csml350

A 2014 ML550 is coming to me in two days. It's an atypical process this time -- delivery first, test drive/inspection later, and finally purchase decision. Given that I have essentially the same car with a smaller engine, I didn't bother to travel hundreds of miles to test drive it, but instead decided to have them drive the car to me first at a small cost.

Any ML550 owner out there that knows what potential problem to look for when I test drive the car? Engine? Transmission smoothness? Electrical systems? Broken lift gate/auto high beam/distronic plus, etc?

I hope there is no major issues because I'm almost firm on getting the car. I just need low-end torque too much and have to have a forced induction car

Thanks a lot!

Isawelvis

did y0u buy the car. If so I am jealous.

csml350

Yes I did. It was really at the mercy of a good price when I purchased the 350 (took it from a friend at trade-in value), otherwise I would hesitate very much in taking a hit by the price difference.

NickW

What's your impression of the 550 over the 350? Pics? I have some regret not going after a 550 myself.

csml350

The 550 handles the same as my 350, because neither had dynamic suspension. I guess I paid extra for the engine alone. Or so I expected. The extra stuff like xenon and active cruise control are nice bonus. But engine alone is worth the upgrade for an SUV of this size. Forced induction modifies the dyno curve and the low end torque is a god sent compared to my 350.

It might be a personal preference - I hate high rev for acceleration especially in daily drives. Under 2k RPM, 550 already gives a very nice pull. Wait a little for the boost and by 3k RPM, the acceleration almost makes me feel like I was in a quicker car than in my F15 328. And I remember it actually is faster.

The push on my back is for sure something I chase after on a turbo engine. When doing a red light start, it changed my frown in my 350 to a grin now in the 550. That said, I only spent about 10k on the switch, and for this much, I consider it worthwhile. For somewhat more than this amount, I might reconsider making the switch, because the car basically drives the same in categories other than acceleration. Fast cornering feels dangerous and road feedback is non existent, as it should be on an SUV imo or I might have got an X5 instead.

If you are generally happy with what 350 can do, like hauling family around, carrying cargo and towing, another option is to save on the cost of switch and use that money as part of purchasing another sedan or wagon (my favorite) as your daily driver. This car being the only car in my family made me have to stay with an SUV for practical tasks while satisfy my desire for a faster daily driver at the same time, so making the switch to 550 was a no brainer to me.

The new 550 has almost identical color to my 350 (plain white vs arctic white). So the car looks basically the same sans the xenon headlight and the AMG kit as seen in my avatar.

Forgot to mention a potential issue in the transmission. It sometimes makes a clunk when downshifting from 2st to 1st. More rarely the same clunk is noticeable when upshifting, like once in the past week. I'll probably go for an "pre-purchase" inspection at a independent shop soon for a peace of mind.

peter2772000

Looks like the only issue you'll have now is trying to get an admin to change your username to csml550 LOL

NickW

Man, thanks for the detailed and descriptive response!

I don't have the dynamic suspension on my 350 and I think it handles poorly and rides bad. I drove a loaner that had the suspension and I liked it, so if I get another one, I will opt to have that on it.

I like your comments about the use for it contributing to the worth of the 550. I contemplate the same thing because I've had a number of nice sports cars and I question if I would love to have a 550 (or ML63) or if I'd be better off just having the 350 for one purpose and getting sports car for the fun purpose. Ideally the answer would be all of the above, but money is always a deterrent for that option! The other issue is the availability and price. I got a good deal on my 350, but 550's are a lot harder to come by.

mrmotoguzzi00

regarding ML63..... I initially was shopping ML550's, the 63 was the closest vehicle to me to go at least physically look at and drive.... big mistake....

I expected a harsh ride etc.... but damn this has a great ride and impressive exhaust sounds and ludicrous acceleration

I couldn't pass it up....

As far as sports car ? well our other car is new 16 E550 Cab.... that is my wife's, she has since stolen the ML....

The cab sits in the garage most days... the 63 is that much fun to drive...

Good Luck

Mike

csml350

Hahaha not a big issue, I'll keep it for the memory of my first SUV

Yes I had started my search almost two months ago, had spent hours of going through each available option on cars.com (within 500 miles), and had found only one that has all the available options I wanted, just higher in mileage. So I waited for a month for others to show up, during which period I looked into X5 50 (almost jumped on it) and test drove an S6. Still at the end I went with this 550 that I had found 2 months ago. Made a compromise on the high mileage since the price was right and I wanted it eagerly.

After driving S6 though, I was reminded of how much better a car handles compared to SUV, which is why I think you might want to go with the route of a second car as a daily driver. It doesn't even have to be a sport car, just a performance sedan or wagon that's practical to certain degree. That should makes you feel happier than an ML550 does.

On the other hand, after test driving S6, it also made me understand why a lot of people in the US keep getting SUV. At least for me, I had my share of initial panic when dropping myself into a lower car after merely owning my first SUV for half a year. I bet SUV gives even more sense of safety because of the clearance and softer ride to those ladies who have been driving an SUV for years. Just my speculation. After driving SUV exclusively for 6 months, getting into a sedan felt like getting into a corvette

Good luck with the search if you finally decide to go for a switch

BTW, if you still want to go with a "fun to drive" SUV, Cayenne Turbo (or above) is also worth a look. From a few reviews I read, it seems to triumphs both X5 and ML in handling and is very fast at the same time. I just didn't have enough money to burn so I crossed it off my list from the beginning heh.

Dr99

Good info in the thread, and I love seeing a new ML550 owner. I can say I have seen more ML63's in the wild than 550's. It's a unique beast. I had to go down to Florida to obtain mine (from PA).

I actually have a bit of experience with the cars referenced. I owned a 2011 Cayenne S, an '14 S6 and still have my 2013 ML550. Each has its strengths and weaknesses but all are very good vehicles. The Cayenne (even without PASM) handled like no other SUV I have enter encountered. If you have some high quality curvy roads vs sitting in traffic all day... it is a standout performer. I can online imagine what they've done with the Macan.

I moved from the Cayenne to an S6 because I didn't think we needed 2 SUVs in the family. The S6 interior is beautiful, and that v8 has so much potential. Unfortunately it was a bit tame with noticeable throttle lag and thin exhaust note. Then we picked up a 65lb dog and I suddenly was juggling vehicles when we needed to take him somewhere.

I ended up going back to a 2 car combo of an used SUV (my ML) and a CPO Audi RS5 cab as a toy car. I have to say, I love driving the ML every day, it's just a tough beast that can soak up miles. It's handling does leave a little to be desired, but the instant torque of the M278 is how the S6's engine should have been done. The exhaust note is great, especially on cold start up. I picked up an extended warranty and have coverage through 2020 and 100k.

I think you'll be real happy with your choice.

csml350

I agree. I probably would be fanatic over a 63 but life always leave something to be desired

Given the value offered by 550, I'm really happy. Being happy on the road every day for $10k more was well worth it! You know in Confucian philosophy there is this "doctrine of the mean" similar to the concept of golden mean. I guess getting an ML550 was one of the instance of this. For me it was a good compromise between cost and performance.