Well to start with I got a brand new Mercedes Benz ML 320 CDI sent to me by Mercedes Benz for Indian Autos Blog, and it was at my disposal for the next two days, during which I had planned an on and off-road test on it. The M Class is one of the most established in the SUV class of the Mercedes range and it truly is one hell of an off-roader. Under the hood was a V6 Diesel with 3000cc of raw power churning out 234Bhp with a massive torque of 535nm
now hows that for a starter?
The looks is typical Mercedes, a real head turner with a chunky stance. The first day was dedicated for some sane on-road driving, the ML (that’s what it would be called in my entire review) behaved well, did what was told.
Pickup and power delivery was awesome and linear. The ML loaded with gadgets like Parktronic, air suspension, 7-speed auto gears, known as 7G-Tronic has a paddle shifters hiding behind the multi-function steering wheel.
The dash is centered around the LCD screen called as the Telematic Systems Audio20, has a 5-inch screen and a 6-CD changer, Bluetooth connectivity and a phone dialer keypad. The A.C has separate climate zone settings for driver and passenger at the rear. Seats are leather and fully power assisted.
Safety is what Mercedes is known for. Safety is given top priority in the ML with frontal airbags and side curtain airbags with Neck Pro package as Standard on the Indian ML. A huge sunroof also is standard on the ML here. The power mirrors are auto folding and heated .
The real fun part of this SUV is the Air Suspension called as Airmatic Package by Mercedes. This feature when enabled at a press of a button raises the vehicle and hence increases its ground clearance bettering its off-roading abilities. I would also like to add here that this Monster rides on a 19-inch Alloys which make the potholes and speed breakers things of negligible concern.
When you start the ML 320 CDI its real difficult to make out if it’s a petrol or diesel-powered, so thumbs up to Mercedes for a noiseless cabin.
The main portion of power is after the 3k RPM mark, which is exactly when the vroom effect kicks in. The power after the 3k RPM mark is just awesome and due to its all time 4wheel drive, you .
On road its sane and matured drive with great comfort and handling feedback, we did a top speed of 190 kmph and trust me it felt as if we were doing 80-100kmph, and the assurance a normal SUV like a Scorpio would give you at such speeds. I mean, that’s how safe and sturdy the ML is on the highways. Braking is also top notch with massive discs on all 4 wheels helping the ML to stop instantly.
For the off-roading test, we went to a place out of the town and boy, this is where the ML felt at home. Shift from Comfort Mode to Sport Mode and press the Airmatic button and the ML is ready for some serious off-roading. It takes sand, rocks and gravel all in its stride and the 4X4 assisted by the 7speed Gearbox with the awesome torque does not stop the ML from munching miles even through the harshest terrain.
We did a lot of off-road testing as the images will tell you, it was next to impossible to put the ML in a spot of bother. Anything in ML’s stride, and it was fully absorbed.
After driving the ML 320 CDI for two long days and getting under its skin, I can quite boldly claim that this is one of the best Luxury off-road SUVs that money can buy, costing approx 60 lakh on road Mumbai.
Mercedes Benz ML 320 Road Test Team Credits
Ritesh Madhok (Roadtest/ Off-On Road Driving/Photographs)
Sujit Jangaid (Off Road Driving)
Raju Birade(Off Road Driving)
Amit Jangaid (Onroad Driving)
Darshan Sutar (Passenger – Kept us all cool when we went off-roading)
Thomas George (Mercedes Car Pool Organiser)
Mercedes Benz ML 320 Image Slideshow
wait for the images to load or head straight to the image gallery
[...] price of the Grand, with all these features will be five lakh more than the current vehicle. The M-Class is a solid SUV with good off-roading credentials and is up there with the best SUVs money can buy [...]
[...] Benz M-Class debuts this year at the biannual Paris Motor Show which takes place in October. The current M-Class has not disturbed sales of its competitors in India and the new one promises to change its [...]
I saw yesterday this SUV from back and I was amazed with the beauty of this SUV. I was trying to find the Mercedes logo at the back but was unable. Finally with the the ML 320 CDI written on the back, I searched the Google and was pleasently surprised that this is Mercedes SUV.
Its my dream to get inside of it and feel the interiors of it, I cant drive as I am just 10 years old but very very fond of the Automobile.
Can anybody fulfill my dream? I have my photos with all the international brands cars of like BMW X6, AUDI TT, Audi Q7, Mercedes SLK Class. This opportunity I got when there was a International Auto Show in Hyderabad.
it was really gr8 test drive with Mercedes Benz ML 320 CDI..
the car is superb.. but the way you hv explained , it is looking more n more attractive.
the most gr8 thing of ur testing is off road testing…
i liked it very much..
best of luck n go ahead..
[...] by the 3 pointed star sitting in the centre. Even though the front grill looked very much like the ML320’s grill, we had to remind ourselves that the huge three pointed star in grille, came only [...]
[...] Benz’s full size SUV, the Mercedes Benz ML which we we enjoyed driving, will undergo an extreme make over to end up as a sporty, muscular, angular and mean looking [...]
Thanks a lot for the compliments, thats what we need to get even better.
Great work guys, you’re going big time!
@Fas- thank you for your appreciation. Yes, we made it a point to do some off-roading in it and the results were pleasing
@Sushil – the car could cope with all the puddles, streams, boulders, rocks and sand. It did. Trust me.
Well, we’re on the lookout for car makers to give us vehicles. If we do get the Xenon, we’ll try something similar.
Very nice roadtest and photos. Just curious – are the tyres on the vehicle AT tires or offroad spec ?
Dont take it wrong but very few owners of the ML will ever take it off road. The G-Wagon is a world respected offroader – that I have seen its prowess. The ML I feel is more luxury than rough.
Please do more similar RTs of more affordable 4x4s as well like the Bolero, Scorpio, Safari,Xenon,Getaway etc.
That is one super test there. Awesome stuff, love the way you guys really tested the off-road abilities rather then just driving the car on the road, where its not meant to be.