Oppo, Give Me Your Opinions

"macanamera" (macanamera) 04/20/2015 at 11:12 • Filed to: None

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Mercedes Benz ML. Love? Hate? Which generation(s)? A friend and I...disagree about this car, I’d like to know what you all think.

First Gen, Second Gen, Third Gen:

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > macanamera 04/20/2015 at 11:17

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I love the AMG versions, but am neither here nor there on the regular one. I’ve been underwhelmed by every one I’ve ever been in, but I suppose they are decent cars.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > macanamera 04/20/2015 at 11:17

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The newer generations look better, I thought the first gen was ugly. I think it’s a normal, practical crossover luxury SUV - not really my cup of tea but I’d take it over something like a Lexus RX330.

Also, back seats are spacious, good for midnight hookups behind New Jersey gas stations.

E. Julius > macanamera 04/20/2015 at 11:19

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1st generation: ugly as sin

2nd generation: ugly

3rd generation: decent

It would definitely have much more of a sorority girl look to it, but I much prefer the GLK as far as tall MBs are concerned.

macanamera > E. Julius 04/20/2015 at 11:23

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Interesting, thank you.

macanamera > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 04/20/2015 at 11:23

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Interesting.

macanamera > Snuze: Needs another Swede 04/20/2015 at 11:24

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Party-vi > macanamera 04/20/2015 at 11:32

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I’d rather had a GLK.

Alex B > macanamera 04/20/2015 at 11:34

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It's ok I guess. I hear the current generation lags behind the competition in many ways. I wouldn't turn one down, but I prefer the GL.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > Party-vi 04/20/2015 at 11:34

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Oh dear god no

B_dol > macanamera 04/20/2015 at 11:34

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My girlfriends parents have a first gen and it is still running strong (they only average about 5K miles a year on it...). That being said, it rides like a roller coaster and has a suspension that is way too soft. Almost nauseating.

Likely could be fixed, but they do nothing other than the routine maintenance. It also has a break pedal that engages MUCH too close to the floor.

Party-vi > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 04/20/2015 at 11:44

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Oh yes. Perfect size for a small SUV, plenty of pep from the V6, and good looks. Me likee.

macanamera > Party-vi 04/20/2015 at 11:45

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In the spirit of not showing bias I will neither agree or disagree with you here, but let’s just say one of us agrees with you.

shop-teacher > macanamera 04/20/2015 at 11:52

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They’ve gotten less ugly over the years, but that’s not saying much. I’ve never ridden in one, let alone driven one. I don’t have any logic or reasons. I just don’t like them.

desertdog5051 > macanamera 04/20/2015 at 12:06

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Not a fan of any SUV.

Textured Soy Protein > macanamera 04/20/2015 at 12:07

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3 open diffs + traction control + no diff locks or low range + 4800 lbs for the base V6 1st gen and progressively heavier since then = boring crossover that weighs far too much given its lack of capability

PS9 > macanamera 04/20/2015 at 12:39

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One of us agrees with you.

Macanamera = Ermac confirmed.

sellphones2493 > macanamera 04/20/2015 at 13:01

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My aunt rolled her’s on a highway overpass when I was in the back. She sucks at driving and it was raining and we went into a field. I was scared shitless, but my little cousin (like 5 at a the time) thought it was fun.

Pretty sure I owe my life to that car. They, along with the competition (Cayenne, X5, Q7, XC90, Etc) are build like tanks.

Mathias Rios > macanamera 04/20/2015 at 13:07

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I love mine! She's got 1/4th of a million miles on her, and I drive it hard. Most reliable car I've ever experienced.

E92M3 > macanamera 04/20/2015 at 13:18

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My EX-Brother-In-Law had a first gen with over 250k miles on it (he bought it new) before my sister sold it after his death.

I prefer the 2nd gen (I’ve driven all 3 gens). Third Gen is too soft, and has ZERO feedback as far as steering and suspension goes.

Rico > macanamera 04/20/2015 at 13:42

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First gen is meh and the second gen isn’t too far off. Someone who lives near me has a 2nd gen ML63 so it gets points. Third gen is best thus far (GLE looks better obviously) but around that price point (starting at $50k) I’d be looking at other options like a used Range Rover.

macanamera > PS9 04/20/2015 at 13:50

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ERMAC WINS

FATALITY

TotallyThatStupid > macanamera 04/20/2015 at 17:39

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I wrote this 1.5 years ago for money (for a British magazine, so sorry for the Britishness), and I think I’m safe in reposting it here. July 2013 found me in Fairfax County, Virginia hanging out with my http://totallythatstupid.com cohort...

Rather than allowing us the ignominy of hiring a generic sedan, Reed loaned me his 1999 ML320. Brothers do that.

I can have fun driving anything at speed, even a slightly rusty, 1800 kg truck over impossibly narrow tree- and field-lined roads derived from the meanderings of indigenous bears. Assuming the bears were very small and agile, with decent low-end torque to account for the elevation changes.

Let’s put this on the table straightaway: the ML320 will never be a sports car. Indeed, calling it a Sport Utility Vehicle does a disservice to all those engaged in anything peripherally related to sport. The 215 horsepower V6 moves the truck - and it is a truck in every sense of the word - with minimal urgency, though the 5-speed automatic transmission, with its quick and willing shifts, somewhat masks the engine’s apathy.

Around town it’s okay, but you do have to boot it off the line to keep up. Here’s the shocker, though. Over the twisty, sometimes broken Virginia backroads the ML rattled and shook - holy moly, there’s a lot of flimsy American plastic in that car - but it never put a wheel wrong. Amazingly, it would go exactly where pointed, and exhibited a mostly neutral attitude about it.

You’re definitely aware of the height, but even with close to 171k digital rounds on the proverbial clock, the body control was astonishing. It’s certainly a tall truck, but it didn’t bob or float, and quick changes via the steering wheel never gave the impression you were going to fall over dead. So controlled was the ML320 during these shenanigans, my 3 year old son was able to comfortably doze in the back seat.

The all wheel drive system got confused over… well, let’s just call them jumps, where what I assume was the centre differential and the traction control system would get into a brief, but loud, shouting match.

The large disc brakes never faded or shook, and the wooden pedal feel was absolutely appropriate to the ML’s role as a shopping centre urchin.

Over the course of three days, we put 300+ miles on the ML320. Whether chasing Reed in his 300CE Cabriolet over the bear trails, shuttling ice and provisions to the memorial, or idling for twenty minutes outside a fast food shop in 38-degree C heat, the ML behaved itself.

I’ve never walked away from a “rental” car thinking I immediately needed to run out and add an example to my fleet, and in fact I don’t need to own an ML anything. But the more time I spent with this particular ML320, the more fond of the beast I became. It did nothing perfectly, but it did a lot of things really well, most important of which was entertaining me for a few sad, difficult days in July.