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By
EWAN KENNEDY
14 July 2008
Mercedes-Benz surprised the automotive world when it entered the
4WD market ten years ago with a vehicle named M-Class. The
prestigious German company that had been famed for its
conservative saloon designs for generations suddenly came up with
a big 4WD station wagon. One that was not only aimed at the
American market, but was designed for and actually built in that
country.
The
original M-Class was a hit in Australia, a second generation
arrived in 2005 and the sales success increased further. That
second generation will receive a midlife facelift in Australia in
September this year. We were invited to preview the latest model
at the international launch in its home territory of the USA this
week.
The
latest look for this prestige SUV features a bolder frontal
appearance thanks to a bigger ‘egg-crate’ grille with its fair
share of standout brightwork. As before the grille is very much
focused around the Mercedes three-pointed star, a strong selling
point of the vehicle.
Though
not many will take their M-Class off-road, part of the frontal
revision includes what looks like a tougher undertray for added
protection in the rough stuff.
Though
very few M-Class Mercs do go into the bush, it comes as a surprise
to many that this German SUV is a lot more competent in off-road
running than they anticipated. Particularly if fitted with the
special ‘Off-road Pro’ package as used on one of the vehicles
we tested in the green hills of Vermont.
Changes
have also been made to the headlights and front bumper, which now
has a squarer look than previously, and foglights that sit
prominently at its outer corners. As well as the facelift there's
also a tail-tuck that sees a rear bumper that has been expanded in
its volume, a restyle that is backed up by tail-light revamps and
alterations to the brightwork.
Inside,
there are alterations to the styling of the trim and the chrome
fittings that complement it in a manner that’s part German and
part American. Interesting two-tone options in the leather trim
give the big Benz an elegant feel with a slightly old-fashioned
touch that’s likely to appeal to quite a few buyers.
As
is often the way with European car makers the biggest changes in
this midlife makeover are under the surface, not in the style of
the body. The M-Class has been further refined in the smoothness
stakes by way of a considerable amount of work by the NVH (Noise,
Vibration and Harshness) engineers.
We
found it able to cover long distances on good roads with amazing
ease and in near silence during this international launch. The
steering is lighter than we like, but the Australian imports will
get the European specification, we anticipate that being more to
our liking. We will later carry out tests in Australian
conditions, but certainly don’t expect any nasty surprises in
the way it feels and sounds when it hits our sometimes rough and
ready road surfaces.
All
engines, petrol and turbo-diesel, have been revised and feature
added power with no increase in fuel consumption. Indeed, fuel
saving of close to half a litre in each hundred kilometres of
running are there for the taking. Thus reducing the carbon imprint
of the M-Class, an important point in an era when people have
finally become aware of our environment.
A
special feature in the diesel-engined vehicles we drove was a
system called BlueTec, which is explained in greater detail in a
separate article. Suffice to say that we don’t doubt Mercedes'
claims that this is the world’s cleanest passenger vehicle
diesel engine.
At
the same time as the M-Class is introduced to Australia two other
vehicles based on the same platform will also come to us.
Therefore we will see slightly upgraded variants of the GL-Class,
a large seven-seat wagon, and an R-Class, a big passenger mover
with a spacious interior.
Prices
and final specifications will be announced at the launch of the
new vehicles in September. We anticipate slight increases of the
vehicle cost due to higher specification levels. These could be
offset to some extent by the increasing value of the Australian
dollar against the greenback. However, much will depend on the
outcome of the current arguments over increases of the luxury car
tax, something that’s unlikely to be decided before late August.
© Copyright
Marque Publishing Company
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