Check out the new Mercedes-Benz M-class. Probably not too popular here in the Philippines since I haven’t actually seen one of these Merc SUVs on Manila roads. Merc’s Philippine page has the M-class on display but no other info is really available. Like the price.
Anyway, the all-new SUV promises to be the most fuel-efficient in the upmarket SUV class thanks mostly to Merc’s Bluetech technology.
The ML250 packs a twin-turbocharged 2.1L diesel that dishes out 201 bhp and 369 lb-ft. Mated to a seven-speed automatic gearbox and equipped with stop-start technology and brake energy recuperation, the SUV gets 47 mpg. Not bad for a big vehicle. With a 93L tank, this can pretty much do a coast-to-coast Luzon roadtrip easy-peasy.
More powerful models are also in the lineup such as the ML350 Bluetec with a 3.0L V6 diesel with 254 hp, the ML63 AMG that gets a twin-turbo 5.5L V8 that dishes out a whopping 536 hp. A hybrid is also set for a later launch. Dubbed the ML300 Hybrid, the car gets the 250’s diesel unit and an electric motor that ups the fuel consumption to 54.3 mpg.
The car is also lower, longer and wider than the outgoing incarnation which means the car’s supposed to be more spacious, practical, and better performing than the old one.