DUTCH

Had a chance to tour the MBUSI assembly plant in Vance, AL (home of the M-Class) this week, and got a ride on the off-road test track in a 2015 ML250BTC. That little engine did very well through the pretty intense obstacles, but blew both front street tires on one of them. The obstacles on that test track are very tough. With the right tires, it would have been just fine; but they want to do the run on the factory supplied tires.

PS - The off-road test track ride is not part of the factory tour, but was arranged by a friend with some internal influence at the facility.

skw

Okay, and.... You can't end it there! How was it compared to your previous 350? Engine vs engine as well as any MY15 updates. Is your sig correct that you're already in the Q7? How do both ML's compare to the Audi? More importantly, how do you like the Audi so far? I love the current automotive landscape w/ the ML, X5, Q7, and Cayenne diesels. I don't think you can go wrong with any of them. Each comes down to the individual's preference with the ride and user interface being the biggest deciding factors.

DUTCH

I was a passenger only on a VERY rough off-road test track, so there's no way to compare it with my 014 ML350BTC.

I also think that the test track ML250BT was a non-North American model. It had Airmatic and Off Road, and the Off-Road package is not to my knowledge available on US ordered ML250BT's. The 4 banger was noisier and had more vibration than my 6 banger, but it was really busting its chops on that test track; and we were also hearing a lot of the 4-matic doing its thing under extreme duress.