Which? works for you. Which? Car review Mercedes-Benz M-class ( ) On sale: Apr 1998 Class: 4x4s/SUVs New price: - Used price: From 1,995

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1 Which? works for you Which? Car review MercedesBenz Mclass ( ) On sale: Apr 1998 Class: New price: Used price: From 1,995 Performance: Boot & Storage: Ride comfort: Safety: Copes well with offroading and towing. Luxurious and spacious interior. Strong safety features. Crude road manners. Very expensive parts and maintenance. High fuel consumption even diesels. handling: Reliability: Ṯotal score: Recommended models in the range Which? Car Top Choice Model ML270 CDI 5dr Tip Auto New price: Used price: 2,975 Fastest Model ML55 5dr Auto New price: Used price: 3, mph: 6.8 secs Most Efficient Model ML270 CDI Inspiration 5dr New price: Used price: 3,525 Combined fuel economy: 30.1 mpg Cheapest Model to buy new New price: Overview MercedesBenz s offroader enjoyed a starring role in Jurassic Park. But is the original Mclass now a motoring dinosaur? Certainly the upmarket lustre it emanated at launch appears to have dimmed in the eyes of used car buyers it s now in bargain basement territory. Maybe that s down to its very high running costs. Get past these issues, though, and the Americanbuilt Mclass has many virtues: the strength to tow up to 3.5 tonnes, convincing offroad abilities and plenty of space inside for passengers and luggage. The original Mclass shuffled off its mortal coil in It was replaced with a muchimproved second generation version, which continued till The Mercedes Mclass competes in the fullsize SUV class, up against the BMW X5, Range Rover, Lexus RX, Volvo XC90 and VW Touareg. If you need to tow something heavy, there s very little that can match an Mclass. Running costs can be astronomical. Avoid the overengined ML500 and AMG55, and examples with manual transmission. The ML270 CDI diesel automatic is the best choice. Cheapest Model to buy used ML320 5dr Auto Used price: 1,995 Cheapest Model to Run (new) New price: Running costs: (3 years/36,000 miles) Owner s View This car is without doubt the most comfortable and safe vehicle I have ever owned. The driving position, seat ergonomics and internal finish quality are first class. The minor irritating electrical problems have been the most disappointing things

2 MercedesBenz Mclass ( ) On the road The ML 320 CDI diesel automatic, as tested, is easily the best model in the range in terms of daytoday performance, smoothness and general running. The Mclass is rather let down by its crude chassis, which seems set up for American tastes rather than European ones: its cornering is cumbersome and its ride quality can be jiggly. The Mclass really comes into its own on rough terrain, though. Performance We tested the ML 270 CDI diesel, whose fivecylinder engine performs adequately, including being able to tow up to 3,500kg. Automatic transmission is a much better option than manual it s smooth and joltfree, and ratios can also be selected manually. A pushbutton lowspeed transfer box is provided for offroad duty. Acceleration (3762mph) 7.9 secs Performance We use the sophisticated electronic timing equipment to record standingstart and ingear acceleration, and repeat each test several times. Ride comfort Ride comfort The Mclass has a separatechassis construction, which makes it feel a bit crude. While the suspension damps highspeed bumps well, it s not so great at low speed, and potholes really catch it out. The body also rolls markedly when cornering. Ride comfort is assessed by our laboratory experts who have driven hundreds of thousands of miles in a myriad of different models.

3 MercedesBenz Mclass ( ) On the road continued... Handling With its standard electronic stability control and permanent fourwheel drive, the Mclass corners safely enough, with good grip whatever the road conditions. It never feels very connected to the road, however, with understeer transferring to oversteer in extreme manoeuvres. The steering is very light and imprecise. Brakes A stopping distance of 42.5m from 62mph is about what you d expect for a large SUV. Handling Onthelimit handling is explored well away from public roads to ensure a fair test. Our obstacle avoidance test is one of the harshest tests in the industry.. Brakes Braking distance (620mph) 42.4m Refinement and noise The Mclass is relatively quiet, even at high speeds. It s generally well built, but owners have levelled a number of criticisms at it, particularly the quality of its electrical items. Some of the cabin materials are a bit lowrent for a Mercedes, too. Cruising noise 272dB The Which? Car braking test measures stopping distance from 620mph and is repeated ten times in quick succession to highlight any brake fade issues. Refinement and noise The Which? Car experts use a decibel meter to record interior sound levels at common UK motorway speeds, and combine this with subjective assessments to arrive at an overall score.

4 MercedesBenz Mclass ( ) On the road continued... Cabin and controls The steering wheel is only heightadjustable, not reachadjustable, but most drivers should be able to achieve a comfortable driving position. The audio and climate control systems are well sited and easy to operate. We re not so keen on the positioning of some of the switchgear, though, notably for the electric windows, mirrors and fog lamps. Visibility and parking The tall seating position gives you a commanding allround view of the road. Visibility generally is good, but the view to the rear is impaired by the rear headrests, which can t be pushed down. Although the steering is very light, the car s cumbersome turning circle makes parking awkward. Turning circle 11.9m Cabin and controls We penalise cars with difficult controls, and we look for things like backlit light switches and easytouse heating and ventilation adjustments. Visibility and parking Visibility is a major issue for motorists today, so each car gets a 360degree swivel view test to reproduce the driver s eye view and any obscured areas.

5 MercedesBenz Mclass ( ) Comfort and practicality The Mclass is impressively spacious, both for passengers and luggage. Many cars were ordered as sevenseaters with an extra third row of seats. Getting in and out Getting in and out The tall bodywork makes getting in and out pretty easy. Seat space and comfort Both front and rear, things are very spacious: even if you re 2m tall, you ll be able to feel comfortable, and there s plenty of shoulder width as well. The optional Family Pack adds an extra pair of foldaway seats in a third row, but these are much more cramped. We take measurements all around the driver and passenger s door apertures and note the height of the seat, door sills and step down onto the car floor. The best cars don t require too much bending or stretching to get in and out. Seat space and comfort We assess seat comfort subjectively, using our road testers expert knowledge and experience from thousands of different cars. And we measure the head, legand elbowroom on offer in every seat, to see how well the car caters for people of all shapes and sizes.

6 MercedesBenz Mclass ( ) Comfort and practicality continued... Boot and storage At 510 litres, the luggage compartment is large for the class. With the asymmetricallysplit rear seats folded down, that increases to an impressive 950 litres (measured to the window line). The very large tailgate opening, flat load floor and practical shape of the boot make for easy stowage of bulky items. However, if you re over 1.8m tall, you can all too easily bump your head on the open tailgate. Boot space (seats up/down) 505 litres / 505 litres Heating and ventilation Automatic climate control is standard on all Mclasses, with separate zones for front and rear passengers. It works well generally, but in cold weather it can take seemingly forever to warm up especially in the rear. Boot and storage Carmakers give official stats for boot space, but our tests are more realistic. We load the boot up with measuring blocks only as far as the rear window line, so that luggage is well secured and won t obscure rear visibility. We repeat the test with the rear seats up, and folded down (where possible). Heating and ventilation Feel sorry for the tester who has to warm each car up from a frosty 10 degrees in our climate chamber. Starting with a cold engine, we measure how long it takes to warm up the front and rear of the cabin. Diesel cars usually take longer. We also check the effectiveness of air conditioning, where fitted.

7 MercedesBenz Mclass ( ) Running costs and depreciation The Mclass is potentially one of the most expensive cars on the road to keep going. Crippling fuel consumption (whether petrol or diesel), very high maintenance costs and expensive Mercedes parts all have a role to play. Insurance costs are high, too, ranging from group 38 (ML 320 CDI) up to group 50 (ML 55 AMG). Fuel consumption Fuel consumption We tested the ML 320 CDI automatic, which Mercedes claims should average 29.7mpg we achieved only It gets worse if you opt for a petrol engine, with claimed averages ranging from 21.7mpg (ML 320) down to just 19.1mpg (ML 55 AMG). Petrol (combined mpg, claimed) Diesel (combined mpg, claimed) 19.1 mpg 22.2 mpg 29.7 mpg 30.1 mpg We test fuel economy under strict lab conditions using realistic test cycles to reveal the facts behind the figures. Our figures rarely match manufacturer claims as, unlike the official mpg test, we measure economy with both a hot and cold engine, and on the motorway. Urban (claimed/measured) 22.8 mpg/23.0 mpg Extra urban (claimed/measured) 35.3 mpg/35.3 mpg Motorway (measured) 28.2 mpg Combined (claimed/measured) 29.7 mpg/28.5 mpg

8 MercedesBenz Mclass ( ) Running costs and depreciation continued... Emissions Every model in the Mclass range emits a lot of carbon dioxide: from 248g/km to 354g/km. Its saving grace is that this generation predates the March 2006 cutoff point for the highest VED road tax banding. Petrol (CO2, claimed) Diesel (CO2, claimed) 305g per km 354g per km 248g per km 250g per km Emissions (claimed/measured) 250g per km/ Safety and security For its day, the MClass had stateoftheart safety standards. In addition to front and frontside airbags, it had endtoend window bags and rear side airbags were optional. Stability control is standard on all examples. However, the headrests fore and aft are only big enough to protect occupants up to 1.75m tall. The Mclass s credentials as family transport are dented somewhat by the fact that fitting child seats in the rear using the car s seat belts is pretty awkward, and not all types of child restraint system will fit. It s preferable to use Isofix if possible. Note that only an official Mercedes child safety seat can be fitted to the front passenger seat. Euro NCAP score The Mclass scored four out of five stars in the Euro NCAP adult occupant crash test, but only one star out of four in the pedestrian test. Adult occupant Child protection Pedestrian protection Which? safety rating Active (crash avoidance) Passive (crash safety) Child Pedestrian Emissions While testing fuel economy, we also collect exhaust gases to enable us to measure the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted. We also check whether particulate filters are effective at removing sooty emissions from diesel engines. Safety We rate cars for safety using Euro NCAP crash test scores (where available), alongside our own comprehensive safety checklist. Uniquely, we also feed in results from our accident avoidance test after all, it s far better to steer around a crash than rely on the airbags... Security Security scores come from the security experts at Thatcham, who break into hundreds of cars each year. Most modern cars are very difficult to drive away, but are still too easy to steal from. Security This is a difficult car to steal, scoring a maximum five stars for theft of the vehicle. However, its theft from score was less impressive three stars. Theft of car: Theft from car:

9 MercedesBenz Mclass ( ) Which? Car Survey results The Which? Car Survey is the UK s most robust reliability and owner satisfaction survey. In 2015, drivers told us about 58,000 cars, covering more than 484 million miles in the previous 12 months (that s equivalent to driving to the moon and back a hundred times). This unique feedback allows us to rate satisfaction and reliability for hundreds of new and used cars. Note: Star ratings below are from 15 (1 is very poor and 5 is very good). Percentages shown under Most common faults indicate the proportion of owners reporting each problem in the past 12 months. Brand MercedesBenz ratings Sample size: 2,292 people Overall owner satisfaction for this brand 83% Brand reliability Dealer Sales Service Dealer Servicing & repair Model: MercedesBenz Mclass ( ) Ownership ratings Sample size: people Overall owner satisfaction for this range About our survey Brand ratings Everyone who takes part in the Which? Car survey tells us about their car and the dealers who sell and service it. We analyse this feedback across all cars to give toplevel satisfaction ratings for each brand, including the brand s reliability record over the last eight years. All star ratings are out of five. Model ownership ratings These show how owners score this car in 12 different areas, from performance to heating. Owners ratings are subjective so may differ from Which? Car test scores but they give a good idea of what the car is like to live with. Where relevant, cars are scored against other cars in the same class (e.g. for space). Owner s View My Mercedes looks good, drives well and does everything that I ask of it from carrying heavy loads to travelling long journeys (South of France in a day). Used to be a Landy man but not any more! The ride can be a bit springy, but that Owner s View It has been a joy. It will be 10 years in Septemeber with me. All major problems happened while under warranty. Since the end of the warranty, it has been good.

10 MercedesBenz Mclass ( ) Which? Car Survey results continued... Reliability ratings Overall Reliability About our survey Reliability ratings Up to 3 years old 48 years old Petrol cars Reliability breakdowns average annual repair cost Diesel cars Reliability breakdowns average annual repair cost All cars Reliability breakdowns average annual repair cost Breakdowns: Percentage of cars suffering a breakdown in last 12 months Average annual repair cost: Average annual cost of repairs (not servicing), in past 12 months We split reliability into breakdowns (including failure to start), faults (where parts need replacing) and problems (minor issues e.g. squeaks and loose trim). Where the car has been on sale for some time, and we have numerous survey responses from owners, we also split scores by the age of car and fuel type. Star ratings are out of five the more stars, the more reliable the car. Most common faults Most common faults Up to 3 years old 48 years old Want to know what s most likely to go wrong as the car gets older? These are the five most common faults reported by owners, grouped by age into new, recent and older cars. A score of 40% means four out of 10 owners reported problems with that part of the car over the previous 12 months. Engine electrics and nonengine electrics (e.g. windows, stereo) cause more headaches than mechanical parts in most modern cars. Failure rate: The proportion of owners reporting this problem in the last year