If the exterior of the 2015 Mercedes-Benz ML250 pictured right here appears practically identical to the 2014 ML350 it replaces, that is most likely due to the fact it is. Comprehensively overhauled for the 2013 model year, the ML’s styling will get updated for next year—when it also adopts the GLE-class nomenclature—but for now the minor modify in diesel ML badging is all that is new outdoors it acknowledges the arrival of Benz’s 2.1-liter dual-turbo diesel 4 beneath the hood. The very same standard diesel engine that gives the Mercedes-Benz E250 sedan and GLK250 crossover with surprising punch and refinement, the 2.1-liter unit is the initial 4-cylinder oil-burner in decades to discover its way into U.S.-market Mercedes passenger autos.
Comparisons are inevitable, so let’s get this out of the way right now: Packing 200 horsepower and 369 lb-ft of torque, the diesel in ML250 trim can not match the 240-hp and 455-lb-ft ratings of the departed ML350’s turbo-diesel V-6. But losing 2 cylinders has its positive aspects, namely a reduction in w7 Registering a nevertheless-hefty 5041 pounds on the C/D scales, the ML250 nevertheless shaves 162 pounds off the 5203-pound figure of a 2013 ML350 BlueTec 4MATIC we tested for a recent diesel-SUV comparo.
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Unfortunately, the reduction in weight isn’t sufficient to offset the loss of muscle. At 73 seconds to 60 mph and 16.3 seconds to the quarter-mile mark, the ML250 offers up about a second to the 7.- and 15.4-second times delivered by the old ML350’s V-6. The torquey 4-cylinder provides intelligent off-the-line acceleration, nevertheless, and the sequential turbochargers—a tiny one offers low-finish increase to mitigate lag before handing off to a larger unit at higher engine speeds—do their ideal to hold momentum building as the 6-speed automatic imperceptibly shuffles although the gears. It is a reasonable assumption that the suburbanites who make up the target demographic of the ML will in no way miss the V-6.
EPA city/highway ratings of 22/29 mpg place the ML250 correct in the ballpark with competitors such as the BMW X5 xDrive35d diesel, the Jeep Grand Cherokee EcoDiesel 4×4, and the Volkswagen Touareg TDI. In our hands, the ML250 recorded 24 mpg in combined driving, an identical number to the one we measured with the ML350 V-6 we have been hoping for at least a modest improvement in efficiency, provided the subtraction of 2 cylinders and 162 pounds. What the numbers can’t communicate, even so, is the 2.1-liter diesel’s prepared and amicable nature. Smooth and quiet at idle (for a diesel), it has a polished good quality that makes the 4-cylinder compression-ignition unit in our extended-term BMW 328d xDrive Sports Wagon sound a bit loutish in comparison.
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Communicative steering has never ever been a crucial element of the SUV formula, and the ML250 does small to modify that truism. There’s no doubt that the ultralight steering will be appreciated throughout parking maneuvers and tight stop-and-go driving, and even though the wheel weights up with increased speeds, the really feel remains artificial, unprogressive, and devoid of nuance. Ought to the need to have for aggressive inputs arise, Benz’s Airmatic air suspension ($ 1610) gives the alternative of firming items up with a Sport setting, and it does a competent job of maintaining things on an even keel in the regular Comfort mode, as well. Based on the taut but creamy highway ride it offers, the air suspension is one option box we’d verify with no remorse.
Our test instance wore Dunlop Grandtrek 255/50 all-season tires on fashionable 19-inch 5-spoke AMG wheels ($ 500), which did a good job of prioritizing a quiet ride more than all-out traction and directional fussiness. The ML250 essential 176 feet to stop from 70 mph, 13 feet fewer than required by the ML350 to perform the identical job our test driver did note some mild fade and a squishy pedal below repeated stops.
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What hasn’t changed about the ML is its capacity to haul 5 passengers and a fair amount of cargo in comfy and luxurious surroundings. Tastefully upholstered in almond beige and black leather ($ 1620) with open-pore brown ash trim ($ 160) that completely complements the Obsidian Black Metallic exterior ($ 720), this Benz softly speaks items that flashier SUVs really feel the need to shout. A single word of caution: Venturing into the ML’s order sheet can hit a bank account rather hard. The price of our 2015 ML250 BlueTec 4MATIC (Benz’s 4MATIC all-wheel-drive technique is normal no 2-wheel-drive version is currently offered) ratcheted from its $ 50,725 base MSRP to $ 68,610 in much less time than it requires to brew a pot of responsibly harvested free of charge-trade coffee. But hey, at times it is okay to splurge if the contents are worthy of the fancy label on the package.
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2015 Mercedes-Benz ML250 Tested: An Oil-Burning SUV for the Suburban Set
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