28 ~ Friday, Juty 23, 1999 — North Shore News

THE Mercedes-Benz ML4S0 cai be distinguished from the ML320 by its larger,
alloy wheels, body-coioured bumpers, rocker paneis and side mouldings. :

lercedes-|

ABOUT a year
. after introducing
- the mid-sized, V6-
. powered ML320
sport-atility vehi-
-ele, Mercedes-Benz
followed with the -
. _V8-powered
«The ML430 packs the
_ same 268-horsepower, 4.3-
litre, V8 engine used in the

£430 and $430 sedans — a: «

relatively new powerplant

_ that shares its basic architec-..

ture with the 3.2-litre V6
including three valves and
two sprkplags er cylinder.
.. The ML430°s 4.3-litre, -
SOHC .V8 develops 268
horsepower at 5,560 r.p.m.-
compared to the 3.2-litre,

V6 engine’s 215 horsepower

at 5,500 r.p.m. — but more
importantly for a vehicle
which ‘can be used to row
trailers weighing up to
2,500 kg, engine torque is

also greater: 288 pound-foot

ey

the ML320"s 9.7. seconds.
_ Fuel consumption suffers -

slightly, chough not as much

as you might expect — the

ML430 averages 13.7 1/100
km (21 m.p.g.) while the
ML320 averages 12.6 1/160
km (23 m.p.g.).

.. The M1430 can be dis-
tinguished from the ML320
by its larger, aggressive-
looking 275/55R-17-inch
mud-and-snow-rated radials
mounted on 17-inch alloy
wheels, body-coloured
bumpers, rocker panels and
side raouldings.

Interior differences
include standard leather
upholstery, burl walnut trim,
power-heated front seats,
trip computer, automatic
dimming rear-view mirror,

a

cantly, the ML430"s base
price is higher than its major
competitors,’ the V8-pow-
ered Jeep Grand Cherokee
Limited 5.9 ($47,920), the
Ford Explorer Limited AWD
($43,995), the Land Rover
Discovery (546,900), and
Dodge Durango ($41,165).

Mercedes-Benz may be
depending on their brand’s
reputation for quality and
prestige to add some per-"
ceived value, but is there
anything else about the
MEA36 to justify its premi-
um price-tag?

Well, actually, there is.
Like the ML320, the
ML430 has engineering fea-
tures not found on compet-
ing vehicles, such as a
unique four-wheel-drive sys-

_ tem with four-wheel, clec-

tronic traction control, a
fully independent suspen-
sion, an anti-skid system
called the Electronic .
Stabilicy Program, and Brake
Assist — a system which
reduces braking distances in
panic stops.

The most interesting of
these is the ML430’s full-

enz SUY has

tion control system auto-
matically brakes only the
wheels that are slipping,
thereby transferring power
to the wheels with traction.
This system works cven
when only one wheel has
traction.

Having operated this sys-
tem on some very slippery,
perilous roads, I can verily
that it actually works, and is
completely automatic, The
driver simply pushes the
accelerator a little harder to
get out of slippery spots’
(the opposite of what you
would do in a conventional
4X4). On very steep, slip-
pery back roads, tie driver
can engage a low range gear
(with a 2.64:1 ratio) by sim-
ply pushing 2 button on the
dashboard.

Some other features
which differentiate the
ML430 from other sport
utility vehicles are its four-
wheel independent double
wishbone suspension which
provides better on- and off-
road handling, crisper steer-
ing, and a better ride on
undulating surfaces; the

aagressive-looking 275/55R-17-inch mud-and-snow-raied radials mounted on 17-inch

iore power

In addition to these fea-
tures, the ML430 comes
with a standard five-speed
automatic transmission .
which shifts seamlessly, auto-
matically adapts to driving
style, and improves day-to-
day performance when com-
pared with most of its com-
petitors? four-speed, auto-
matic transmissions.

In terms of safety too,

the ML430 provides the

same protection offered by
the E320 sedan, claims
Mercedes, cven though it
has a welded steel box frame
rather than a unit body
design. In addition to front
and rear crumple zones, the
ML430 has speciall
designed windshield pillars

Base price: $59,950

that dissipate crash energy.
It also has a front frame that__

.won’t overvide a car’s body

in a frontal collision. Other
standard safety features
include:

& four-wheel ABS, .

@ cwo front airbags and two
side airbags in the front .
doors _ - .
adjustable head restraints
and three-point seatbelts for —
all five passengers, Toe eS
W@ emergency seatbelt retrac-..:
tors for front passengers,

and flat . wget
an automatic chifd seat. >.
detection system which ©. ...-
deactivates the front passen-
ger airbag. es.

See Standard page a1.

Technica! Data

Type: four-door, five-seven passenger sport utility:
Layout: longitudinal front engine /all-wheel-drive:
Engine: 4,3-litre, V8, 24-valve, DOHC | a
Horsepower: 268 @ 5,500 r.p.m. :
Torque: 288 lb-ft @ 3,000 r.p.m.

Transmission: five-spced automatic

# ” betyeen 3,000 and 4,500

ESP anti-skid system which Curb weight: 2,016 kg (4,431 lb.)

r.p.m. compared to 233 [b-ft
at 3,000 r.p.m. .
As you might expect, an
» unladen M1430 is consider-
ably quicker off the line
than an ML320, and also -
offers better freeway passing

wer.
Its 0 to 100 km/h time
of 8,5 seconds compares to

CAQDINFIASTI

Own one and you'll understand.

cand a storage bin under the

front passenger seat.
Equipped with these
standard features, the
ML430 is priced at
$59,950. That compares
with the. ML320 Classic ar
$47,550, and the better-
equipped ML320 Elegance

‘at $53,500. More signifi-

time, four-wheel-drive sys-
tem, which uses three cpen
differentials — frent, centre,
and rear — to distribute
torque evenly to front and
rear wheels,

If traction is lost, the
ML430 does not lock its
axles like most other 4X4s.
Instead, its four-wheel trac-

prevents the vehicle from
‘fishtailing’ or ‘ploughing’
when rounding a corner too
quickly; and Brake Assist, a
system which Mercedes-
Benz claims reduces braking
distances by up to 45% by
automatically applying brake

Tires: 275/55R-17 in.

Wheelbase: 2,820 mm (111.0 in.)

Length: 4,587 mm (180.6 in.)
Width: 1,833 mm (72.2 in.)
Height: 1,776 mm (69.9 in.)

Fuel consumption: City: 15.6

1/109 km (18 mpg);

Hwy: 11.7 1/100 km (24 m.p.g.)

Warranty: Basic four years/80,000 km; Powertrain five

pressure during panic stops. | years/120,000 km

e/ VC ONE HATES COMPARISONS MORE THAN ITS COMPETITION

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