2006 Mercedes M Class (Mercedes) Review

Specifications

Mmm Mmm Good….

Eight years after wowing the automotive press as the lone entry in the all-new luxury crossover SUV segment, the Mercedes M-Class is set to do it again.

Only this time, the car-like luxury sport utility vehicle segment is no longer a novelty. In the years since the M-Class was named the be-all and end-all of SUVs, the crossover category, as it has now become known as, has exploded in size, with every manufacturer of note pumping out at least one model. The market segment proved so enticing as to prompt Porsche, till then a sports car company, to jack up its own heritage and design to produce the Cayenne.

Those intervening years werent all that kind to the M-Class, as Japanese and German automakers consistently upped the ante with well-built and well-appointed small to midsize, sporty SUVs.

Those fading fortunes are all but memories come 2006, however, as the all-new M-Class leaps back into the fray after a complete and thorough redesign, which includes a new engine, a longer, wider and lower body, and all-new design treatments both inside and out. The only constant from the most recent version of the outgoing model is the choice between a 3.5-liter V6 (the ML350) and a 5.0-liter V8 (ML500).

The biggest improvement by far is the vehicles ride and handling. Despite the fact the original M-Class was touted as possessing a car-like ride, much of the aforementioned competition have since built SUVs that behave much more like sport sedans than any M-Class (the Acura MDX, BMW X3 and X5, plus Infiniti FX 35/45 come immediately to mind).

Mercedes engineers did the right thing by lengthening both the overall length and wheelbase of the second generation M-Class, and the slightly lower cabin (0.24 inches) adds a lower center of gravity that enhances the vehicles tight and solid handling feel. A completely redesigned suspension doesnt hurt either.

My tester was an ML350, and the all-new 3.5-liter V6 performed very well. Producing 268-horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque, the engine is mated to a seven-speed automatic transmission borrowed from the 2005 SLK350. Just as it does in the two-seater, the gearbox shifts smoothly and silently. The all-new four-wheel-drive system works nicely with the seven-speed, and includes new features such as a downhill driving aid and a hill-holder.

The new exterior features sweeping lines that are much more aggressive than on the predecessor, giving the new M-Class a more pronounced wedge shape set off by the longer wheelbase and lower cabin height. Im not too sold on the grille work, though, as Ive always preferred a plain background for the iconic Mercedes encircled trident logo.

Inside, all the changes are for the better. Though just marginally wider (2.80 inches) and longer (5.91 inches), the new M-Class cabin feels much bigger than the former model, and rear-seat legroom is much improved.

One strange feature, though, is the gear selector, fashioned very much like the unorthodox one found in the BMW 7-Series. Despite driving the vehicle for a week, I never did get completely comfortable with the shifter. I also found it to be a bit of a gas-guzzler.

All in all, though, the new M-Class is just what Herr Doctor ordered. And theres more M-Class news still to come. According to my Mercedes contact, an optional off-road package will be available later this year.