rail body-on-frame construction of its predecessor. Adopting a unibody construction means the vehicle is also lighter than before (by as much as 400 pounds), which not only improves cornering abilities, but fuel economy, as well.

The new M-Class is larger in virtually every dimension than before, with a look thats familiar but more sleek and chiseled. Up front theres a wide, louvered grille with larger fenders flanking a high, angled beltline. The vehicle can be further dressed up with an aggressive-looking AMG trim kit.

Interior

The instrument panel, door panels, seats, and carpeting are all completely new, and they go very well with the aggressive new exterior design. There are four huge round air vents spread across the dash panel, dominated by a deeply hooded instrument cluster with sharp new graphics, and more chrome trim around the tachometer and speedometer. A central information window can be programmed to supply about as much driving and maintenance information as one driver can stand to absorb.

The steering wheel is a new four-spoke design with the top half in wood and the bottom half in leather, the two lower spokes done in brushed metal finish and a nice, thick rim thats reassuring when youre off the road. The steering wheel houses four sets of controls for information, telephone, navigation and entertainment systems. The center console is dominated by the elements of the COMAND system and a 16:9 wide-screen display which can be used for entertainment, telephone, or navigation displays.

One new element is the simple up-down-in short-stalk shifter on the right side of the steering column for P-R-N-D selection, with backup shifter buttons on the steering wheel. This change has made for a more open, more elegant and more useful center console, since the shifter has been relocated from there to the column. Power seat controls have been relocated from the door to the outboard side of the seat.

The front bucket seats are all-day comfortable, the rear seats are similarly comfortable and spacious, and all of the wood, leather, plastic and metal finishes are top-drawer, as they should be at this price. Theres a lot more room inside the new M-Class as well, with the rear seat 15 mm farther back from the front seat, 35 mm more knee room, and 32 mm more elbow room than the previous model.

Driving Impressions

During several days of hard driving in the south of France, we found the all-new 2006 Mercedes-Benz ML 500 an absolute hoot to drive. The V8 engine will take its 4600-pound package from 0-60 mph in less than seven seconds flat, and then settles down to a background burble by the time you reach seventh-gear overdrive. The seven-speed automatic offers a manual-shift mode and is one of the strongest and most flexible automatics ever built.

The completely revised suspension is very good at keeping the trucks attitude nice and flat in high-speed corners, and it will hop over rocks and dip into potholes as though they werent really there. The AirMatic air suspension system we drove in France, which will be optional on U.S. models, is downright supple, which trucks arent supposed to be. The larger standard 18-inch wheels and tires on the V8 and the power rack-and-pinion steering combined with the new steering wheel give a nice feel of the road, and quick reactions when necessary. At high speeds through mountain passes, the ML 500 leans over a little, takes a set, and then grabs the ground and turns the corners. Steering is hefty and linear.

While some critics carp about the electronically actuated and modulated Sensotronic brake system that Mercedes-Benz has been feeding gradually into all of its models over the last three years or so, were well used to them by now, and we enjoy using their enormous power with just a little hard dab at the pedal. These are very serious brakes, and once you get used to them you will appreciate them every day for their directness and power.

Off the road, the ML 500 has two significant added features, a Downhill Speed Regulation software control that wont let you and it go any faster than about 7 mph downhill, and a Start-Off Assist that keeps the vehicle from drifting backward in Drive or forward in Reverse on steep hills. Very handy, indeed, and easy to learn.

Both versions of the new M-Class, the ML 350 and the ML 500, are rated at 5000-pound towing capacity when you order the optional Class III towing package, and we have no doubt that the ML 500 has enough torque to handle loads of that magnitude. While the ML 350 comes with 17-inch wheels and tires and the ML 500 comes with 18s, both are available with two different optional 19-inch tire and wheel packages, one set in the Appearance Package and one set of AMG wheels and high-performance tires in the Sport Package.

m-CLASS,excuse me,not m-MODEL nor is it M-SERIES.

Pros: Finally looks like the Lexus RX, no more minivan rear. Looks Great.


Cons: 2 Old engine. Seems generations old given that even Toyota offers Hybrid.


After all this a DiamlerChrysler, cant expect that much in terms of quality or reliability, but the looks just rock and roll. I mean, just look at that detail on the grill. Totally original! I bet that all the others will be copying that style for ever. They should patent that hot design, just like the BMW pillar. Wait, is it possible to patent a design? Not sure, anyway.

This is the coolest minivan, err SUV, to take my son to that kiddy football game. Did you know that this is Marthas fav SUV to pickup the pumkins at the unpaved parking lot at her local pumkin patch? You simply breeze in and out with this three pointed star, no hasseles, dirt parking lot, not withstanding. I just got my baby and I luv the feeling I have, for now, but I am just not sure how long this sensation will last.

Why? Because, the reliability issue of Diamler and Chrysler cars just give me sleepless nights. Is the transmission gonna fallout on me? Will the engine fail? Is mine gonna get recalled? Am I driving a car with a latent defect? I mean, really, I shelled out 50 grand. Oh, well no point in worrying.

This a Mercedes-Benz, baby! I named my daughter Mercedes. Did you know that the founder named her daughter Mercedes? Hence the corporate name? Yes, if you are in the know, you would know that Mercedes is a proper name for a girl. You could name your girl Porsche too! If I get another girl thats what Im doing. Back to cars, this car is just supreme, it is Classy, m CLASS baby. Not A, not B, but M baby. M-Class, I luv that ring.