Midsize luxury crossover SUVs like the Mercedes-Benz M-Class have always been good at carrying your stuff, but nobody expects to make-time on back roads. Thanks to more powerful V6 engines and an improved automatic transmission, the 2012 Mercedes-Benz ML350 and the ML350 BlueTEC diesel quite nicely hustle. The 2012 ML350 is Nearly an inch longer overall (189.1) while its height has come down Nearly an inch (70.7).
Our 2012 Mercedes-Benz ML350 tester gets the same direct-injected, gasoline 3.5-liter V6 we've sampled in the 2012 C-Class coupe and sedan. Power ratings do not change on the M-Class, so we're still talking about 302 horsepower at 6.500 rpm and 273 pound-feet of torque from 3.500 to 5.250 rpm. Mercedes Predicts a 7.3-second 0-60 mph time-, the which is over a half-second quicker than the old ML350.
It drives all four of the 2012 ML350's wheels through the clutch-type carryover 4MATIC all-wheel-drive system (a rear-drive ML350 is coming for the 2013 model year). With all the improvements, the 2012 Mercedes-Benz ML350 earns a respectable 17 mpg city/22 highway EPA rating - a huge leap over the 2011 model's 15/20 rating.
Only 20 percent of the Mercedes M-Class buyers bring home the diesel model, and you count yourself in That Should minority if you're serious about getting an ML.
With a base price of $ 51.356, a diesel-powered 2012 Mercedes-Benz ML350 BlueTEC, equipped with the same seven-speed automatic and 4MATIC system, costs just $ 1.500 more than our gasoline ML350. Reductions in internal friction led the way to the power and efficiency gains on the 2012 Mercedes-Benz ML350 BlueTEC. Benz engineers have, for example, ditched the 3.0-liter engine's cast-iron cylinder liners (saving 9.5 pounds) and adopted the same cylinder wall coating process used on the AMG engines.
The 2012 Mercedes-Benz ML350 BlueTEC also uses a new, Smaller turbochargers. Do not wait up for an M-Class hybrid, as the Mercedes will not be using the technology on the 2011 ML450 Hybrid anymore. Come November, you'll be Able to get an off-road package on gasoline Both the ML350 and the ML350 BlueTEC.
Of course, there's no Shortage of tech features to add to the 2012 Mercedes-Benz ML350 and ML350 BlueTEC, including a hard-drive-based navigation system, all-speed adaptive cruise control, a self-parking system and even accessory iPad docking stations for the backseat. No surprise, then, that our lands ML350 well past $ 60,000.
"Why on earth would someone not choose the diesel engine if they're shopping for an M-Class?" A fellow staffer asked me after spending some seat time in the all-new 2012 Mercedes-Benz ML350 BlueTEC. Truth is, when you're hauling people, gear, and 5000 pounds of luxury SUVs, diesel engines are the make a lot of sense. The BlueTEC mill in question is also one of the smoother diesel engines we've experienced.
In our acceleration testing, the gasoline-powered ML did deliver slightly better acceleration times, Both to 60 mph and through the quarter-mile run. All in all, the 2012 Mercedes-Benz ML350 BlueTEC-powered ML was handed a 400-pound burden more lightly optioned That the gasoline version did not have to shoulder. It Should Be Mentioned That identical Mercedes estimates 0 to 60 mph times for similarly equipped cars. Towing capacity is a strong 7200 pounds, and rear cargo area is more volume of 36 cubic feet with the rear seats up (that moves to 71 cubic feet folded flat). Brakes are always solid and easy to modulate, stopping the ML short and straight time and time again. Launches the new Mercedes M-Class 4MATIC as six-cylinder vehicles exclusively, but stay tuned.
