Test drive Mercedes Benz ML class W166 since 2011 SUV
Mercedes-Benz M-Class. Economizer
The Russian premiere of Mercedes-Benz M-Class took place in the most beautiful places in the Moscow Region. Our crew, starting from the center of Moscow, had to break out of the city crowd in order to fully check the capabilities of the car.
Mercedes-Benz M-Class. Price: from 2 890 000 p. On sale: August 2012
Stanislav Pavlov, editor -in -chief, 40 years old, a driver’s experience for 22 years, travels to Subaru Forester.
First, the route ran along the high -speed road with more or less normal asphalt, and then the real off -road began.
At one time, M-Class has already committed a revolution, uniting the qualities of a utilitarian SUV and a comfortable sedan. Now the time has come for another coup of familiar concepts.
The interior of the M-class has become less aggressive and more streamlined
Even on the exit from the capital during numerous traffic lights, we note a decent acceleration dynamics. We look into technical characteristics and understand that the first hundred Mercedes is gaining in just nine seconds. A good, but, in principle, is not a unique indicator for a 2.2 -frail diesel engine. The chip is different: in the mixed cycle, the crossover consumes only 6 liters per 100 km of run. And it is not just words. The testimony of the on -board computer confirmed the passport characteristics. Engineers who have developed a new ML argue that their creation is the most economical SUV in a class, which is even ahead of hybrid models. It looks like this is true.
Of course, many can doubt how the owner of the car for several million rubles must be saved on fuel. But there is another nuance. With such expenditures, the holder of ML will not have to bore gas stations with their frequent presence. Judge for yourself, on a standard 70 -liner fuel tank you can drive 1170 km. Statistics suggest that rarely city residents pass for more than 30 kilometers of a day. Unless, of course, we are not talking about a professional driver. Thus, one refueling is enough in the city operating mode for almost a month. As an option, you can order a crossover with a 90 -liter tank. Then at the gas station it will be necessary to call once every one and a half months or eight times a year. Miracle!
Large rear lights look very impressive
On the highway a diesel engine with a capacity of 204 liters. With. Able to disperse a crossover to 210 km/h. When driving in a straight line, as already mentioned, ML is very reminiscent of the premium sedan. It seems that almost silent SUV is traveling along the rails. This is the merit of the first applied spring suspension, which changes its characteristics depending on the condition of the coating. While driving along the high -speed near Moscow, despite a small violation of the speed mode, the car was soft, granting comfort to me and my colleague. With increasing speed, shock absorbers become noticeably tougher. The same effect is observed at the off -road. Especially good ML during maneuvering. I deliberately passed the turns along excessively steep trajectories, but it was not possible to achieve a more or less decent roll.
When looking from the side, stylish discs stand out
Another important indicator that excites the city owners of crossovers is the diameter of the turn. In ML, it is less than 12 meters, which is very good for a car of this size.
As for off -road, we drove a 10 -kilometer section along the Oka. The weather stood good, so it was not possible to test the ML in the mud. And it is unlikely that the future owners of the German crossover are buying this premium-car for hunting and fishing. But if such an idea still comes to mind, Mercedes will complete the task. Thanks to small overhangs and a standard clearance of 202 mm, SUV can cope even with very bad roads. By the way, when ordering an optional air suspension with an adaptive damping system, the road clearance will be 255 mm. And if you choose the ON & Offroad package, then the distance from the bottom to the asphalt will be 285 mm.
Our verdict
Despite the newfangled trends, the Mercedes-Benz M-class remains a real SUV, which, if necessary, is able to complete the most difficult tasks. At the same time, the car is so comfortable that it is not much different from the representative sedan.
ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES
+
The combination of off -road qualities with the comfort of the representative class sedan.
-
Unemotional design.
Driving
The capabilities of the SUV, the comfort of the sedan.
Salon
There are many governing bodies, but it’s easy to understand them, especially those who have already traveled to a car with a three -beam star.
Comfort
The trip to this Mercedes can be compared with the flight in the first -class salon.
Safety
This model received and will also receive the highest points at a wide variety of Crash tests.
Price
Mercedes are not cheap.
SPECIFICATIONS
Dimensions 4804x1926x1758mm
Base 2915 mm
Equipped mass 2150 kg
Full mass
2950 kg
Clearance 191 mm
Trunk volume 690/2010 l
Fuel tank volume 70 liters
Bluetec engine, 4 cil., 2143 cm3,
204/200 l. S./min--1,
500/16001800 Nm/min---1
The transmission is automatic, 7-speed,
the drive is complete
Dynamics 210 km/h; 9 sd100km/h
Fuel consumption 6.5 liters per 100 km in mix. cycle
Competitors Audi Q7, BMW X5
