Mercedes’ awesome foursome

The M-Class boasts contoured surfaces and a higher standard of interior finish.

Mercedes-Benz has a worldwide customer base of more than 620,000 M-Class owners to call on when it launches its second-generation four-wheel-drive.

The new M-Class, pictured here for the first time in New Zealand, will be officially unveiled at the Detroit motor show in January and launched here towards the end of 2005, roughly seven years after the current model appeared in this part of the world.

The new off-roader is 150mm longer, 71mm wider and 9mm lower on the road than its predecessor and its wheelbase has grown by 95mm to 2915mm. Knee-room for the rear passengers has been increased by 35mm and elbow width by 32mm. But it remains a five-seater. It also remains an obvious M-Class family member, this time with a sharper blend of contoured surfaces and taut lines, a swept-back windscreen, strong front end and rising shoulderline giving it more of a sporting theme.

Inside, quality materials will address one of the criticisms of the current model. A reworked suspension - double-wishbone front and multi-link rear - and handling package will address another.

Standard safety features include new crash-responsive head restraints, while the company's optional Pre-Safe system, which prepares occupants for a possible crash in critical situations, will be available.

Pre-Safe acts in advance to tighten the driver and front passenger seatbelts, bring the fore-and-aft setting and the cushion and backrest angle of the front passenger seat into a more favourable position and close the sunroof if the vehicle is about to overturn.

Mercedes-Benz says much work has been done to make the M-Class a true off-roader. There is an optional low-range gearbox and two front and rear differential locks.

The standard car's Airmatic suspension can be specified with a modified set-up for off-road driving, increasing ground clearance by 110mm to 291mm and the vehicle's wading depth to a maximum of 600mm.

A third option will give improved on-road responses, adjusting the responses of the shock absorbers for better driving dynamics and ride comfort.

Added to the permanent four-wheel drive and 4ETS traction systems are a downhill driving aid, Start-off Assist, and an off-road mode for the anti-lock braking system.

The new M-Class will come with a choice of four engines, three of them new.

The base model ML280 CDI will use a new 2.8-litre V6 turbodiesel producing 142kW (190bhp) and 440Nm of torque. It replaces the five-cylinder 2.7-litre diesel in the current ML270 CDI.

A new 168kW (224bhp) V6 oil-burner developing 510Nm at 1600rpm makes its first appearance in the ML320 CDI.

Petrol power is provided by the ML350's new 3.5-litre V6 with its 203kW (272bhp)/350Nm mix, and the premium ML500 and its 228kW (306bhp) V8 engine.

All four engines will be mated to a new 7G-Tronic automatic gearbox controlled either by a conventional shift lever or steering wheel-mounted buttons.

Mercedes-Benz says the gearbox it calls Direct Shift and the vehicle's improved aerodynamics (the Cd value is down to 0.34 from 0.39) combine to cut fuel consumption by as much as 10 per cent.

Its engineers claim the entry-level 280 CDI diesel will return 9.3 litres/100km, or 30mpg.