“spORT-UTILITY” ‘and “Mercedes-Benz” May at first seem mutu- ally exclusive, but Mercedes: Benz i is just .. one of a.growing num- “ber of luxury automo- ‘bile companies to enter the fastest growing seg- . -ment of f the automobile industry — the sport- ' utility market. “The ML320 is an all-new, “mid-sized sport-utility vehicle. © that both borrows and rede-" " fines many of the attributes of these popular “go-anywhere” om fGur-wheel- drive vehicles. eum To be introduced this Fall, .' the ML320 will be priced in. the mid $40,000 range, and will compete with top-of-the-, * line versions of the Ford | ’ Explorer, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Chevrolet Blazer/GMC Jimny, Infiniti QX4, Toyora 4Runner, Land Rover Discovery, and the “upcoming Dodge Durango and Lexus RX300. ~ Mercedes-Benz Canada _president Ernst Lieb said there are two major reasons that Mercedes-Benz decided to enter the sport-utility mar- ket. “First, we found that one-quarter of Mercedes- Benz customers already owned an SUV... secondly, ‘Volvos cost less on the North Shore. 1997 Volvos Clearance Sale” We alse stock a selection of good used cars. [SPECIALTY WOLWVO 1235 Marine Drive, North Vancouver (604) 980-2464 _ switie stocks last f the premium SUV market is growing rapidly — up 14% in 1996, and up 56% in 1997,” The difference between the Mercedes-Benz ML320 and other sport-utility vehi- cles, according co Mercedes- Benz press literature, is its all- around versatility: “The ML320 combines the core attributes of Mercedes-Benz passenger cars (performance and handling, safety, quality, comfort and luxury) with the benefits that sport-utility buy- ers want (true off-road capa- bility, rugged design, cargo. capacity, versatiliry and towing capacity). ” Mercedes-Benz is not the first automaker to claim to have a vehicle with the bene- fits of both a car and a truck. PIAS PPP RSE UIVOTI IT erirererritrrrrTTTrrr rr ry) aeeace we're committed to making sure you have a positive experience avery time you visit us. Our technicians are factory trained, we use only quality GM parts and the price Fe eecccanveens My experience is that hybrids usually make sume .ompro- mises — for example it’s not possible to have great han- dling and a high ground clearance. However, the ML320 does establish a new level of versatility in this class. For example, the ML320 has full- time four-wheel-drive, a Low Range for serious off-road driving, an innovative four- wheel traction-control system, a high ground clearance, a body-on-frame design, a large cargo area, and a decent tow: ing capacity (5,000 Ibs), it also offers a car-like indepen- dent suspension at all four wheels, four large doors with a low step-in height, a roomy passenger compartment with Me rer ere rrr rrr errrr rrr rere Tree re Perr Ty ery POUSeECUPPEPECi errr errr sree eerie yy It still can - at-GM Goodwrench Service. That's because wewenececeses we quote is the price you pay. That's Goodwrench Service. Come ere ee reser ence cen serene a en a LS Photo submitted THE all-new 1998 Mercedes-Benz ML320 is a mid-sized sport util- ity vehicle with all- wheel-drive, four wheel traction control and ABS, a 215 horsepower 3.2-litre V6 engine and five-speed automatic transmission. versatile seating arrangements, and all the luxury and safety features of a Mercedes-Benz passenger car such as front and side airbags, roll cage, frent and rear crumple zones, five three -puint seat belts with front seat-belt tensioners, five head restraints, and four- wheel dise brakes with ABS. Unusually versatile seating arrangements include two front ‘bucket seats and three individual rear scats. Each individual seatback can be folded forwards and cither one-third or two thirds of the rear seat cushions can be low- ered to create a flat loading floor, In 1998, two addition- al, third-row seats will be available to increase the ML320’s total passenger capacity to seven. The ML320"s exterior styling is sporty, yet conserva- tive — perhaps a little too conservative in the “tough is my middle-name” sport utility class. From the rear, it almost looks like a mini-van. How ever, strong Mercedes- sez, styling cues such as the large, three-pointed star in the grille and the familiar headlamp designs immediately identify it as a Mercedes. Power comes fram a new 215 horsepower 3.2-litre V6 “engine with owin single over- head cams and three valves per cylinder. It provides a zero to 100 km-h of just over nine seconds, quick for.a vehicic that weighs 1905 kg (4,200 Ib.). At a steady speed of 100 km-h, it revs at a com- fortable 2400 rpm. in fifth gear, and there is very little engine, wind or tire noise on the highway. However, the V6 engine doesn’t have as much low-end torque as the inline six-cylinder engine which it replaces. And it still uses expensive premium fuel. The standard transmission is a five-speed automatic with adaptive shift points which change automatically depend- ing on the driver’s driving style. I found it to be very smooth and unobtrusive. A manual transmission is not offered. ‘ The ML320’s standard alj- See Ample page 33 i Prices... Best Services| oan bSoESE SAUE SESS The best place for starters & aiternators & foi WE REP. AIR OR AEB sbike eiatical proven. ; FLECTRO-AAD "= 7 “A trusted name for many years” 235 Donaghy Ave, N. Van Includes: Lube, Oil & Filter - quolity Ga oil filter, lve chassis and up to 5 litres af GM Goodwrench motor ail. SC point inspection = including check of fluid levels, u-joints, rear axte, rear suspension, engine cooling, - suspensicn/steering, exhaust syt!em, front & rear brakes, oil leaks, lights, horn and more (see dealer for compiete list}. Tire rotation, Shop and environmental charges included, Excludes synthetic oils and diesel engines, Taxes extra. Dealer may sell for less. Limited time offer. Pressure test system and check for leaks, mechanically flush systent and replace coolant, check radiator, hoses cap and heater operation. Shop and environmental charges included, Toxes extra. Deafer may sell for fess.