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TEST DRIVE
Word from a back-seat rider
Despite having features that make it more than capable of tussling with demanding offroad terrain, the 2006 Mercedes-Benz ML350 is one of those SUVs that seem just too, too nice to sully.
But don't worry about its carpeted floor mats and - in the case of the test ML350 - its ash leather interior. Cleanups aren't that difficult, and the reality is that today's lifestyles offer few chances to really soil or abuse SUVs unless your work or recreational inclinations set it up.
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2006 Mercedes ML350
(click on photo to enlarge)
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It is nice to know the ML350 - like other highend SUVs on the market today - is not just about appearance. The second-generation ML350, which is built in Alabama, has a V-6 putting out 268 horsepower and 258 pounds feet of torque. That's power aplenty for a midsize SUV with a curb weight of about 4,600 pounds and full-time four-wheel drive. It feels solid and stable in wet and dry pavement and can no doubt cope with snow and ice when the seasons change.
It's because of its luxury features, however, that the ML350 is likely to generate sales, and they don't come cheap. The base price is $39,750 plus $720 delivery, and the tester's options totaled $8,355, adding up to a bottom line of $48,825.
Like other luxury-oriented SUVs, the test ML350 delivered a carlike - well, almost carlike - ride. What's interesting about that is that many reviews and media mentions note its heritage. Mercedes-Benz introduced the ML350 in 1998 and, as Consumer Review puts it, "went out of its way" to make it off-road-capable because "the thought at the time was that's what SUVs do."
Now, having learned that's not always the case, M-B's revisions for '06 represent a move toward car-ness. So the ML350 has most of the niceties that are standard on M-B cars and some from the SUV realm that can add to the driving experience.
There's an electronic off-road program that can be switched on if you're really going into the outback, and it will adjust shift points for its seven-speed automatic transmission. That transmission is driver adaptive, with steering wheel-mounted shift buttons that give the driver control.
Also useful to the everyday driver is the hill-start assist feature, which holds the ML350's brake for a second after your foot leaves the pedal to give you a chance to get to the accelerator. The switchable downhill speed regulator feature can be set to hold your speed to 3-10 mph when descending hills.
The off-road-oriented features may be more than most M-B drivers want or need, but for those who do, they're clearly state-of-the-art (of auto engineering) and raise the target for other manufacturers.
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