Mercedes ML is tough on the road but easy on the gas

Usually, the short trip to Ottawa in a large sport-utility vehicle would burn almost a full tank of gas â€" and a hole in your wallet.

So that’s why I was thankful that for a recent trip from Montreal to our nation’s capital I was handed the key to a diesel-powered Mercedes-Benz ML 350 BlueTEC.

When you finish the nearly 200 kilometre journey and the gas gauge is only down a quarter of a tank, that is pretty darn good. The mileage was even better on the trip home, using less than a quarter tank. All told, my fuel consumption came to 9.07 litres per 100 kilometres travelled, mostly on Highway 417. That compares to the estimated numbers of 10.5 L/100 km in the city and 7.3 L/100 km on the highway.

Those are some pretty impressive numbers for a vehicle of this stature â€" a large SUV that seats only five.

The ML 350 BlueTEC has a base price of $59,400, with options on the tester pushing the final price to $70,915. The options include aluminum running boards ($750, driving assistance package ($800, premium package ($4,900, a $2,500 sport package and $1,000 for black lacquer trim.

As I located the ML350 in the parking lot of the Mercedes dealership where I picked up the vehicle, I was immediately struck by its styling â€" not to mention the Diamond white bright metal paint (an $890 option that definitely makes it gleam.

With a hint of AMG styling, the ML has some aggressiveness to go along with plenty of style.

The large centre grille â€" highlighted by the three-point star logo â€" certainly grabs one’s attention, as do the chrome under-guards that are placed front and rear.

Well placed LED daytime running lights and the 19-inch AMG twin-spoke wheels also complement the exterior design, which also features nicely shaped doors and side-body panels. On the inside, the passenger cabin is what you would expect from Mercedes â€" high quality materials, comfortable seating and a desirable layout.

From the accent stitching on the black leather to the wood trim, the cabin is warm and inviting. There is plenty of natural light allowed in thanks to the two-section panoramic sunroof, making the predominantly black interior of the tester feel much more welcoming.

Powering the SUV is a 3. 0-litre V6 diesel BlueTEC engine. It produces 240 horsepower and a stump-pulling 455 pound-feet of torque.

As in any diesel engine, it is that torque that gives the engine its gusto. And it doesn’t take a lot of pressure on the gas pedal to get the ML moving. The engine’s response is fast and smooth all the way through the power band. And all that torque is sent to the wheels through a 7G-TRONIC seven-speed automatic transmission, which is equally as smooth as the engine.

I really enjoyed the performance of the powertrain, which made stop-and-go traffic as pleasurable as highway cruising. Unlike what some people believe about diesel engines, the ML’s is actually fairly quiet and the only time you get a hint of the diesel sound is when the sound bounces off walls, as is the case when exiting an underground parking garage.

The 350 ML BlueTEC comes with Mercedes’s 4MATIC permanent all-wheel drive system, which is a good thing to have for Canadian winters, but something I didn’t need at all during the late-June trip.

My one issue with the ML’s drive is the braking performance. I had to press the brake pedal really firmly to get the desired response, which was a little unnerving at first and was nothing like the response of the Mercedes C350 I had the week before.

With the radio off, the trip to Ottawa was done in silence mostly. That is because the ML is so well soundproofed that very little road and wind noise makes its way into the passenger area.

Even when accelerating to pass slower vehicles, you would be hard-pressed to hear the engine churning away.

That makes for pleasant trips, whether they are short hops around town or longer jaunts between cities.

I had no problem finding the ideal driving position in the ML 350, with great lines of sight out either side of the vehicle, and out the rear. The backup camera on the vehicle I tested comes in very handy when parking the ML, since the high back end does make for some blind spots.

Cargo space behind the back seats of the ML is 24.4 cubic feet, which jumps to nearly 71 cubic feet with the seats down. Increasing the ML’s cargo capacity is the optional trailer hitch, a $675 option.

For those in the market for a luxury SUV who want to get something that will cost a little less at the pump and be a little better for the environment, the ML accomplishes that with very little compromise.

$59,400 (base; $70,915 (as tested

3.0-litre V6 diesel

240 horsepower; 455 pound-feet of torque

10.5 litres per 100 km (city; 7.3 litres per 100 km (hwy.

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