Diesel Delight
Despite its hefty, 5,040-pound curb weight, the ML350 Bluetec moves out well, with power in reserve at midrange speeds. The diesel's power characteristics are well-suited to towing, and the SUV is rated to tow up to 7,200 pounds when properly equipped.
The diesel's stout low-end torque enables this; it produces 455 pounds-feet from just 1,600 rpm, which is considerably more than the gas V-6's 273 pounds-feet of torque that arrives at a higher 3,500 rpm. All versions of the SUV have a seven-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive.
Diesel engine refinement has come a long way, and the M-Class' diesel V-6 is evidence of this. It starts up quickly, even when outside temperatures are hovering around freezing, and idles smoothly. You can hear a little bit of diesel clatter when outside the SUV, but once you step inside it's sufficiently muted. The engine sounds a little bit different from a gas engine when accelerating, but it's close enough that your passengers won't suspect anything — until you pull up to a truck stop for fuel.
The diesel's fuel economy advantage over the gas V-6 is a nice benefit: The EPA rates the diesel at 22 mpg in combined city/highway driving versus 19 mpg with the base gas engine, a 16 percent improvement. I got around 23 mpg, mostly on suburban streets and highways with little stop-and-go traffic. Depending on how much diesel fuel costs where you live, some of the money gained from better mileage could be lost at the pump. A gallon of diesel cost $4.39 when I filled up in suburban Chicago, and nationally it's 17 cents more than premium gas, which the gas M-Class uses. There's also the matter of the up-front expense for the diesel M-Class, which starts at $1,500 more than the base gas version.
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Entering an intermediate stop
Introduction
When route guidance is active, you can enter
an intermediate stop. Intermediate stops can
be predefined destinations from the following
categories that COMAND offers for selection: ...
Notes about discs
There may be playback problems when
playing copied discs. There are a large variety
of discs, DVD authoring software, writing
software and writers available. This variety
means that there is n ...
Important safety notes
Do not leave the SmartKey in the trunk. You
could otherwise lock yourself out.
WARNING
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from the ignition lock. Always take
the SmartKey w ...