I am specking the car for my wife and will not be driving it, it is her car not mine. My wife wanted something different as she has had BMW's all her life. Before the M3 she had a hand built 850ci V12 M, 6 speed MANUAL, as there were no manuals built for Australia BMW Motorsport took a auto off the assemble line and rebuilt it to the Australian spec. So my wife takes her cars very seriously, I am just the mechanic, a organiser, her first choice was a V8 Maserati Spider Convertible but they have no resale value in Australia.

"Just because YOU where your wifes Bra does not mean you own it."

"The saying, Big Boys Toys, has no meaning in this day & age."

I am just starting to spec a new ML for myself, now that will be mine.

 

More power to your wife then...how do you like the new ML in comparison to the X5

 

Hi YeeHaw,

Currently driving a BMW X5 Diesel with sports pack. The handling is great with 19" wheels and 285 tyres & 500nm of torque. It's taken MB some time to get its ML to the point of taking a real shot at this 4 wheel market up against BMW. Australia has a very high percentage of sales of All Wheel Drive vehicles, we have beach's and off road within 30 miniutes of any major city and within 5 miniutes of country towns. I think its something like 30% of sales here are 4 wheel.

Anyway, BMW had the edge on MB with the X5, I mean you are hard pressed to see a ML but you have to be careful that you don't run into a X5. I run the X5 on the beach regularly but the old ML would not hack it. The new ML has a good beefy look about it and some of the sports option are great. The V6 diesel is promising with 510nm of torgue, so a chipped ECU would easily give it over 630nm. The ML has a option available for High-Low range, the X5 does not. Disappointing that the ML does not have a 19" or 20" wheel options, the X5 does, considering the large flared wheel arches the ML now has.

The reason for diesel is twofold, 1: a chipped ECU Diesel actually has more torgue than a V8, 2: as the fuel here in Australia is $5.50 Australian a gallon(about $4.20 US) and I use 8.6 litre's per 100 klm in the X5 around town, diesel is the right way to go. I have no problem with the sports handling and power of the X5 or even the new ML, throwing it around corners or getting off the lights compared with the average large V6 or V8 sedan is great.

So this maybe a bit long winded but the spec for a ML would be something along the lines of:- V6 Diesel, ECU chipped 640nm, 20" wheels with 305 rear 275 front tyres, AMG sports pack ( the AMG sports pack would need to incorporate, gearbox high/low range, maybe paddle change, larger brakes & rotors, suspension, xenon lights, sports steering wheel, color cordinations, front / rear / side skirts and rear roof lid spoiler to help keep rear window clean and sports exhaust). In regards to exhaust I put a dual stainless steel on the X5 and it sounds like a V8 but they do have a sports exhaust system for the V8 X5 the dealer will put on, it also gave me another 20nm of torgue, I also added the IS front & rear bumper bars which the BMW put on.

Now this is the tricky part, the difference between BMW & MB is that the above can be done to a BMW quiet easily with BMW option parts and the day you pickup the X5 its all done, whereas the ML you have look elsewhere for some of the parts, low profile wheels & tyres are one and some of the AMG spec the dealer is still trying to confrm.

The dealer said its still early days for MB in regards to MB getting there heads around the fact that customers want customised off the shelf vehicles from manufactures, they realise BMW is capable of doing this and there dealer's have a free hand in adding on sports extra's on cars sitting on there showroom floors. I mean you can buy a BMW X5 sports pack & get actual BMW 22" low profile wheels & tyres, you ask a MB dealer about a ML and the best is 18" and there might be, I mean might be 19" but i'm not sure as its early days. Why bring out a ML and say this vehicle is going to give all the highend 4 wheel drives a run for their moneyand exspecialy BMW.

Its no different than the CLK55 AMG I ordered, its not low enough, wheels & tyres not wide enough, exhaust not loud enough and restrictive on the convertible, the sales person puts his hands in the air. Go to a BMW dealer and he's got it there, whips out the Alpina book or one of the other suppliers and says pick out what you want out of here if there is not a genuine BMW option or spare part for it. Go to MB and ask for Brabus book? or try to buy AMG parts off a MB dealer.

Anyway, told the MB dealer this is the how I want the ML, remember MB & BMW cars are double the price in Australia ( CLK55 AMG $220,000 AUST, $165,00 US) if you cannot supply I will buy the new double turbo X5 Diesel sports coming out. He's scampered off and is trying to put it altogether.

You know I just don't understand it, the salesperson does not sell you the car anymore, you go in, give them a list of what you want, they give you a price and delivery date and if you happy you sign. I mean don't worry about a test drive because the car you ordered is highend its never on the showroom floor.

Our CLK55 AMG convertible that is arriving shortly, the dealer sells one a year, he's got a CLK320 convertible on the floor or did have, you test drive that and the salesperson say's "you know the CLK55 AMG drives better than this" it would want to it's a $100,000 dearer. It's the most expensive cup of coffee i've bought in a long time and the colour you can have is black, why only black, because we are only allocated one CLK55 AMG this year and we have order a black one and it cannot be changed and you cannot change any options otherwise you have to wait another 4 months as the computer signed off on the build. Yeh sure suck on this!. Signed the paperwork, rang MB head office said I want this, this & this or else stick it where it fits. They rang Germany that night, next day all the changes were made.

Always remember your dealer does not like to upset head office, but Head office can make changes up to 24 hours of your vehicle going onto the assemble line.

Sorry for being so long winded, but I get pissed off when I spend $220,000 and am told what I can & cannot have, look forward to a reply.

Robertus