VietMB

My Wife is going to be expecting soon (January) and i am looking for a dependable SUV. My pick is btw the MB or Lexus. I have been reading around here in the forum and I am still having a thought about buying my first MB diesel or stick with Lexus. I have been with Lexus ever since (SUPER RELIABLE), just wanted to try something new since Lexus does not offer any diesel.

So I have been looking into an '07 ML320 CDI so far i gathered good + bad info on it i think,
-no adblue needed on 07-08 cdi
-oil needed to be bought at a MB dealer
-10 qts of mobil esp formula M 5w40 required
-needed a good *** quality ULSD
-Tunable for more HP+TQ, 5-10 % increase MPG
-Seem like MB dealer has poor customer satisfaction???
-Assembly in Alabama
Any other expanses that i need to no of? i am looking for a dependable car and would like to try a diesel out but i dont want to b stranded on the side for problems

My Parent has an '06 Lexus RX400h fully equipped and we have taken it on road trip to ma, fl, tx, stop in-between and never had a problem. good MPG return 22-29 mpg and avg 400 miles on a 17 gal tank. idk the real cruising miles per tank on the ML since i have not own one yet

anything that i need to know when i go test drive it again? (going this monday) the ML seem to be a base model cdi cuz i was looking for heated seat but didnt come with one. no towing pkg. no HID. no rear dvd. no GPS. no air sus. no amg and no visiable leak (i think) and that's about as far as i no. looks clean inside, engine compartment and under carriage.

Thanks for reading,
Eric

GSD

Mobil 1 ESP is available from Pep Boyz and Napa

I average 24.6MPG combined, my ML has most options except rear dvd player and airmatic.

I drove the RX Hybrid, interior felt to plasticy, and didn't like the joystick gearshift.

Check the MB service history and VMI to see what has been done on the car.

What mileage and price are you getting the ML for?

thunderbirl

Recently bought my 2008 ML350 and test drove many other vehicles. I came from a 2000 Lexus RX300 with 169K miles.

My test drive of a used 2008 RX400h was marred by the vehicular response during a couple of linked lane change/avoidance maneuvers. I noted that the body would would oscillate/twist (yaw) back and forth several times after this. The ML350 was much better/more damped in this motion and never felt out of control.

I also noticed that the RX400h would move significantly on the first lane change, but didn't seem to move back to the original lane position when the wheel was immediately turned, to the same degree, in the opposite direction. The dealer tell me that this was a function of the "drive-by-wire" electronic steering and a design parameter to maximize stability. I cannot verify this, but I prefer to have my car go where I tell it to!

I had driven a 2011 Lexus RX450h earlier this year during a sales promotion. I felt that the 2011 RX450h was a terrific driving vehicle. I don't remember any of the steering issues with the later model.

VietMB

@GSD ah nice i found some at napa since pep boys aint around here in missouri. The ml320 CDI has 62k miles and selling for 30k which isnt bad and the rx400h has 70k miles selling for 25k.

@thunderbirl ahh love the rx300 its never give me any problem =] so its much comfortable than the rx400h? i only drove the ml once and thought the seat was stiffer but i might be wrong. thanks for the input there steve. i would like to try the rx450h but its out of my price range =]

thanks for the comments guys ,
Eric

GSD

Good luck with the search, a lot of the used Diesel ML's end up being exported to Russia hence prices are often inflated.

thunderbirl

My ML350 has the P1 package - not the really nice seats.

For this package, I agree that the seat bottom in the ML350 is stiffer than the RX300, though I'm getting used to it - or it's loosening up. The formed seat back of the ML350 is far, far superior to the flat rx300 back. I find that I stay much more centered in the seat.

dgiturbo

Combined driving I see 700 miles per 26 gal tank before I really start looking hard for fuel. I ran a few tanks of 20% bio diesel without issues around 60K miles ago and never experienced a fuel related issue. Mileage has been consistent at 25-31MPG depending how late I am for work.

Why I went with a diesel instead of the Hybrid was I had no firm answer from anyone how long the battery would last, the cost of replacement and (being greenish) what happens to the battery once replaced.

Car has been great. Few "teething" issues which I posted as they occurred. No winter diesel issues, never smokes even at full throttle and the 4Matic drive train was meant for winter in my opinion. Most people can't tell it's a diesel, and I have never had an issue finding fuel. I have a Package 3 with Airmatic and LOVE it. I also have the "orthopedic seats" but have moved the settings probably 10 times in 100K miles. Oil I order online and change every 5K miles. As for power, I can pass most cars on the road, and the few that I can't pass would probably cost a large ticket trying.
The assembly in Vance AL is not an issue for me. I visited he factory and was impressed with what I saw. Lots of quality control checks and dedicated people.

I am eyeing the 2012 with the new style and increased power, but I want to wait till some real world post show up. Otherwise I will just run another 100K miles or so.
Hope this helps. Good luck.

VietMB

@ dgiturbo thanks for the input. i am going to go see the car again this thursday and seeing that u can drive 700 miles on a tank is crazy lol way mayb just meh =/ i would love if the car has a tow package and heated seat tho =] but so far im thinking this is the way to go....

so 4matic is that good huh? i was checking out youtube vids and post to see how well 4matic handles during the winter since i leave near the upper states where it snow more than longer summer.

oil @ 5k miles? even with factory 10k miles on mobil 1 esp? i am wondering how odd and dirty it gets in a diesel engine tho. just a thought.. p.s. i changed out my oil (gas) every august with Amsoil.

YYZ-E55

I believe the RX is built in Ontario; I wouldn't suggest it's any better or worse than Alabama.

VietMB

lol i wasnt say it was bad, im just saying that's all the info i got so far =]

dgiturbo

The oil gets dirty looking within minutes of an oil change but MB and several members on the forum say to change every 10K. I do it every 5K cause of the "old dog new trick" syndrome. I am from the old school where oil was changed every 3K miles or the sky would fall, so 5K is amazing technology for me.
Click here to see what these will do in winter on factory tires.

And if you are in the colder areas, heated f&r seats and steering wheel heat is a must. Also, the climate control heats the cabin nicely within 4 minutes.

VietMB

@ dgiturbo yeah same here i am used to my father saying you gotta change it 3k miles and i didnt till synthetic oil comes out and swap it out around 5k miles. Got into Amsoil synthetic where 10k miles oil change and a filter which is very impressive but than again i always check up on the oil to see if it needed to be change.

i just checked out the page dang u lived pretty near my buddy house in McHenry. ah i remembered the snow we has in '08 while i was still in school. my friend spung out in the highway-bridge with a thin shear of ice build up and smash a wall. luckily didnt fell off and it was super chilly that night trying to help him out. just thinking about it makes me think about this up coming winter haha

i would love the heater seat but doesnt come with one ehh that was one downfall about it. wonder if its possible to hook one up.( hopefully there is parts for the ml)

GSD

Engine oil in Diesels will go black at start up due to the soot content.

Here's a 2007 ML 320 CDI with Heated Seats for $23K with tow package too

KA8

This is a Benz forum... Just saying
Anyways we looked at rx's when we were shopping for an suv.it felt boring. I mean Lexus is great at reliability but they do horribly on driving experience. I've had two Lexus, 05 es330 and 93 sc400. They were most boring cars I've had. I've heard about Lexus having no soul but I didn't quiet understood that until I got them. Quality on Lexus is going downhill recently and they are too far off from German makes on reliability. Anyways I've driven diesel ML and it was just as quiet as a regular gasoline engine with tons of torque which makes it a great towing vehicle. Mpg is good even on gasoline models. On hwy trips I avged 21(I had 06 and 08 4matics before current ML). I'm sure diesel models are better. Maintenance costs on these cars aren't bad either. About $300 per year. If you don't have warranty it can get expensive when something needs attention which is a downside of owning a Benz.

VietMB

Where did u find it at? Now I'm thinking mine is way off
GSD Can u check it out for meh and I'll come pick it up

How do I import it into us? Haven't don't it so I'm clueless on how to do like tax at both end and fees that goes with it

GSD

That car is located in Akron, Ohio so no problems in importing it. Ohio doesn't charge state tax when taking it out of state. I am located in Canada so I won't be able to check the truck out. I bought my ML in Ohio and brought it to Canada without paying state taxes. The dealer will help with this.

I found the car on Autotrader.com.