Went to the ML Road Rally today and got to take the ML beyond it's limits which come pretty early. Did 180's twice on their track and killed some cones. I learned some interesting trivia today, ML turns out to be an abbreviation for Mercedes for Ladies. They had cosmetics counters and everything was definately geared towards the ladies, their primary demographic. The new Sirius antenna on the C-class, which was body colored was much smaller than last year's fugly box but still detracts from the clean lines of the trunk, like a big zit on your face.

As for the Lady's Mercedes, it was much nicer inside than before, the outside improved to but it's still retains that made in Alabama charm. I was seasick from it's rocking side to side and front to back but no more so than being in a small boat in rough seas.

WARNING: no givaways, nothing, nada, zilch. No coupon towards any purchase, no golf *****, no MB hat, just cookies and water and you can do better at my dealer and get your car washed at the same time.

 

HAhah that sucks....I went to the dealer today....sat in one...not impressive enough for me to take it out for a spin...ended up at a BMW dealer later...took the X5 out...hmmm its nice and all but comparing MB's DVD comand to the BMW Nav....night and day....there is no way I will buy a bimmer not until they come out with a better nav.

After checking out both cars, coming out of the dealer I suprisingly began to appreciate my car more. A better nav, better handling, the supercharger feels much better from lights to lights...and the best of all...23/30 mpg absolutely no complaints. I guess I could keep it for a little longer

 

nice, i'm going to the road rally in New York coming up

 

havent decided if im going to ny or nj one yet

 

I didn't drive the ML500 I sat in, but the seats were very sporty! It's like I "fit" into the driver's seat, like I was part of it. It just felt good. Maybe they were the multi-contour. Compared to the old ML, my wife and I were VERY impressed with the new one. We were also surprised to see how much room there was behind the backseat (we drive a giant Toyota Sequoia). We might go to the ATL rally.

Can you clarify this? I didn't thoroughly inspect the fit and finish, but nothing stood out as sub-par.

 

What's subpar to me is the paint finish and feel of plastic inside the car. They had every single MB model there, all in the same color, silver, but for some reason, the ML had that sort of Chevy single dimension silver look rather than the more sparkly look of the German made MBs. Same with the interior, while vastly improved over the 1st generation, still lacks the feel of other MBs. The reason they have so much room behind the rear seat is because they plan on offering a 3rd row seat, something they couldn't do with the 1st gen ML. While the ML320 was a dog, the new ML350 is pretty peppy and the need for the ML500 is not as great. Since these size SUV's are so heavily discounted now and MB is holding the line on discounts on the ML for now, I just don't see the value. There are a lot of nice SUV's on the market and the only reason I would ever consider the ML is the free car washes and cookies and even then it's a tough sell. Honestly, you are much better off with the Toyota SUV.

 

No goody bag? I am staying home! Oscars hands out a bag worth $25,000! (street price 29.95) I wonder how DaimlerChrysler is planning to get rid of all the slag they have stashed in Michigan and New Jersy?

I am suprised there is a new ML, I thought it would a lot like a Jeep, with different bumpers and a voice that says "Welcome Y'all" when you open the door.

Seriously, I have to agree with Buellwinkle about the finish of the new ML. The paint is not as deep as other cars on the dealers lot.

 

they offered a third row seat with the w163 m class:








and heres one on ebay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...spagename=WDVW

 

Never seen that, that's for showing us.

 

looking forward to going still. i made reservations for the SD event May 21. thanks for the write up Buell!

 

The new V6 is nice, I really couldn't tell the difference between the two.

(Had driven the 350 engine in the SLK, but this was the first time I got a chance to directly compare it to the V8.)

 

Dude,
I'm going May 21'st too !! What time ?
I'm sched for 2PM but will probably show up a little early to get on the list for the FREE massage(s) !!

Carlos

Saprissa@aol.com

 

I am going to go to the one in Philly July 2nd just for kicks - never drove a MB Sport Ute.

 

me and fazooley are going to the one at englishtown, nj on sun june 12 at 9am. if anyone else is going to that one and wants to meet up or follow us down there from nyc/nj let us know