Mario James, Gleaner Writer 
Above: 2009 Mercedes ML280 available at Motor Sales for $7.5 Million. - Photos by Mario James
German engineering. So good that at the end of WWII the allies had an all- you-can-eat technology buffet when they divvied up the spoils. What they don't invent, they perfect. It is all scientific method with them. Every car-making decision is based on empirical data, every nuance wrought from reams of numbers extruded from a single thought. That's how they make their cars. Each vehicle starts with a single, clear sentence about what a car should be like to own and drive. Coming up with that statement must be a helluva process. But they are good at this, and that's why they are number one. If the foundation is good, then each creative layer must also be true to the same ethos, which means that each tier must be just as good.
The Mercedes M-Class is a product of that kind of thinking. While Automotives is not here to distil the end product so as to find that initial statement, we're to tell you that the result from that mission statement is very, very good. On paper, the specs are impressive. Our ML280 test carf came equipped with a 3.0-litre V6 Turbo diesel with 188 hp, but far more importantly, 325 ft lb of twist. To put this in perspective, the Mitsubishi Evo X makes 311 ft lb, and that's got a gasolene engine.
OFF-ROAD SYSTEM
But wait, there's more. Mercedes 4-Matic 4WD off-road system has more electronic frippery than we would normally like. Andrew Smith, Gleaner Photography editor, and the lover of all things four-wheel drive hates electronics. So does this writer. They tend to get into the way of the power when it is most needed, and because vehicles equipped with such systems really don't give the driver much control, as they are meant to be 'invisible' to the less-experienced pilot, they do too much without knowing what the environment they are being asked to perform in is.
But 4-Matic is smart. It not only knows what angle the vehicle is at, but critical stuff like slip relative to intended direction (i.e. yaw) as well as roll is a part of its decision-making process. Couple this with the ability to route more than 90 per cent of engine torque to any one wheel means that unless it is being piloted by a complete doofus then the M-Class is going to get its occupants where they need to go. With complete confidence and safety. Utterly.
test-drive conditions
Automotives had this chassis in situations where we unloaded at least two of the wheels regularly when we were traversing through trails in the Stony Hill area. We did this on dewy grass in the morning, up 35 slopes lined with bramble and marl, and negotiated one sandy 30 banking under power that was pockmarked with undulations. Not once did any of the wheels slip. Not once. Sometimes the pucker factor was very intense, because faith had to be put into the unseen (the drive electronics). But the system always proved itself. Places where we took the X5 we visited with this machine, and the Merc exhibited more poise and balance in the roughest bits. ML280 was also equipped with a descent control, and get this, the speed of descent was adjustable from 6 km/h (crawl) to 18 km/h!
Sumptuous Germanic interior.
Right: The exquisite M-Class Mercedes.
The interior is also a product of extreme cerebral activity. You know that an interior works when kids won't come out of it. Automotives took this puppy home for a night, and my mini testers went to work, looking at all of the gadgets resplendent on the inside. They found 90 per cent of them without having to ask questions, and they played with the seats in the spacious surroundings for hours! The gear selector and how it works is a thing of beauty, and the engineers have put it on the steering column. Not too sure about the cruise control, though. Still prefer buttons on the steering wheel, the column mounted stalk not really doing it for me. But the climate control is capable of better than a 20-degree separation between zones, which has got to mean that there are two evaporators under the dash. The car cools from 93 degree heat to what is comfortable in seconds.
It all comes together behind the steering wheel. While the M-Class has a tall profile, body sway is held to an absolute minimum. Merc's baby SUV is now a unibody, which means that the body is the frame. Doing away with the frame means that response in transient manoeuvres is tighter, and does not contribute to the peeling away of the contact patch in corners, especially under power. Yes, the chassis is set up to understeer, but once the chassis starts to slip, 4Matic comes in, extending its repertoire to include increasing on-road performance as well, driving the wheels axially opposite to those slipping and bringing the car back on line.
Now, earlier it was mentioned that the 3.0 litre V6 produces a tractor-like 325 ft lb of torque. In the stop light grand prix, torque is king, not horsepower, and much of that power is available from low down. Red line is 4200 rpm, so one would think that top-end power is not really its forte until you realise that this beast is also equipped with a seven speed automatic transmission. Not a CVT, actual planetary gear sets are used in its construction. Speed here is deceptive; 40 mph feels like 20, 90 mph makes the driver feel as if the car is just beginning to move. And that 90 comes up pretty quick; 0-100 flashes by in just under nine seconds. Using the power intelligently, a seasoned driver will be able to gobble up huge stretches of tarmac in a blissfully short time. And at the end of that journey, you and your precious cargo will emerge rested and uncramped. And I cannot think of a better mission statement than that.
