Butchmobile!. Review on Mercedes Benz ML270

The ML270 CDI looks imposing, purposeful. This is the offroader for the Tuxedo-Caviar-Dom Perignon set of course, and at its price of around Rupees Forty Lakhs, isn’t likely to be taken off the road too often. Negotiating the climb-on/get-off ramps to the owner’s luxury yacht, sure, and a spot of kerb-jumping once in a while, perhaps, but that should be about it. Still, for those who might want to do more than just lug their golf bags around, the ML270 has all the right tackle. For starters, a 2688cc turbodiesel inline-five (that’s right, five cylinders) with four valves per pot, that churns out 165bhp, and an even more impressive 370Nm of torque!

Even though the ML270’s 2115-kilo kerb weight would likely be a bit ponderous, its 370Nm would be sufficient to pull a slab off a fair-sized mountain range if you were so inclined. And completing the package are full-time four-wheel-drive, and 16-inch alloys clad in meaty dual-purpose rubber. Electronic wizardry abounds on Mercedes cars these days, and the ML is no different. You can shift to low-range transmission on the fly – just punch a button

and it’s done, and thing even has what MB call “4ETS” – an advanced traction control system. Though I didn’t get a chance to test this feature, I am told that if one wheel loses grip, this system automatically applies brakes to it, and power is transferred to other wheels! Then of course, there are the usual plethora of airbags all around, so if nothing else, the ML270 is a safe place to be in, for those who gravitate towards some adventure off-roading!

Get into the vehicle, and you are greeted by acres of plush, cream-coloured leather. Sultan of Brunei, here we come! But yes, very handsome, very comfortable interiors, and there is a sense of sheer space inside which is very inviting. Start the engine, and sitting inside, you can’t tell it’s a diesel. Engage 'D' (5-speed-auto box is standard…) and the ML270 motors off without fuss. The driving position is super-comfy, the controls all fall to hand easily, and……well, this is what hassle-free motoring is, simple. You almost feel that the car will drive itself – you are just along for the ride. Driving the car on the Mumbai-Pune expressway during rain so heavy that it was almost like driving through a proper waterfall in some places, the ML270 remained planted at all times. There is perceptible body-roll if you start taking corners at very high speeds, but the car remains confidence-inspiring at all times. The all-independent suspension provides a compliant ride, without getting overly mushy.

I drove along at an indicated 190kmph for some distance, without letting up one bit for (very gentle) bends on the Expressway, and the ML tracked true, sticking to the chosen

line at all times. There is no tendency to wander at all. We

also tried out the effectiveness of the 4-wheel ABS discs. Mashing the brakes to the floor (in pouring rain…) from 100kmph, produced to no untoward drama – the car simply stopped in a straight line each time. Bravo! The 5-speed automatic is, again, very competent. It simply goes for the right cog every time, and though I never took the car off the road, on the road at least you don’t ever feel the need for a manual gearbox.

In my opinion, what we really have here is a refined, smooth, and fast luxury car (yes, “car”), that is styled like an off-roader and has the requisite capabilities to match. The styling is a bit too toned-down for my taste, but the well-appointed interiors, a capable engine-chassis-suspension combo, and a wide gamut of capabilities more than offset that. At approximately 40Lakhs, the price could possibly be a disconcerting factor, but that, only time will tell.

Would I buy one? Er...no. I'll take the CLK 320 please...

;-D