A remarkable ride

The first time I laid eyes on the new Mercedes-Benz M-Class was during its launch last week. Al Haddad Motors, the marque’s distributor, held a family open-day at its premises in Salmabad.

The event featured a range of fun activities including a bouncy castle, a drawing competition with a raffle draw, X-box games, popular children’s characters and a clown making balloon animals. However, the highlight of the day was undoubtedly when visitors were invited to test drive the new M-Class.

It proved to be such a success, that two models were immediately snapped up ... And after my test drive experience its easy to see why.

This deceptively agile crossover SUV is available in three variants, ML350, ML500 and ML63 each with a plethora of impressive options to please even the most discerning driver.

The ML350 and ML500 variants boast AMG sports styling as standard, three engine options, unparalleled ride comfort, and cavernous and high-quality luxury interiors, its makers say.

I took the ML350 for a cruise around Manama to see what this sleek SUV could do and it certainly did not disappoint.

Although the 3.5-litre V6 engine is more than capable of tackling both on and off-road driving with finesse and confidence, I played it safe and stuck to the highways for fear of putting a dent in this gorgeous vehicle.
 
There is something really special about sitting in the cockpit of a Mercedes. It could be the finely-tuned German engineering revving to go, the classy interior design, or it could simply be the fact that you know you’re driving a car that screams sophistication.

There is a surprising amount of space inside and the backseats can be folded down to accommodate even my girlfriend’s ludicrous amount of luggage.

Although the new M-Class has been redesigned, it is still instantly recognisable and gives credence to the old adage, ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’.

The front is dominated by the iconic Mercedes-Benz emblem, whilst from the side, elongated lines and a rear sloping roof line give a sporty look and things look just as stylish from behind. The rear apron, with simulated black air outlet openings, further emphasises the vehicle’s width and give it a real presence on the road.

In fact, that’s my favourite thing about this model, it is large enough to command respect but not so large that it is cumbersome to manoeuvre or park. Parking is actually a complete doddle thanks to the reverse cameras and range of parking sensors.

Another reason I enjoyed this model so much is the way it handles. The steering is so precise and accurate that even the most challenging cornering situations are easy.
 
There’s a bend on the way to the Al Haddad showroom via Isa town which is sharper than Reese Witherspoon’s chin and I usually dread it, taking it at a snail’s pace for fear of skidding. However, in the ML350 I actually enjoyed every second of it and managed to take it at a reasonable speed.

Of course, there’s no shortage of tech features to add to the model either. The new M-Class comes as standard with CD system, which comprises a radio with twin-tuner, a colour display with a 14.7cm screen, an MP3/WMA/AAC-compatible CD player, a USB interface, an auxiliary input socket and a telephone keypad. The Bluetooth interface also allows hands-free phone calls and audio streaming to play music from your mobile.

As if that’s not impressive enough, you can also access the internet via your mobile and browse online using the car’s display, but only while stationary for safety reasons.

However, the most remarkable thing about the ML350 is that it is available for a starting price of BD25,000.
For more information, call Al Haddad Motors on 17785454.