abk

Greg W....I took your advice and called my salesman today and upgraded to the 18" wheels...I told him what you said and he agreed that the comfort level will be good and they will look better in proportion with the rest of the car (BTW, he said that the 04 ML's have 17" wheels standard); As to the color, I ordered Alpine Rain with macademia full leather; my salesman told me today that production on this color has been delayed until June, so he said the car should be delivered in August. What do you guys think of this color combination?

Sparky

It will be GORGEOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!! You definitely did the right thing on getting the 18" wheels. I've seen both the 17" and the 18" in person. You wouldn't believe that it's only 1" difference. But it definitely makes the difference on the look of the exterior of the car. The 18" looks AWESOME.

Which did you get the 18" five spoke or the 18" double spoke?

abk

Thanks for the feedback on the color combo...I suggested charcoal leather, but hey, shes like beige which is what she has in her 91 300E which the M is replacing (I have the charcoal in my 500E and it looks great, especially with the black birdseye maple trim with the sport package)...As for the wheels, Sparky, thanks for pointing out the choice...I wasn't aware that there were two choices...they both look awesome...I am soliciting opinions now, but without seeing them in person, I'm not sure yet. What do you guys think? 18" 5-Spoke or 18" 5-Double Spoke Wheels?

Sparky

Both wheels are very nice. It's really a personal preference. You can view them both on the website.

I would say, however, that because German cars tend to shed more brake dust than other cars, it might be easier to keep the 18" 5-spoke wheels cleaner than the double spoke. Just a thought...

GregW / Oregon

I like the 5-spoke better, but can you get it on the 350? I know it's the standard wheel on the 500.

abk

Guess what...after we ordered the 350ML two days ago, my wife started driving my 03 500E which she previously thought was too much car for her...well, it turns out she loves the power...I think my salesman said something to her about the v-8 on her test drive of the 350...When I asked her yesterday how she enjoyed my car, she said, to my delight, "maybe we should change our order to the 500ML...Yes!! So I promptly emailed my salesman with the change, subject to test driving it, which is when he gave me the invitation to the M Class Rally at Monster Park in SF (Candlestick Park) on April 22-24. Will stay with the Alpine Rain and Macademia full leather, fully optioned out (except for the trailer hitch and the AMG package)..but will have to wait..my salesman said that they start production on the alpine rain in June..worth the wait!

GregW / Oregon

An SUV without a trailer hitch? Kind of limits the utility of it. Even if you don't have the need for it, you might get it for resale. It's inexpensive, but cannot be dealer retrofitted on the new one.

abk

Hey Greg, you are very perceptive...I was thinking the same thing...but I have never towed anything in my life...but, hey, maybe with this vehicle and with my retirement in the distant future (we tend to keep cars for a long time), maybe I will start towing things...yes, I did think about ordering it since it is so inexpensive and, yes, I did think about the resale issue; I know if I mention it to my wife, she will laugh at me, but, hey, I don't have to tell her everything. Do you think she will notice it if I order it and its there when the 500 is delivered? She will ask: "What is that thing?"; What should my response be? Should I say that its for my mother-in-law? (lol!!)

GregW / Oregon

You'll just have to get a boat, too! Or a race car! Of course you could just tow a utility trailer now and then for moving furniture, landscape & building materials, etc. You can also get bike racks to mount to it.

abk

Greg..this is getting funny..So I told my wife we should get the trailor hitch because its cheap, it would be good for the resale value and, who knows, maybe we'll be towing something in our retirement. She says "No, it will look like our neighbor's suburban, which had a trailor hitch, and it won't look good, and then people will wonder about our boat (we don't do boats (even though we live near the SF bay), we don't bike (anymore)), but like I said to her, you never know when I might want to haul something (eg a small backhoe, etc.)...it will take some time to get over this one and convince her...maybe if I tell her we can haul a camper to go visit the many national parks that we both want to see.

GregW / Oregon

It is far less obtrusive than most Suburbans I've seen. See some photos of it here: https://mbworld.org/forums/m-class-w164/101087-big-photos-7-mls-2-lexi-sunrise.html .

Sparky

I saw the trailer hitch on a new ML500 at our dealership. Keep in mind that it doesn't come with the ball. It's completely unobtrusive. You don't even notice it immediately. I agree with Greg. You should really get it. Tell your wife that a 38 year old woman living in the suburbs says you should have it.

GregW / Oregon

Actually I think the Class III receiver hitch comes with the wiring connector, drawbar and ball (they're stored in the spare tire compartment).

abk

Hey Greg and Sparky...thanks for the input on the trailer hitch...but I am still not clear on how conspicuous or hidden it is...While I am inclined to order it since I "might" use it in the future (keep in mind that we tend to take great care of our cars and we keep them for a long time), and it will add to the resale value, if my wife is driving it and she "thinks" that people are wondering what she is hauling...well, this can lead nowhere...so I am sure that I can only convince if it is well hidden...now Sparky, you seem to be saying that and I am assuming that as a 38 year old housewife, you would be ok with it, but Greg seems to be saying that it is not so well hidden...maybe I will see it at the M Class Rally in SF in 2 weeks. I can't wait to drive the ML500; I test drove the 350 and liked it, but it was my wife who suggested after driving my E500 for a week that we consider the ML500. So, if you get any for detailed info on the trailer hitch, let me know and I will do the same.

Sparky

Take a look at the M-class brochure, as the trailer hitch is shown in several pics. Greg was saying that the ball is stored with the spare tire, so it doesn't have to be shown on the hitch itself at all times. You only attach it when you need to use it. If you never use it, then you leave it with your spare tire. Otherwise, it's just a black little box.

GregW / Oregon

This shouldn't be so hard. It is a Sport UTILITY Vehicle-she should not be ashamed of utility. Look at the following photo; the one on the right has the hitch-it's not obtrusive:



A closer view:



This is a super closeup--you never see it from this angle:

abk

Thanks for the photos, Greg...to me its a no-brainer...get the hitch, its not noticable, it may come in handy, and the next person will probably use it...I will show my wife and my car-crazy son the photos and I will let you know what happens....maybe we can see it first hand at the M Class Rally in SF in two weeks. I believe I have time to change the order...according to my salesman we can make changes until then, which may not be until June for the Alpine Rain.

GregW / Oregon

Alpine Rain is currently available to order; I've seen it on the order system computer myself. It's even on the "Build Your Own" site.

abk

Hey Greg...I really don't understand how MB takes car orders...Frankly, I was shocked...I did a Build Your Own on the MBUSA site, saved it, printed it out, then took it to the dealer in San Rafael, CA. The salesman went over it, asked for a $1,000 deposit on a credit card, and that was it. I didn't sign anything except the credit application which they said they would not process until the car arrived. Three days later, I told my salesman I want the 18" wheels, and thats when he confirmed to me that production on the Alpine Raid would be in June and maybe an August delivery. He said then that they would be putting in the order until they get an ok from the factory because it was Alpine Rain. Two days later, we changed our mind and decided to go the ML500; I called the salesman, he said "great...good choice"...Since I have never "ordered a car" before, (only purchased what was on the lot), I haven't questioned the salesman...Actually, I trust them completely and I am in no rush to get the car...my wife wants it for her birthday in late August...Is this how it works..no signed contract for the order? They don't know when it being built? Its no big deal...In any event, while you can build and order the Alpine Rain, they told me it won't be built until sometime starting in June.

Sparky

This is EXACTLY how my order process worked for both the ML500 and the SLK55AMG. We are expecting a July delivery on both cars. I wouldn't worry.

GregW / Oregon

I'm more familiar with BMW than M-B, but generally this is how it works. Each dealer gets a monthly allocation for each model; this is based on things like size, volume, customer satisfaction ratings, local market demands, etc. In addition, the dealer may get som pre-configured vehicles (especially true at launch). When the dealer took your "order" for a June delivery it was most likely a "pre-order." Once an available allocation becomes available, it is turned into a firm order that is entered in to the computerized order system. With BMW you can still make changes up to a couple weeks before production, but I think it's more like 30 days with Mercedes.

Unless you are ordering something really oddball, the dealer won't ask for a signed order, because they know can sell the vehicle to someone else if you back out--especially true with a new model. They can also change the configuration for another buyer up until the cutoff time.

Hope this helps. If any sales people out there have more info, chime in.

Sparky

I did get a computer confirmation on both the ML500 and the SLK55 AMG. You might ask for one.

Fastbuck

I understand that MB are planning to reduce this to 6 days over the next few months.

PHYBENZ

I heard the same thing, that you will be able to change your order up until 7 days before the build date. That would be pretty amazing.

abk

I went to the M Class Road Rally in San Francisco today...it was great...if you are considering buying and you want to really run and compare the two models, go to the road show....My wife and I both went...I tried to roll the 500 around sharp turns...this is one safe vehicle...it is awesome in fact. To us, the 500 is superior to the 350...in many respects, so this test drive cemented our decision to go with the 500. Also, we got to test drive a 500 with the appearance package with the alcantara inserts in the sport seats...These are awesome seats..definitely the most comfortable and they really hug your body in place...I had several questions about the seats, and no one at the rally could answer the questions, so they put me in touch by phone with a rep in NJ and he was very helpful...I still have one question which is "how are the sport seats different from the multi-contour seats in the premium package?" In any event, I am now going to change my order to the alpine rain, appearance package, 500ML, and fully optioned. By the way, they gave us a new accessory brochure and the 19" wheels which was saw on several of the test drive vehicles are awesome (and they aren't in the earlier brochure I got from the dealer)...The whole event was great!