mercedes ml 350 auto?

[jefarmstrng]

hi does anyone tow or had experience with a merc.

any advice will be great

 

[rob_jax]

Hi Jeff,

There are several people on here with various generations of M-class.

So these are just general comments on the marque and some personal experiences.

If you are buying new, the excellent V6 CDI M-320 is the same price as the M-350 petrol engine - and with almost twice the torque the diesel is a no-brainer. It's the same diesel engine as in my E-class and the new C-class, but coupled with a 5 speed autobox and not 7 speed as in the saloons - but still really smooth though and more than capapble of handling 600+ NM of torque.

Buying pre-owned, then the first generation M-class suffered from "approximate fit" whilst the USA factory got up to speed - but this should have been rectified post-sale, and certainly was in generation two cars.

Running costs - diesel good, petrol less so. Main dealer servicing is on a par with Audi / BMW - if the car is outside warranty then you may want to look for an independent specialist.

Towing - pretty effortless.

Reliabilty - no issues with my last two cars, but some people have had issues with certain models - particularly with COMMAND in it's first interpretation (about 7 years ago)

Robert

 

[MalcolmL]

Jeff,

I towed with an ML270 CDI for nearly four years. It had an auto box (essential for a Mercedes) and towing was effortless. Over my entire ownership, I averaged c.25 mpg which broke down to c.22/23 when towing and 27/28 solo with a best of c.33 mpg.

I have recently traded it in for an ML320 CDI, again, another auto. This car is awesome, to use that hackneyed expression, but solo, I am regularly getting 30 mpg on ordinary single carriageway roads. Hardly been on a dual carriageway yet, and certainly no motorways. Only towed 120 miles so far (2*60)and averaged 20mpg. I expect this to improve dramatically on long, steady runs. The 7-speed auto box means you are always in the correct gear. Acceleration on kickdown is very swift and, of course, the 'box is very smooth. At more than 2 tonne in weight, the recommended 85% ratio is almost an irrelevance.

You won't be disappointed if you decide to buy one, though I would buy a diesel as the torque curve starts at about 1700 rpm and is virtually a horizontal line! Wonderful!

 

[Hamer_5041128]

Malcolm,

What weght of caravan are you towing? Just wonder as your mpg figures are good.

Hamer

 

[MalcolmL]

Hamer,

We have an '07 Bailey Senator Oklahoma whose MTPLM is 1500kg. I find having the display showing fuel consumption is a great incentive to use a light foot on the accelerator! I also use cruise control whenever possible.

I am going to Morvich next week and then to Culloden. If I remember, I'll post again with the results of that trip - the total distance should be c.500 miles of which c.350 will be towing.

I meant to mention that my ML320 has the optional air suspension which is a lot smoother and less "crashy" going over bumps.

 

[MalcolmL]

As promised, here are the details of my recent trip to Morvich and Culloden with my ML320 CDI towing a Bailey Oklahoma.

Total mileage was 704, a good bit higher than estimated before the trip. Overall MPG was 22.98mpg and it was broken down as follows:- Aberdeen to Morvich (against a very strong headwind - the only respite was travelling down Loch Ness from Inverness to Invermoriston where the land mass sheltered me from the westerly wind), 174 miles at 17.3mpg, avge speed 40mph. Morvich to Culloden was 67 miles at 19.3mpg, avge speed 40mph and Culloden back to Aberdeen was 96 miles at 22.4mpg, avge speed 44mph. Travelling solo, I was often getting 28 - 30 mpg.

I tend to sit at 60mph when towing but, in addition to passing through towns, there were delays at four sets of roadworks which quickly pulled the avge speed down.

While the fuel consumption when towing was not as good as anticipated, virtually all the mileage was on ordinary single carriageway roads. I don't think I will be towing on dual carriageways or motorways in the near future so I'll need to wait and see what that gives. At the end of the day, I am not too worried about fuel consumption as there are other, greater costs to be concerned about. The consumption "is what it is" and I'll live with it. Incidentally, I didn't require to refuel until I reached Inverness enroute to Culloden, 452 miles after leaving Aberdeen. The car took 96.12 litres of diesel when the tank is supposed to hold 95 litres! The computer display showed zero miles of fuel remaining. I'll try not to cut it so fine in future!

The ML is a nice car to drive and it tows the Oklahoma effortlessly. The 7-sp auto box is really smooth and down changes occur very quickly, and smoothly, when the accelerator is floored.

 

[Mikey1]

I am currently on my second ML270,which i am changing to a 320 in about 2 months.

I tow a twin axle elddis(quite heavy)and with the top box on the car i get around 19-20 to the gallon.Solo ok as long as its not around town and short trips.

Never had any problems with either of my cars and have been pleased with both.They tow lovely and has plenty of power to stick in cruise and not bother about inclines.

One down side i was a bit shocked on its trade in value,but all used 4x4's are dropping in value.