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Considering the number of other vehicles on the market capable of handling multiple CDs within their dash mounted head units, we found this to be an unacceptable annoyance.
Comparison Tests
2000 Luxury SUV Comparison Test
Second Place - 2000 Mercedes-Benz ML430
By Christian Wardlaw and Scott Memmer and Neil G.
On the positive side, it's much easier to use and program than the fussy COMAND system becoming ubiquitous in other Mercedes-Benz models.
On downhill grades it lulls you into thinking it will work to slow the vehicle every time, like the excellent Land Rover and BMW Hill Descent Control technology, but then the ML picks up speed and starts bouncing excessively, so you learn that ESP cannot be trusted to help you out 100 percent of the time.
During our ride-alongs on the Pacific Coast Highway and through the heart of Santa Monica with five adults aboard, the Mercedes handled the weight better than the others in the test, suffering little deterioration of ride quality and braking ability, though it did exhibit a great degree of stiffness over the speed bumps in our parking garage.
2000 Mercedes Benz ML430 SUV comparison at Edmunds
Mercedes would have been wiser to take the same path as BMW and sell it as something else entirely.
Its engine is vigorous, and the transmission is so capable that you can still take the tight openings on the freeway without using the size of your vehicle to intimidate other drivers into retreat.
Regardless of road surface, if the sound system wasn't filling the cabin with music, the cacophony of wiggling and jiggling interior bits created an almost constant symphony of creaks and skreeks.
Despite certain shortcomings, the ML430 is a great utility vehicle for a family of four or five, with the traction technology most folks need to get through winter unscathed combined with the tall driving position many buyers claim is a big selling point of sport-utility vehicles.
Responding to criticism that the interior was cheap-looking and tactilely deficient, Mercedes has refined the look of the ML's cabin by adding real burled walnut trim, more leather-covered surfaces and additional features.
Easily the most fun to drive and maneuverable vehicle in our test, the Benz makes plenty of sense for buyers who simply cannot come to grips with the idea of driving an E-Class wagon.
Steering is far more responsive and direct than in other trucks in the test, despite a typical Mercedes-like heft, and the ML has a nice, tight turning circle that helps maneuverability in urban areas.
As long as nobody reads the initial quality reports, or tries to actually take it off-road, the ML holds plenty of appeal.
The company has constructed a vehicle that combines a high seating position with full-time four-wheel drive and a utilitarian image.
The driver gains a sense of on-road mastery in the number-one position, supported by a chair from a design team that knew the value of firmness and heavy-grained leather.
Base MSRP of Test Vehicle: $44,345 (including destination charge) Options on Test Vehicle: Metallic Paint ($475); Power Glass Sunroof ($1,095
MSRP of Test Vehicle: $45,915 (including destination charge).
As one test driver noted, the ML430 is "car-like in its ability to translate road conditions into terms that the driver can understand.
But the center stack controls were not created with the same intuition, nor is build quality what it "should" be for a Mercedes-Benz, if that name carries any standing generalizations regarding value.
" Adding insult to injury, the steering wheel doesn't offer satellite controls for the audio system, which would at least allow the driver to access the most commonly fiddled-with features of the stereo without having to lean over and avert concentration from the road to the control panel.
The toggle switch used to scroll through windows and program the system is located on the lower right portion of the dash where it cannot be reached unless you lean over.
That's why Carolyn Burnham, the coming-unglued working wife in American Beauty, drove one, isn't it? Four primary complaints surfaced during our testing, one of which has nothing to do with the majority of consumers who buy luxo-utes: lousy off-road capability, poor cabin construction, lame-duck styling and wonky ergonomics associated with the navigation and audio system.
ESP works off-road by essentially tossing out an anchor, resulting in jerky, uncontrolled movements.
Mercedes-Benz has the American luxury SUV all figured out. Start with a roomy, comfortable, medium-sized box and add a powerful V8, car-like driving dynamics and the latest techno-gadgetry
- Karl Brauer Specifications and Performance - 2000 Mercedes-Benz ML430 Stereo Evaluation - 2000 Mercedes-Benz ML430.
Counterbalancing that fact is the way Mercedes has lain out the controls opposite of where they ought to be for a U.
Unique to the vehicles gathered for the test, the rear seat in the ML is adjustable fore and aft to help maximize cargo and passenger space as needed.
A four-wheel independent suspension - the only one of our luxury SUVs to have this type of arrangement - goes a long way toward making the ML430 fun to drive on a daily basis, contributing to a more controlled ride and better roadholding ability.
It's almost as though the unit was designed for use in right-hand drive vehicles, and was tossed into the U.
- Erin Riches
Mercedes gets credit for spotting a burgeoning market niche and successfully exploiting it.
Ignore the insensitive taunts of Jeep owners - you didn't buy your ML430 for off-roading, you wanted it for its superb handling on wet or dry paved roads.
78g of grip, but in real world driving, the ML was vastly superior to other trucks in the test when roads turned twisty.
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www.emercedesbenz.com
