Where I live, in suburban Portland, Oregon, the Mercedes-Benz M-class is the upper-middle-class-mobile of choice. A few parallel parking aficionados step up to the GL-class and a few ski bums slum it a bit with the Chevrolet Tahoe. Most, it seems, stick to the M-class.
And on the face of it, it makes some sense. A family gets to a certain socioeconomic status and feels the need to flaunt its success a bit. It’s not all vanity, though; with a couple kids and a dog in tow, they clearly need a bit more room than offered by a C-class sedan.
But, as a single man in his early 30s, I’ve never really “gotten” the M-class. I never quite saw the reason why buyers chose it over, well, most anything else. To be fair, though, I’d not driven it since the first generation, which, to me, was overhyped as an effective family-hauler.
Determined to find out why the Mercedes-Benz SUV that helped spark the luxury crossover craze has remained so popular, I loaded a 2015 ML400 with some hiking gear and headed for the mountains.
Downright Dental
Before we get to the M-class’s mountaineering skills, let’s take a look at the interior. Like the cabin of some modern Mercedes-Benz models, the M-class is good but not great. Materials inside are a sight fancier than that of a comparable BMW sport-ute, but a far cry from a dapper Audi Q.
My press car had been draped in gray leather, the sight of which conjured images of visits to my dentist’s office. Contrasting anthracite poplar wood trim and a panorama moon roof gave the gray-on-gray-on-gray cabin a much-needed burst of brightness. As a rather tall driver, I found plenty of head and shoulder room with room still to spare for rear passengers.
As for tech, the M-class’s COMAND system is starting to feel a bit dated. I was happy to look past its behind-the-times graphics, as its responses remained relatively lightning-fast, especially when reestablishing the Bluetooth connection with a paired smartphone at startup. I also enjoyed the rear-view and surround-view camera system that utilizes cameras embedded around the exterior of the car, which are graphically stitched together to create a bird’s-eye view of the vehicle while reversing and parking, especially since the M-class doesn’t have the best outward visibility.
Another gem hidden beneath the gray skin of the M-class was a powerful (optional) Harman/Kardon surround sound system. Typically, German automakers fall flat with their bass tones. This one was so powerful that it could make Li’l Jon blush.
Last Year
The 2015 model year is the last for the M-class moniker. Beginning in 2016, it will be known as the GLE, bringing it more inline with the new Mercedes-Benz nomenclature. Though on the precipice of a big nameplate switch-up, Mercedes-Benz still fiddled with the last M-class naming scheme.
The ML400 that I drove was powered not by a 4.0-liter V-8, as the number might suggest, given Mercedes-Benz’s history of hinting at the power underneath the hood with the car’s numerical moniker. Instead, “400” refers to a 3.0-liter twin-turbo direct-injected V-6 that produces 329 horsepower and 354 pound-feet of torque. A 7-speed automatic transmission routes power to all four wheels through the 4MATIC permanent all-wheel drive system.
The 4751-lb midsize SUV with room for five is still capable of a 0-to-60 mph run in 7.5 seconds, and is estimated to return 18 mpg city, 22 mpg highway—midpack for V-6-powered SUV. (A diesel version, the ML250 Bluetec, is also available.)
‘M’ Is For Mountain, Let’s Say
Settling in for an hourlong drive to a distant hiking trail, I enjoyed the serenity of the M-class at highway speed. This, too, came as a surprise, as most cars suffer from outrageous amounts of white noise on Oregon freeways, which seem to be paved not with cushy asphalt but moon rock.
One anomaly I did discover on my freeway excursion was a strange undulation when the (also optional) air suspension was set to Comfort mode. Activating the stiffer Sport mode solved the issue. Whatever weirdness I experienced with the air suspension would soon be overshadowed by its rut- and bump-absorbing proficiency.
Pulling off the highway onto a remote road that ascended up the side of Mount Hood, I expected the M-class’s luxury-oriented stance to make it a short drive. I was wrong. Not long after turning off the freeway, en route to the hiking trail, I encountered the end of the pavement. Without skipping a beat, I raised the air suspension to its tallest ride height and kept on trucking. Pulling up the hill around 40 mph, I ran over ruts, potholes, fallen branches, and washboard road surfaces. Amazingly, nothing perturbed the M-class; I felt little difference between the freeway and the dirt road. This, I wager, is one of the finest compliments you can bestow on a luxury 4X4.
With the car now sporting a fresh coat of dust, and without even the slightest damage to my vertebrae, I arrived at the trailhead. I disembarked, threw on my pack, and trudged off into the woods.
The Return
Returning to the truck several hours later, I was tired sweaty, and thirsty. Truly, the ML400 was a sight for sore eyes. Both the M-class and I had baked in the sun all afternoon, so I fired up the car and switched on the ventilated seats, the sound of which is surprisingly similar to the faint but distant whine of a dental drill, which seemed too amusing, given the motif of the car’s leather scheme.
To drown that out, I put the A/C on high and headed home. After descending the dirt hill, again without issue, I hit the freeway. Incessant, tens of miles-long, stop-and-go traffic proved to be the perfect place to demonstrate the engine’s fuel-saving auto start/stop function, which smoothly clicked on and off the engine several dozen times, as I inched my way home that evening, almost definitely saving countless ounces of fuel.
Surprise, Surprise
Finally arriving home some seven hours after having left, eyes blurry and feet aching, I pulled into my garage and took a sigh of relief. Sitting in the dark of my garage, I pondered the M-class for a moment.
Its $73,815 price tag notwithstanding, I found myself quite fond of the ML400. Admittedly, it was a bit out of place in the line of cars in the dusty gravel parking lot on the mountain, surrounded on all sides by rough and tumble Subarus, but every part of the journey was enjoyable.
Off the mountain, the ML400 was quieter and more comfortable than its competitors that I’ve driven. Cruising through town, the M-class had presence; people noticed it and seemed to give it an approving nod.
Putting all things into perspective, the M-class, I realized, is a fantastic truck. It is luxurious, a bit sporty, roomy, safe, and truly as comfortable on a dirt road as it is chugging through rush hour traffic. So, did I finally learn to ‘get’ the M-class? Yes, wholeheartedly. And, honestly, now I want to get one myself.
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