I am wondering as I have never followed the Mercedes brand how long the V6 diesel motor in this configuration has been offered (anywhere in the world). Does this motor have some history of providing reliable performance? I am very familiar with diesel and modern diesel technology but if you look at some of the recent faliures from the big 3 in their 3/4 ton trucks (ford mostly) then one has to ask if a diesel has proven itself in the frame rails of a vehicle or not.
I am also curious if the 7g trans is up to the loads of torque that a diesel puts out day to day?
I want to pull a 5000-6000lb boat with this vehicle and have questioned if it will do it well (at highway speeds) without dmg to the transmission and drivetrain. It appears that the the european version of this veh is rated at 3500kg (7716lbs) and the us version only 5000lbs... Whats the difference if they are all made in US???

This would/will be my wife's daily driver and we would only pull boat on weekends somewhat locally in Georgia (minor hills).

Thanks for your comments as this is my first post.

 

The two diesel vehicles we own also happen to be our daily drivers. I dont know about towing, but our (mostly wife's) ML320 CDI is excellent for daily use. I also have a 2005 Ford F-250 Powerstroke and it proved itself an excellent daily driver for almost 2 yrs, so I strongly disagree with your comment:Sure, there are some horror stories, but when you build such vast quantities of diesel trucks as the Big 3, there are bound to be bad apples. Remember, for every 1 bad story, there are 1000's of good ones. You won't ever hear the good since its considered the norm. When you're out and about, pay attention to the amount of gas 3/4-1 ton trucks vs diesel. You will find that the diesels, despite the higher purchase price, is much more common.
As for Mercedes-Benz has plenty of experience with the technology. I see no reason not to trust it. It has been available in the rest of the world for 2 model years.

 

I think that I am gonna trust it but I would love to know up front that it will out tow my wifes current toyota sequoia. I may have to convince the dealer to let me have an extended test drive in one with a hitch .
I also agree that if you search the internet for vehicle info. the only thing you generally hear is the BAD and not the good b/c the people that have no problems are too busy enjoying their vehicle and not typing about it.

 

as a car fanatic and love being under the hood. since i got a mb diesel i dont think i lifted the hood a 1/2 dozen times in 8 months. theres just no need to. my diesel was a great move. the ML CDI is my next truck now over the E CDI. now that i can have a diesel with 4wd, good mpg and a be MB is perfect. i drive so much and i would much rather have mb technology with diesels for my everyday driving.

 

You will need to check the manual on the towing loads for this but.. if you have read 5000lbs and your boat is over this then there are insurance implications. IE if you crash and the car is found to be overloaded then i think you would be knackered..

 

I understand the insurance implications and laws broken if I exceed the written towing capacity for the US... However my ? is if the vehicle has any differences in design between the US model and the Euro model. Why did the euro model get the additional 2716lbs of towing capacity??? Is there additional cooling capacity for the transmission or engine, Are there stronger axles or transfer case? Did they add more structural bracing? Is there any difference. I don't want to find that the vehicle is incapable of towing 5500 lbs.
I only tow approx 10 times a year and only quite locally and somewhat low speeds as the boat is only 7 miles from the house and the launch ramps are inbetween the boat and house.
Thanks

 

Hi Dieselfan,
I am still waiting for my new 07 ML 320 CDI, but I've been towing 5000+ lbs horse trailers with my old 2000 ML 320 just fine. I lived at 4500 feet in the mountains and, like you, towed about 10 times a year, but for long distances. So the new diesel will pull stuff quite fine.
The difference between the tow capacity (5000lbs to 7500lbs) from the European model to the North American is actually the trailers. Or more the tounge weight. European trailer just put a fraction of the weight on the hitch compared to the ones over here. So the limitation is not power but axelweight.

Hope that helps

 

I'm considering the purchase of a 12, ML 320 Diesel...Have one remaining question....How much weight can be applied to the hitch w/o throwing the frone end up? Any one have any ideas? Thanks, Jerry.