Mercedes has added four inches to the wheelbase and six to the overall length for better interior space, ride, and looks. From stem to stern, Mercedes designers gave style to what was a stodgy, utilitarian vehicle. The grille, in the silver and chrome of the ML500, looks concept-car cool with its 40 openings and truck-style oversize three-pointed star. (The V-6's black grille is less elegant.) The V-8 has brushed-chrome skidplates front and rear, versus the V-6's silver plastic, 18-inch five-spoke wheels (19-inch five-spokes come with an appearance package), and has square chrome dual exhaust tips. Chrome door-handle trim and side-molding trim come standard on the V-8, optional in an appearance package on the V-6.
Cargo space is roughly equal to the old five-passenger model's 72.5 cubic feet, but it's taller and deeper and not as wide, thanks to the new styling. Despite the added length and wheelbase, Mercedes won't cram in a third row of seats. That's because the new model's platform is a launching pad for several upcoming SUVs. The R-Class, arriving this fall, is a longer, more stylish crossover with a choice of two or three rows. The G-Class, scheduled for a 2006 intro, will be the more serious off-roader. All three will be assembled in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, which the M has called home for eight years.
You'll forgive (if not forget) the lengthy options list once you hit the road. The new M-Class is buttoned-down and refined. The longer wheelbase and unibody provide a solid, but compliant ride. The view of the hood falls away from the driver quickly, like the previous models, and the steering is precise. For such a big crossover, the ML500 feels small and manageable, and the 302-horsepower, 5.0-liter V-8 is a lot of engine for it. Low-rpm torque is especially good, making it easy to squirt into cross traffic you'd normally wait to pass. Brakes feel typically Mercedes, which means they're among the best in class.
Our ML500 came with an adaptive damping system. We were happy to keep it locked in the sport setting, although there are subtle, but noticeable differences ratcheting down through the normal setting to comfort. The sport setting will let you go deeper into turns--you'll push (and we do mean push) the M to its tire adhesion limits more easily and confidently. Mid- and comfort settings simply translate to body roll, coming in more quickly and heavily, but not to any level of excess. For the comfort tradeoff on straight roads, it's easier to spot the differences driving over single potholes and manhole covers than on thoroughly rough roads. In the sport setting, the M-Class's rigid body feels go-kart stiff over manhole covers. Even the comfort setting falls well short of being too soft. This is a vast improvement in every way over the old model. Don't give in to the sportier BMW X5, either. If you insist, the M-Class has a sport package available, and our track-test model, so equipped, has more aggressive tires than the more luxury-oriented ML500 we tested on the road with its 225/55R18 Michelins.