Mercedes' sought after off-roader

Jan 25 2010 Peter Hayward

THE Mercedes M-Class is more sought after than most off-roaders second-hand and this helps keep prices high.

The Range Rover rival is less common than its counterparts and neither is it as accomplished as main German rival the BMW X5.

But there is a wide range of engines in the model built until 2005 starting with a 218bhp 3.2-litre V6 and rising to a 3.7 with 235 and a 4.3 V8 with 268bhp.

At the top of the range there are 5.0 and 5.4 V8's with 292 and 347bhp respectively, but the one to go for is the 2.7-litre five cylinder turbo diesel, which is the only one giving any kind of economy.

It's also the only model with a manual gearbox as all the petrols have automatics.

All are effortless cruisers and very comfortable to ride in over any kind of road or off-road surface.

On-road they are composed through corners with good feel from the steering and refinement is excellent, with little road or wind noise.

Interior

There is plenty of leg and headroom for five, even if the rear centre occupant has the transmission tunnel to contend with, and the boot is big enough for just about any family need.

Safety is very good with ABS, traction control and stability control on top of loads of airbags, and equipment is excellent.

FAST FACTS

Mercedes M-Class

Price: Pay around £8,300 for an '00 X-reg CDi, £11,000 for an '03 03-reg, or £15,100 for an '04 54-reg auto

Mechanical: 163bhp, 2,685cc, 5 cylinder diesel engine driving four wheels via a 5 speed or 5-speed auto gearbox

Max speed: 115mph

0-62mph: 13 seconds

Combined mpg: 29

Insurance group: 16

CO2 emissions: 250g/km

Marks: 9/10

Main rival: Range Rover, Land Rover Discovery