Category: Large 4x4s 
Price Range: £30,280 to £75,823
Good level of standard equipment, plenty of interior space, quite good road manners.
Poor-quality interior, not very capable off-road.
Not so much an off-roader as a big, prestigious, 4wd estate.
Knowing exactly the type of customer the M-Class will appeal to, Mercedes has made it quite car-like to drive, but it's big and the manual gearbox is baulky. The automatic gearlever gate is much better. Off-road, it is able without being outstanding, and has lots of technological aids to help it cope with the rough stuff. Doubt they'll ever get used, though. Good on the road, with quite car-like handling, and a responsive Sports mode on the automatic gearbox, though the V8 is a bit too over-the-top and brutal for precision. Serious off-roaders will prefer the ML 270 CDI diesel - it's more torquey than the V6, and the standard six-speed manual gearbox gives more flexibility for advanced mud-plugging. The ML55 is even more fun, though no sports car (see separate review).
The V6 petrol unit is smooth and refined, if not especially fast - it works brilliantly with the standard five-speed automatic gearbox, which has a very responsive 'Sport' setting. The V8 in the ML430 is altogether beefier. The five-cylinder direct-injection turbo-diesel M270 CDI has plenty of low-end punch - it's the one you want for practical off-roading or towing work - but is not too refined and it mated to a godawful six-speed manual gearbox (five-speed auto optional). If out-and-out performance is your thing, however, you could opt for the AMG-tuned ML55, a 347bhp monster mud-plugger (see separate review).
Latest Readers' Drives About the Mercedes E-Class Coupe
wrote on 27 05 2006