Mercedes M Class Review

Rating

Quick Summary

Recommended The original premium SUV finally catches up with its rivals, and is very impressive off road. Read our Mercedes M Class review and learn why.

Road Test

Mercedes was one of the first of the so-called premium manufacturers to bring a large SUV to market, but in recent years it has lagged behind the likes of BMW, Porsche and Range Rover in the now-competitive segment. The new M-Class looks to drag Mercedes back to the top of the class, and has focussed on both on- and off-road ability in order to do so.

Granted many owners of premium off-roaders don't subject their cars to anything more testing than the occasional field, but Mercedes has put a lot of effort into making sure the new M-Class has real ability in awkward situations. Although there are a few buttons to change various settings, such as low-ratio gears and to vary the ride height for greater ground clearance, the big Merc does most of the work for you.

It is unexpectedly capable, as our Mercedes M-Class road test found, tackling ascents and descents as steep as 45 degrees, and with differentials and flexible suspension settings that make easy work of very uneven ground.

But with most owners demanding on-road ability from their premium 4x4, Mercedes has worked hard to ensure this aspect is catered for as well. An optional anti-roll setting called Active Curve looks to make cornering as flat as possible, and it is remarkably successful and a worthwhile addition for those that want their ML to be a genuine all-rounder.

For those that are less bothered and would rather stick at the more basic levels of the range, the new M-Class offers something genuinely new to the segment - a four-cylinder diesel engine. While previously all M-Classes, and their rivals, came with a six-cylinder engine as a minimum, there is now the opportunity to enjoy the luxurious interior and carrying capacity that comes with this class of car but without quite such painful fuel bills.

And although the bigger engines remain, and are noticeably quicker and quieter, the four-cylinder is not a compromise. It still overtakes perfectly ably, and the sound-deadening means the mildly increased diesel grumble doesn't infiltrate the cabin too irritatingly.

The sharper and more defined lines of the new car's styling will suit any AMG upgrades that Merc chooses to bestow upon it, and there is a marginal increase in interior space to make the new car slightly more practical than its forebear. The cabin displays great attention to detail, but still lacks the sense of occasion offered in some rivals, like Porsche's plush Cayenne for example.

But the new engine allows the Mercedes to offer something different, and makes it a worthy contender once more, our Mercedes M Class review concludes.

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