The BlueTEC also offers charms more intangible. Each night, I left the test vehicle unshielded on my parents’ driveway. In the morning, often I’d awaken to see an igloo in its place. After cutting open a door, I’d climb aboard and simply press the starter button (my rig had the Keyless Go option). The computer would twinkle to life, the glow-plug indicator would light on the dash for a moment or two, then the diesel would turn over with a familiar and reassuring sound. “Rattle” isn’t the right word, implying loud and coarse. But there was no escaping the hint of Big Rig in the BlueTEC’s idle. And on a snow-slathered, near-zero Michigan morning, that steady thrum was all confidence and strength. Nothing says “stout” like a well-bred diesel. The ML320 exuded an “I can take on anything” persona.
 

Equipped with a seven-speed automatic transmission and electronically managed 4ETS all-wheel drive, the Mercedes Benz ML-class Luxury SUV Rentals is available in four models. The ML320 CDI is powered by a 3.0-liter turbo-diesel V6 generating 215 horsepower. The ML350 is powered by Mercedes’ latest-generation 3.5-liter gasoline V6, generating 268 horsepower. The ML550 uses an upgraded 5.5-liter, 382-hp V8 and the top of the line ML63 AMG uses a 6.3-liter, 503-hp V8.   

For 2008, the extensively equipped M-Class includes standard features such as stability control and active front head restraints, as well as front, side, and side curtain airbags.The Mercedes Benz M Class Luxury Car Rentals When Mercedes-Benz lifts the covers from the 2009 ML-Class at the New York auto show next week, it’s going to look a little different — and sound a lot different, thanks to the new diesel engine under the hood.

Benz’ push in New York will showcase its trio of diesel-power sport-utility vehicles, including the crossover R320 BlueTEC, the larger GL320 BlueTEC, and the mid-size SUV that started it all for the brand in America, the ML320 BlueTec. Each features the new AdBlue system developed by Mercedes that uses a special exhaust aftertreatment spray to treat diesel emissions, reducing nitrogen oxides.

The ML-Class, along with the new diesel engine, gets a visual revamp with a new front bumper and headlights, a new lower ribbed grille, fog lamps and more chrome trim. Benz says the look will give it a stronger face for the 2009 model year — a new fashion for the New York crowds, we suppose.

In back the M-Class, as it’s popularly known, gets a refreshed rear end as well, with dual exhausts, a reshaped bumper and skid plates. And inside the Benz SUV there are reupholstered doors, lumbar for the driver seat, a new steering wheel, Bluetooth and iPod connectivity. An optional harmon kardon Logic7 audio system and rear-seat entertainment system have been added, along with voice recognition.

New standard safety equipment adds on Mercedes’ PRE-SAFE system to the M-Class’ portfolio. PRE-SAFE uses sensors to detect when a vehicle is in danger of an imminent crash — from throttle and brake and steering inputs — and prepares the car for impact. Seatbelts are tightened, the front passenger seat moves into a better position and the side windows close (and if the system predicts a rollover, the sunroof closes as well).

Mercedes-Benz promises fuel economy will be 20 to 30 percent better in the diesel versions of its sport-utes. The EPA shows the ML320 CDI rated at 18/24 mpg, with the gas-engined ML350 at 15/20 mpg. Mercedes-Benz also promises a cruising range of up to 600 miles.

The diesel-powered Benzes go on sale later this year in all 50 states.

Stay tuned for more coverage from the New York auto show as The Car Connection hits the Javits CenterUntil a 2008 M-Class was assigned to me for this review, I had kind of forgotten that Mercedes redesigned this luxury SUV two years ago. Sure, I knew about the update when it was first announced, but I hadn’t noticed the SUV in commercials, on the road or in weekly newspaper ads. After a long, 10-day loan, however, I started seeing new ML350s and 550s all over the Chicago area.

That bit of psychological auto trickery may already be familiar to other drivers out there, but believe me when I tell you these full-time M-Class drivers might be on to something: The new M-Class is one alluring SUV.
 

Styling
Like the ML350, the silver ML550 I tested had a big, bold grille with a large three-pointed star in it. This predominant feature lets everyone on the road know some money was spent on this SUV. I’m not sure if that was the intended effect, but if you want status, the M-Class has it displayed right out front.

The emblem doesn’t detract from the overall styling, though; everything about this SUV is big and bold. Unlike the middle-of-the-road previous generation, the current M-Class can stand out on the road. Small details like carved taillights and numerous creases along the body show that Mercedes spent some time on the design. Silver is, of course, the most boring of car colors, but matched with the large exhaust outlets, the metal-topped sideboards and that grille, it looked great. During the 10 days I had this car, I passed a number of models in black, white and dark red that were all equally striking.

Inside, the cabin is dark and elegant — dark because the black leather in our test car covered every inch of interior space. There’s little room left for the dark wood accents, which I thought were too subtle in this color scheme. Gray and tan leather are also available, as is aluminum trim.
 Performance
The nice thing about being able to afford the ML550 is the 382-horsepower V-8 under its hood. Calling this SUV “fast” is an understatement. Mercedes says it goes from zero to 60 mph in 5.6 seconds. That’s muscle-car fast. This muscle SUV had me flooring it whenever I could to get the engine to come to life. Even so, I’m sure even my most enthusiastic driving didn’t put the full power of the ML550 to the test.

There are shift paddles on the back of the steering wheel so drivers can select any of the automatic transmission’s seven gears manually at any time. The location seems odd in that they’re essentially hidden from view, but ergonomically they make a lot more sense than the funky column-mounted gear-selector stalk you use to move from Park to Neutral to Drive to Reverse. I’m not a huge fan of paddles if they don’t do a better job of accelerating than just plain mashing the gas pedal, but I surprisingly found both methods of joyriding enjoyable in the M-Class for rent.

The other big surprise was at the pump, where I realized I was getting more than 16 mpg during all this pedal-mashing and lots of stop-and-go rush hour traffic. I logged almost 1,000 miles during my long loan, and my gas mileage stayed at that 16-plus-mpg number. That’s dead-on with the EPA’s 13/18 mpg (city/highway) ratings. Sure, you’re pumping premium into the ML, but these numbers are quite good for the class, and especially for this much power. On open highway trips of 50-plus miles, the trip computer had me in the low-20-mpg range.

Handling was superb. All models feature all-wheel drive, and the ML550 has 19-inch wheels and tires that contributed to an extremely comforting, planted feeling at all times. The M-Class suv rental also has an optional selectable suspension that moves between automatic, Sport and Comfort modes. Many other luxury cars on the market feature similar setups, but few work quite as transparently as the M-Class’. The Comfort setting did make the ride smoother on highways, turning this otherwise bruising SUV into a great cruiser. The wife almost enjoyed a long commute in bumper-to-bumper traffic because it was so comfortable. When you hit the off-ramp, though, you’ll want it in Sport mode, as the suspension stiffens and turns the handling quotient up a bit. The bumps also make themselves well known in this setting.

I found myself in Comfort mode — why anyone would choose the default mode, I’m not sure — during long commutes and with passengers in the car. At all other times, I drove in Sport.

The one failing in the M-Class rental car performance repertoire is its braking — I’m not sure how you build such a powerful vehicle and don’t give it the most responsive brakes possible. The 13-inch ventilated four-wheel disc brakes stopped the car, but the mushy brake pedal feel led to poor response at almost every stop sign, light or congested road. It usually takes a day or two to get the feel of the brakes in the car you’re testing because every car brakes differently. After 10 days, though, I was still jerking passengers’ heads as I rushed to avoid possible fender-benders at every turn. That’s a feeling you don’t want to have when piloting such an otherwise-fine performance machine.

The ML350 costs roughly $10,000 less than the ML550 and features a less intriguing 268-hp V-6 engine and 15/20 mpg mileage estimate. I’m not one to say go for broke, but it would take a lot for me to give up the V-8’s power.
 Features
As we cram more technology into our homes, cars and palms, the ergonomics of using said advancements should be getting better. Mercedes has a few elegant systems in cars like the S-Class and new C-Class that allow the driver to play with all the onboard technology with little headache. Not so in the M-Class. The LCD screen in the easy-to-reach center dash is perfect for a touch-screen interface … except it doesn’t have one.

Instead, you have to use buttons lining both sides of the screen that correspond to functions displayed on the screen. Those functions change with every screen as you move through radio, navigation and onboard computer settings. There’s also a small joystick on the far side of the dash that can move the cursor around the screen, but it’s difficult to use. I found myself looking for ways to work around the system most of the time, and after a few attempts at inputting directions I simply gave up. True, we should all spend time reading the owner’s manual, and owners who live with the car will eventually learn the system, but a vast majority of the cars I test are intuitive enough to use without referencing the large book stashed in the glove compartment. Strangely enough, with the optional iPod connector installed in the glove box, the owner’s manual no longer fit there anyway.