Hi, I am thinking of purchasng an ML 270 CDI 2002 and wonder if anyone has any experience of this vehicle as a tow tug and passenger vehicle
Mecedes ML
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We took a 2004 manual demonstrator out on 48 hour test but we both found the park brake a real pain; so believe the "auto" version would be the only viable option for us. We chose a D3 auto in the end as the outright winner of all the diesel vehicles including XC90, X5 and VW in the then 2.5 engine.
No direct experience of the ML. Plenty of experience with other MB cars though.
But my previous car was a C270 CDI Automatic, with the same engine and gearbox as the ML - the 5 cylinder Euro 3 180 bhp / 440 NM torque engine was one of the more powerful diesel engines around.
Which 5 or 6 years ago made the C and E class saloons really quite fast - the extra weight of the ML takes away some of the edge - but should still have plenty of torque to tow most things.
The 5 speed automatic is rated to withstand almost 20% more torque than the manual gearbox - so the C270 engine was detuned to around 370NM in the manual variants (so avoid these for towing). Although why you would buy a MB and swap cogs yourself is a mystery - the automatic gearboxes are just excellent.
Full dealer service history is expected - because then the free 30 year MobiloLife assistance package is still in place.
If the ML has done 100,000 miles - probably a good idea to visually check the suspension bushes, examine the automatic fluid, and check if it has been chipped with anything other than the official Brabus D5 kit - this was a warranteed upgrade.
Robert
But my previous car was a C270 CDI Automatic, with the same engine and gearbox as the ML - the 5 cylinder Euro 3 180 bhp / 440 NM torque engine was one of the more powerful diesel engines around.
Which 5 or 6 years ago made the C and E class saloons really quite fast - the extra weight of the ML takes away some of the edge - but should still have plenty of torque to tow most things.
The 5 speed automatic is rated to withstand almost 20% more torque than the manual gearbox - so the C270 engine was detuned to around 370NM in the manual variants (so avoid these for towing). Although why you would buy a MB and swap cogs yourself is a mystery - the automatic gearboxes are just excellent.
Full dealer service history is expected - because then the free 30 year MobiloLife assistance package is still in place.
If the ML has done 100,000 miles - probably a good idea to visually check the suspension bushes, examine the automatic fluid, and check if it has been chipped with anything other than the official Brabus D5 kit - this was a warranteed upgrade.
Robert
Hi Ian
I have towed with 2 Ml 270's in the last 6 years and never had any problems.I have a twin axle and have done 5 trips to the south of france and lots of weeks and week ends on the UK.
Averaged about 23mpg on long trips with the van.Lots of power and a very luxurious passenger car with sculptured rear seats (not a bench seat) and rear air conditioning.
They do drive and ride like a 4x4 but are better than most,but its not a hot hatch so dont expect that kind of handling.Does have a tendancy to eat brake pads or so they say i never had any fitted in the 30k i owned both cars.
Reliabilty excellent in the 6 years only fault was a leaking gearbox pressure sender.
Auto a must forget the manual cruise excellent set at 60 no matter what the incline it will hold its own.
I have towed with 2 Ml 270's in the last 6 years and never had any problems.I have a twin axle and have done 5 trips to the south of france and lots of weeks and week ends on the UK.
Averaged about 23mpg on long trips with the van.Lots of power and a very luxurious passenger car with sculptured rear seats (not a bench seat) and rear air conditioning.
They do drive and ride like a 4x4 but are better than most,but its not a hot hatch so dont expect that kind of handling.Does have a tendancy to eat brake pads or so they say i never had any fitted in the 30k i owned both cars.
Reliabilty excellent in the 6 years only fault was a leaking gearbox pressure sender.
Auto a must forget the manual cruise excellent set at 60 no matter what the incline it will hold its own.
Hi Ian
I've got an 05 270CDi (Autobox) and highly recommend it. It will tow a huge amount of caravan and with ease.
As mentioned go for the Auto its far better and setting the cruise at 60 it will just go , even on the steepest inclines. To be honest you'll find often you are being held up by slower less able outfits / HGVs.
As with any 4x4 mpg will be low , mid 20's towing (I get about 22-24) but balance that off against the drive and comfort of the vehicle , its worth it.
Try to get as newer car as you can for your budget (very early cars did have issues but were soon smoothed out). If you can stretch to a mid to late 05 model these predominatly will have a lot of extras fitted as standard as they were the tail of models before the new one came out. I think they will be listed as LUX models.
Dont discount going to a MB dealer either. Again they have the newer versions starting to come through as second hand so are willing to discount early models very keenly. I got a deal worth
I've got an 05 270CDi (Autobox) and highly recommend it. It will tow a huge amount of caravan and with ease.
As mentioned go for the Auto its far better and setting the cruise at 60 it will just go , even on the steepest inclines. To be honest you'll find often you are being held up by slower less able outfits / HGVs.
As with any 4x4 mpg will be low , mid 20's towing (I get about 22-24) but balance that off against the drive and comfort of the vehicle , its worth it.
Try to get as newer car as you can for your budget (very early cars did have issues but were soon smoothed out). If you can stretch to a mid to late 05 model these predominatly will have a lot of extras fitted as standard as they were the tail of models before the new one came out. I think they will be listed as LUX models.
Dont discount going to a MB dealer either. Again they have the newer versions starting to come through as second hand so are willing to discount early models very keenly. I got a deal worth
Hi Ian,
I bought a 23 month old ML270CDI auto in June last year, we towed a 1400kg single axle van over 1000 miles last year and since November 2007 we have towed a 1700kg Twin axle for nearly 3000 miles so far with no problems at all, although I load the caravan carefully it has never snaked in the slightest on this car and will hold 60mph on cruise control with ease.
I bought mine from a Merc dealer and had 4 new tyres and a detatchable towbar fitted in the deal and since I have converted to 13 pin electrics as the plug is easy to hide behind the removable panel, and with the bar removed it is completely undetectable, the towbar is a Westfalia which is excellent.
The power output quoted above is incorrect, in the ML it is 163 bhp which is ok when you compare to a new 3.2 Shogun at 158 or 168 bhp for the auto, mine is chipped to a claimed 200bhp which makes it a lot more lively and it still returns 20mpg towing at a true 60mph with a total weight of 4.5 tons. Some people are against chipping and have had bad experiences which is fair enough but a lot more are happy with them as I am.
I can't understand the issue with the park brake, you use your left foot to apply and your right hand to release- simple enough.
On the whole I would recommend the ML, it is the most stable towcar I have ever used and has been 100% reliable, the only bad point is the fuel consumption but this is typical of all large 4x4s.
spj.
I bought a 23 month old ML270CDI auto in June last year, we towed a 1400kg single axle van over 1000 miles last year and since November 2007 we have towed a 1700kg Twin axle for nearly 3000 miles so far with no problems at all, although I load the caravan carefully it has never snaked in the slightest on this car and will hold 60mph on cruise control with ease.
I bought mine from a Merc dealer and had 4 new tyres and a detatchable towbar fitted in the deal and since I have converted to 13 pin electrics as the plug is easy to hide behind the removable panel, and with the bar removed it is completely undetectable, the towbar is a Westfalia which is excellent.
The power output quoted above is incorrect, in the ML it is 163 bhp which is ok when you compare to a new 3.2 Shogun at 158 or 168 bhp for the auto, mine is chipped to a claimed 200bhp which makes it a lot more lively and it still returns 20mpg towing at a true 60mph with a total weight of 4.5 tons. Some people are against chipping and have had bad experiences which is fair enough but a lot more are happy with them as I am.
I can't understand the issue with the park brake, you use your left foot to apply and your right hand to release- simple enough.
On the whole I would recommend the ML, it is the most stable towcar I have ever used and has been 100% reliable, the only bad point is the fuel consumption but this is typical of all large 4x4s.
spj.
Our problems with the park brake is that we used the left foot for the clutch, so had to select neutral to allow us to take that foot off the pedal to apply park brake. Not an issue with an auto but a real problem for us with the manual as I said.Hi Ian,
I bought a 23 month old ML270CDI auto in June last year, we towed a 1400kg single axle van over 1000 miles last year and since November 2007 we have towed a 1700kg Twin axle for nearly 3000 miles so far with no problems at all, although I load the caravan carefully it has never snaked in the slightest on this car and will hold 60mph on cruise control with ease.
I bought mine from a Merc dealer and had 4 new tyres and a detatchable towbar fitted in the deal and since I have converted to 13 pin electrics as the plug is easy to hide behind the removable panel, and with the bar removed it is completely undetectable, the towbar is a Westfalia which is excellent.
The power output quoted above is incorrect, in the ML it is 163 bhp which is ok when you compare to a new 3.2 Shogun at 158 or 168 bhp for the auto, mine is chipped to a claimed 200bhp which makes it a lot more lively and it still returns 20mpg towing at a true 60mph with a total weight of 4.5 tons. Some people are against chipping and have had bad experiences which is fair enough but a lot more are happy with them as I am.
I can't understand the issue with the park brake, you use your left foot to apply and your right hand to release- simple enough.
On the whole I would recommend the ML, it is the most stable towcar I have ever used and has been 100% reliable, the only bad point is the fuel consumption but this is typical of all large 4x4s.
spj.
The dealer only had a towbar on the manual, so that was the only one we tried.
My ML270 followed on from a Discovery TD5. The M-B was much more car like. Don't consider a manual gearbox. Not good and the auto is so smooth. Towing, my fuel consumption was regularly 22/23mpg. Normal cruising was c.26mpg. I did require new discs at about 30k. I traded it in for an ML320 CDI and I am delighted with it. Fuel consumption is a bit heavier while towing but better for running around outwith town.
Well recommended!
Well recommended!
The foot parking brake is definately OK on the Auto , however on a manual its a pain (friend had a Passat and hated it to the point he got rid of the car for that reason).
I'd also recommned a 'device' to improve performance!!! Not that the ML needs it but boy what a difference they do make. I recently fitted one from a company called DPT Performance.
I've no idea about it technically , although its not the same as a ECU remap or chipping , its deffinately made the car a whole load better. Plus I'm getting about 15% better return on mpg.
I'd also recommned a 'device' to improve performance!!! Not that the ML needs it but boy what a difference they do make. I recently fitted one from a company called DPT Performance.
I've no idea about it technically , although its not the same as a ECU remap or chipping , its deffinately made the car a whole load better. Plus I'm getting about 15% better return on mpg.
Hi RogerP,
The DPT device is a tuning "plug-in" device that sits between the injector pump and the car ECU - it increases fuelling by signalling the pump to raise the pressure on the fuel rail and (on some engines) reduces the length of the injection pulse.
It's a fairly common plug-in here in Holland, it's much cheaper than the Brabus D5 or D6 (320 CDI) tuning kits - but yes - it is a plug-in box - it is "chipping" - and you do need to tell your insurers.
Oh - as clarification - the C/E/ML 270 CDI engine could be "had" in a variety of bhp outputs - ranging from around 160bhp to 180bhp depending on fitment and model year
Robert
The DPT device is a tuning "plug-in" device that sits between the injector pump and the car ECU - it increases fuelling by signalling the pump to raise the pressure on the fuel rail and (on some engines) reduces the length of the injection pulse.
It's a fairly common plug-in here in Holland, it's much cheaper than the Brabus D5 or D6 (320 CDI) tuning kits - but yes - it is a plug-in box - it is "chipping" - and you do need to tell your insurers.
Oh - as clarification - the C/E/ML 270 CDI engine could be "had" in a variety of bhp outputs - ranging from around 160bhp to 180bhp depending on fitment and model year
Robert
I've towed with an ML270 for the past 6 years. As other have said - get the auto. It is one of the few cars where the auto has more power than the manual - to do with the gearbox fitted i believe. The auto also has tiptronic which is excellent for control on long downhills, provides effectively feet-off control for hill starts and is generally excellent.
If you get the "face lift" model from autumn 01 onwards you will also get a 90 litre tank, giving a towing range of over 300 miles - quite enough for one day.
Standard services are not as expensive as you may think - certainly cheaper overall than my previous tdi 200 ~Discovery. Yyre life from Continentals is around 40,000 miles.
Snags are skinny spare wheel, over assisted power steering - no feedback - a sign of its American ancestry and not all that much leg room in the back.
Height is just below the ferry 1.82m limit. Get the standard not xenon headlights - have height adjustment.
It's tougher than it looks with a proper chassis - I've had one airborn at a MB test day. Works fit towbar is excellent as is 13 pin socket - convert the van to 13 pin not the car to 12S and 12N
Problem now is what to replace it with - new one is far too expensive if taken to the same spec. but since I have only 50,000 in 6 years problem is not immediate
If you get the "face lift" model from autumn 01 onwards you will also get a 90 litre tank, giving a towing range of over 300 miles - quite enough for one day.
Standard services are not as expensive as you may think - certainly cheaper overall than my previous tdi 200 ~Discovery. Yyre life from Continentals is around 40,000 miles.
Snags are skinny spare wheel, over assisted power steering - no feedback - a sign of its American ancestry and not all that much leg room in the back.
Height is just below the ferry 1.82m limit. Get the standard not xenon headlights - have height adjustment.
It's tougher than it looks with a proper chassis - I've had one airborn at a MB test day. Works fit towbar is excellent as is 13 pin socket - convert the van to 13 pin not the car to 12S and 12N
Problem now is what to replace it with - new one is far too expensive if taken to the same spec. but since I have only 50,000 in 6 years problem is not immediate
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