IF THE neighbours didn’t already know that I write about cars, they might well be wondering if was making money from dubious sources.
Last week, it was the luxurious
?¬100,000 BMW Gran Coupé, while this week my test car was a classy-looking people carrier from Mercedes that will cost you around
?¬70,000.
People carriers or SUVs became very popular in Ireland during the Celtic Tiger years. The Renault Scenic was the car that won over many new buyers when it was introduced in 1996 and since then almost every car company has tried to get in on the act. A few weeks back I wrote about the new Mazda CX-7 and this week it’s the third-generation of the Mercedes M Class.
As you probably know by now everything that comes from Mercedes is
‘class’ and the M-Class is no different. The first edition was launched in 1997, it got an upgrade in 2005 and now we have edition number three. It’s a bit higher than you regular people carrier, but believe me the climb on board is worth the trouble. The front end has got a new look, with new headlamps and grille and Mercedes’ famous three pointed star incorporated in the grille. Two roof rails add to the SUV effect.
This is luxury with a capital
‘L.’ The beige-coloured seats are really comfortable and no matter how big or small you are you should be able to find a comfortable driving position. Unusually the settings to adjust the front two seats are found on the doors. A walnut trim on the dash adds to the classy interior look. In the back there is ample room for three well-built adults and the boot is massive. I drove a brown-coloured model, but the material in the boot was beige, a colour that would be impossible to keep clean. You definitely would need to cover the beige material with some sort of a sheet, if you want to trade in at some stage.
Amazingly this new M-Class is 13 per cent cheaper than the model is replaces. And road tax on this four-cylinder engine is e481, which is not bad for such a huge motor. That sounds like a big chunk of money to me, but Mercedes say that with this new car they can beat their competitors on price. And they make no secret that their competitors in this segment are the Audi Q7, BMW X5 and VW Touareg. According to the manufacturers the M Class is the first Merc with a price advantage rather than a price premium.
With permanent four-wheel drive and 7-G Tronic seven-speed automatic transmission, this 2.2 litre diesel M-Class is beauty to drive and travel in. Prices start at
?¬71,060 for the ML250 BlueTec. You can certainly buy cheaper SUVs, but if you are a Mercedes fan, this will be the one for you.
A few years back these types of SUVs would have been seen as a status symbol; I suppose they still are. So if you have a few euros to spare and want comfort when travelling plus an opportunity to enjoy spectacular views of the countryside from what is a high driving position, I would recommend this M-Class.