Category: Large 4x4s 
Price Range: £30,280 to £75,823
Spacious, comfortable, practical, Mercedes badge.
Not as dynamic to drive as some rivals, manual gearbox awful, diesel a bit noisy.
A good compromise between off-road ability and on-road comfort but feels a little dated.
It has a roomy cabin, acres of leather, armchair-like seats and a full range of comfort kit, and Mercedes seems to have got rid of the squeaks and rattles that dogged early models. But the ride isn't quite as smooth as it could be, and the M-Class does wallow under hard cornering - not good for those prone to car-sickness. The M-Class is huge - loads of space front and rear, a massive boot and lots of head- and legroom - so you can stretch out and relax (as long as you're not driving). It's a well-designed and versatile space, too, so if you needed to carry large or awkwardly-shaped cargo, it could be easily accommodated; skis, mountain bikes and sports equipment should pose no problems. The rear seats fold flat and a third row of seats is optional, so the M-Class can seat up to seven. The standard audio kit is no doubt perfectly adequate, but you can mix 'n' match from a variety of menus. Options include a system with four modified speakers and two extra tweeters at the front and a Bose system with nine speakers; the optional COMAND system integrates all the control functions, which can include satellite navigation, TV and SMS messaging as well as in-car telephony. A video and DVD system is also offered, with screens mounted in the roof lining to entertain rear-seat passengers; this can be retro-fitted to all M-Classes built from 2000.
Latest Readers' Drives About the Mercedes E-Class Coupe
wrote on 27 05 2006