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Mercedes-Benz M-class (ML320, ML350, ML500 and ML55) 2005 and earlier

14647495152157

Comments

  • drew_drew_ Member Posts: 3,382
    I noticed that when I parked the ML on my driveway (which is sloped), when started, the fuel gauge would be off a fair bit and would take a long time to move up. It didn't do this when the vehicle was new. Also, the gauge would drop rapidly from certain points onwards. All of this indicated to me that I was starting to have problems with the FSU/pump. Since I had an early build ML, I wasn't surprised. Frankly I expected to have to change it sooner! In any case, it was changed to the latest version and I haven't had any problems since.
  • drew_drew_ Member Posts: 3,382
    If it goes into emergency mode, your dealership should be able to pull a code from the computer that should indicate to them what the problem is. Perhaps an issue with the transmission module, as you said? There have been a few updates to them.

    Good luck and please keep us updated.
  • drew_drew_ Member Posts: 3,382
    Congrats on your new ML320 and welcome to the MB M-class family. I hope that you can join us again in this evening's MB Tuesdays chat from 6-7 pm Pacific. Tell us about your vehicle in there and ask any questions (you can ask them in here too, of course).
  • drew_drew_ Member Posts: 3,382
    The only thing I can suggest is that you have another LCD screen put in so that you can watch the TV. It seems that the Euro ML's COMAND system, which is not going to be available in North America, does not have the TV tuner. Perhaps Birger could shed more light on this?
  • drew_drew_ Member Posts: 3,382
    Try http://www.clairparts.com for discounted MB parts. They're a MB dealership in Boston, MA, so all of the accessories are genuine MB, same as the ones that your MB dealership carries. If what you want is not on their online catalogue, contact them and they should be able to find it for you.
  • drew_drew_ Member Posts: 3,382
    The Xenon headlamps are approximately 2.5 times brighter than the already very good halogen headlamps. You do not have to purchase the $3K Sport Package to get them, BTW, as they are available as a retrofit for about $1200; these are the original ML55 Xenon HID lamps, not some aftermarket conversion kit.

    As for the phone, no, it is not possible since the MB Motorola Timeport/StarTac has unique software on it that allows it to interface with the MCS. However, several people have tapped into the antenna (if installed) and used that to boost their cellphones' signal strength. It seems to work quite well.
  • drew_drew_ Member Posts: 3,382
    I had a great time on Saturday in the driving school, as usual. I've been to a couple of MB events, but this was my first time in the BMW club event. It was held at the Boundary Bay airport driving centre, which as you guessed from the name, was formerly an airport. In fact, the new runway is just a short distance away.

    I wasn't the only other SUV that day, and was joined by a '98 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited. Let's just say that live axles and the higher centre of gravity did not work to the Jeep's advantage that day. My entry speed into just about all of the maneuvers was about 10-25 km/hr higher than anything it could manage.

    I tried the ML with ESP on and off and found that it a significant difference when activated (as expected), especially in the double lane change emergency exercise. So much so that I just left it on permanently. Afterall, that's the way I usually leave it...on by default. The system corrected the intial understeer and then the mild oversteer right after flawlessly, and I completed each of the exercises without clipping any cones. Not bad for a 4586 lbs vehicle that stands 5.825 feet tall!

    The slalom runs were a bit challenging for me since the ML's steering requires about 3.6 turns lock-to-lock, IIRC. I had to turn in quite a bit (and early too) to avoid knocking over the cones, which were originally spaced apart for cars.

    I could definitely feel the ML's permanent 4WD system and ESP working to the vehicle's advantage in that (among many other) maneuver. Interestingly, ESP didn't activate every single time. In fact the majority of the time, the system was inactive and it was only when I truly went in fast and made really late/abrupt maneuvers (I was following the instructor's signals) that it intervened to correct my driving line. The ML felt completely stable and composed, even when coming in at 60 km/hr and swerving + braking hard. At no point did I feel like I was going to be tipping over, even when ESP did not activate, or was not fully activated. There were a couple of times though, that I went in far too hot and too tight into a turn and ESP could only do so much to correct my mistake. I did manage to "eat" a few cones here and there, and was once again reminded of how important the "look where you want to go" concept is. The brushguard/skidplate came in helpful in a few situations, however there were no paint marks from the cones (which is more than I can say for some of the cars like the Z3 roadster) ;-p

    Braking was excellent with the ML's large discs and Brake Assist (an unfair advantage, I admit :-)) applying maximum brake boost for me in the panic stops. I managed to repeatedly stop quicker than some of the BMWs from 70 km/hr! No sign of brake fade whatsoever, despite 5-6 consecutive panic stops from 60-80 km/hr. The cars without ABS had a disadvantage here, with many locking up the rear wheels as the weight transfered forward. The instructors were extremely impressed with the ML's brakes and ABS, especially in comparison to some of the other vehicles out there. It intervened when necessary and with the appropriate number of pulses. Some systems pulsed/cycled the brakes too frequently and the stops were longer than necessary. This was very obvious while standing on the outside and watching the other vehicles.

    My on-road/off-road biased Dunlop Grandtrek TG35 tires worked surprisingly well when inflated to the max cold tire pressure limit of 44 psi. Though I had accelerated wear around the edges, I was still better off than all of the cars, probably because of the thicker thread blocks. The Goodyear Wranglers on the Grand Cherokee definitely did not hold up as well, upon inspection before and after the day.

    The most difficult exercise of the day was the reverse slalom + lane change exercise. Yup, that's right, we had to do a slalom run in reverse, followed by a lane change! It was extremely tough with such a large and (more significantly) high up vehicle. My first time around, I must have ran over 5 cones in the lane change part of the exercise. However, I improved the next couple of times and managed to go through the exercise faster and without clipping a single cone.

    The following pictures were taken by our club photographer, and or by myself:

    Drag race with the other BMW 3-series! Nah, just waiting for my turn :-)
    image

    Emergency lane change/moose avoidance test
    image

    image

    Don't hit me! Actually, I was supposed to brake hard and stop in front of the instructor, but it was signaled so late (hence his hands positon) that I had to swerve hard to the right at the last moment. The ESP triangle lit up that time, I can tell you!
    image

    Slalom run:
    image

    Coming in way too hot (my 2nd run of the day) in the turn then brake exercise. I turned in too early, and clipped the first cone upon entry. Just about to plow over another cone with the skidplate:

    image

    You can see a lot more pictures here:
    http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=137587&a=12271823&f=&sp=1&vt=vpall

    Most of them are available in full-size (1600X1200). Simply click on the picture itself to enlarge it.

    You can also see the BMWCCBC's summary of the day's events here, courtesy of Thomas Fink, the director of photography:
    http://members.tripod.com/~tomsevents/ds05/ds05.htm

    Full-size panoramic shot of our track (there're a couple of others adjacent).


    Drew
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  • rockypaulrockypaul Member Posts: 104
    http://www.mercedes-benz.com/e/menu/goloca l/golocalframe.htm?_back=www.mercedes-benz.com/e/cars/default.htm


    Try this for a dealer search. It will at least give you contacts and Starmark certified MB's by zip code. You may need to e-mail each dealer or telpehone those of interest.

    Sorry for the confusing spell check. The words fax and faxing are incomprehensible in the last post.


    My Lexus nationwide search was far easier ( if MB is listening).

  • bertram60bertram60 Member Posts: 113
    I attended a BMW program for the introduction of the X5 here in FL. last year. Great program, albeit geared towards selling X5's but some concerning comparisons were made. They had a ML430, Lexus LX430, and Jeep Grand Cherokee and X5 in emergency lane change manuevers. The ML, Lexus, and Jeep had outriggers and couldn't make the changeover any faster than 33MPH without getting onto one wheel (very scary to see). BMW went through at about 45MPH no outriggers, no muss, no fuss. They represented the BMW to be much safer.

    I hadn't done any research at that time and am assuming that they had the ML's ESP off and the BMW's DSC on. The X5 4.4 was a blast to drive, but availability was poor and pricing high, so 8 months later I bought the ML. Just curious as to your speeds through the lane changes, and the handling feel.

    They also put the BMW on a set of rollers with only one wheel able to get traction at any one time. The statement was made that only there were only four other vehicles that could do this (Rover, Jeep w/Quadratrac, Hummer and one other, but not the ML). Shouldn't the ML be able to make it in those conditions?
  • kenyeekenyee Member Posts: 738
    bertram60:

    I went to the same one in the Boston area. I tried to post the link here, but this crappy software won't take it. Go to http://www.keysolutions.com/M-Class and click on Competitors then the X5 triangle.

    They should have it again this year. It was loads of fun so I might go again just to see if I've practiced shuffle steering enough :-)
  • drew_drew_ Member Posts: 3,382
    Your site uses these monster URLs so no, you'll bump into the character limit. Shouldn't it be "My X5 Ultimate Driving Event Experience" under the X5 category?
  • drew_drew_ Member Posts: 3,382
    FYI, they turned ESP or VSC (for the Lexus) off in the comparison, so it's not really representative of real world situations since the systems are active by default. That's what they're there for! A friend of mine that attended the event even noted that DSC was active on the X5, even though they claimed that it was off.

    No doubt the X5 has a higher limit than the other SUVs, but it's not an SUV now, is it? BMW calls it an SAV for obvious reasons...its minimal cargo capacity, about as much as a BMW sedan (with the 2nd row seats up). Centre of gravity is all lower than the other vehicles that were tested, but with that, you get much lower ground clearance (among other compromises) in exchange for better handling. Of course the X5 is no match in handling for something like the Audi Allroad Quattro wagon, with its adjustable suspension setup.

    I tried ESP off at definitely more than 55 kph (more than 33 mph) and the ML did not hop onto one side. It did understeer/oversteer, but I expected that. Afterall, I was making a rapid side-to-side transition and the vehicle is not exactly light! With ESP on, I did exceed 70 km/hr (which is about 45 mph) in some of the exercises with no problems whatsoever; ESP did activate at those speeds though, since they are pretty high for such a vehicle. I didn't go any faster than that because the cones were set up tightly (it was meant primarily for cars, afterall). I'm sure that if I had an ML55, its performance tires and stiffer springs/shocks would've allowed me to go faster than that.

    Regarding the handling feel, the precise steering allowed me to basically point and shoot where I wanted to go, especially when I really looked where I wanted to go too. I did not have a problem with the weight of the steering at all. That was limited to the tight slalom runs where I had to turn the wheel more vs. the other cars. Consequently my autocross lap times were slower than the cars.

    As for the roller test, yes! The M-class is able to go up too. I don't see why BMW would imply that it wouldn't since it uses exactly the same sort of 4 wheel traction control system as the X5. The ML was the first vehicle on the market to employ such a system, back in 1997. BMW borrowed it from its Land Rover division. AFAIK, both the ML's and BMW's are made by the same company...Continental-Teves.


    Drew
    Host
    Vans, SUVs, and Aftermarket & Accessories message boards
  • kenyeekenyee Member Posts: 738
    Most sites w/ some amount of interactivity will have long URLs. Even the WebX URLs are pretty long :-)

    One other thing to note is that the instructors did say X5s lift a wheel occasionally, but don't do the hopping. Not having outriggers was an obvious apples to oranges comparisons to me though the instructors did not think so. If it didn't affect the X5's performance, what harm was there in leaving them on except to increase safety in case something happened? ;-)
  • mtsangmtsang Member Posts: 70
    Thor3, thanks for listing the '02 features.

    Do you or anyone know if '02 will have a DVD-based navigational system? Thanks.
  • drew_drew_ Member Posts: 3,382
    No, it will still have the same CD-based MCS.


    Drew
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    Vans, SUVs, and Aftermarket & Accessories message boards
  • robsutsrobsuts Member Posts: 18
    I know Mercedes hasn't released pricing as of yet, but does anyone speculate the cost changes for the 320. Is the 500 going to be priced and optioned much as the current 430? When does MB release pricing typically? July? I want to order a 2002, but my dealer is fairly stand-offish as they probably want me to order a 2001. thanks in advance - Rob
  • walcwalc Member Posts: 11
    Good on ya, Drew. You did us M-Classers proud.
  • mlx52mlx52 Member Posts: 72
    Thanks for the great info on the 2002 models. Some of those new features might convince me to trade up into a 2002 model, however, was there any word on an upgraded Bose Sound System?

    Thanks
    Jamie
  • thor3thor3 Member Posts: 120
    Hard to say if better or new and improved - the only comments are that it has the Latest Bose speaker system upgrades and a digital subwoofer, AudioPilot sound leveling and nine speakers....

    It may be just another way of describing what we currently have.
  • drew_drew_ Member Posts: 3,382
    Yeah, I agree that it's hard to say too, except for the speakers. Then again, we don't know if they're counting the coaxial speakers as 2 (as they do now). The Autopilot (noise cancellation) feature should be good though. I've heard it in the CL, S and C-class, and it is impressive.
  • drew_drew_ Member Posts: 3,382
    Thanks walc! :-)


    Drew
    Host
    Vans, SUVs, and Aftermarket & Accessories message boards
  • drew_drew_ Member Posts: 3,382
    image


    Don't miss the weekly MB Tuesdays chat at 6-7pm Pacific/9-10pm Eastern! All MB fans/enthusists/owners/potential owners are welcome to participate. Hope to see you there!


    Click on the link below to enter the chat at the times above. Note that the link to the chat is always near the top of this page, just under the discussion topic title:


    http://www.edmunds.com/chat/mercedeschat.html

  • howvoodhowvood Member Posts: 19
    The following are listed on e-bay and may be of interest to forum members:

    572101591 Four new 17" Dunlops
    572723239 Four 16" ML rims
    574431684 Roof top sports luggage container
  • whatwasthatwhatwasthat Member Posts: 23
    If anyone has had experiences with car seats in the ML, both forward and rear facing, kindly share your thoughts. I'm looking for one of each kind of seat that works particularly well. Thanks.
  • wmquanwmquan Member Posts: 1,817
    Besides input here, check www.carseatdata.org

    It's a contributed database of many owners, and you can search by model, seat type, seat position, or specific seat.
  • drew_drew_ Member Posts: 3,382
    Chris (aka whatwasthat) had a question about whether the Britax Roundabout was only forward facing. Do you know the answer to that? (I know you do, LOL; I consider you the resident child seat expert!).


    Drew
    Host
    Vans, SUVs, and Aftermarket & Accessories message boards

    P.S. The '02 ML will have ISOFIX/Latch anchors. I wonder if the MDX will? Did you mention that they were required by law by 2003?
  • drmhfdrmhf Member Posts: 29
    Thanks to all for your comments and suggestions about my dealer cancelled order. Today, the dealer called and said he found me a car with the sky view roof I wanted. He said,as someone had commented here, that the ML320 with a sky view roof was very limited in production. He said they searched the adjoining 4 states and found 2 with the sky view roof. They both had more equipment and were not my choice of color, but sometimes you can't have everything. I think the sky view top is very unusual, and is kind of like an SUV convertible. It should be fun. This one has M1,M2 bose, heated seats, and is black. He quoted me a price that was $897 over invoice, as opposed to the original deal of $371 over invoice. Anyway, within an hour he called me back and gave me the ML 320 for the same amount over invoice; $40,740. The dealer said he actually ordered the car and will have it in a few days. I hope this story is now over. Mark
  • wmquanwmquan Member Posts: 1,817
    The Britax Roundabout is a convertible seat, both forward-facing and rear-facing. The Britax Advantage, which is an "enhanced" Roundabout, is also a convertible seat.

    The Britax Freeway Plus and the new Britax King are forward-facing only. More info on Britax seats can be found at www.childseat.com

    That's great that the 2002 ML will have ISOFIX/Latch, it's a positive step. Unlike the top tethers in the U.S. it's before the mandate by a year. Wonder if it got hastened by some of the competition (the X5 has ISOFIX/LATCH; not too sure about the 2001 RX300). Then the only thing MB could possibly do for direct child safety would be to offer built-in childseat options, but I don't think anyone expects that of an SUV (though MB could attempt innovation here; of all manufacturers they'd have the most credibility if they attempted it).

    The NHTSA "final rule" says:

    "The requirement for child restraints to be equipped with means for attaching to the lower anchorages will be effective September 1, 2002. NHTSA believes that the latter requirement should not be phased-in."

    I've heard lots of rumors (nothing substantiated that there could/would be a delay. However, if there's not, then everyone (including the MDX) will have them starting 9/02. Whether or not the others will have them earlier, we'll have to see.
  • ddykes1ddykes1 Member Posts: 13
    I would love to do that BMW course some year.

    Your photos brought back a rush of memories as I spent hundreds of hours in the '80's teaching motorcycle safety courses on weekends at Boundary Bay for the BC Safety Council. That weathered concrete runway is an incredibly good traction surface, even when it's wet (as it often is!)

    You would be blown away by what a well-trained RCMP instructor can do with a full-size police special Impala on that 'pursuit course.' No ESP, ABS operating constantly etc. It's where I first learned that rough and aggressive isn't faster - smoother is faster! Thanks. Dave
  • cticctic Member Posts: 291
    I have two kids and so have used both rear and front facing ones. Don't know what kind of experiences you are looking for.

    How about this?
    1) Keep an eye out on the older one because mine will get any chance to pull the pacificer out of the younger one's mouth if she is not belted tightly.
    2) Secure any 2 year old the minute they get in the vehicle otherwise they will get away and it will take 10 minutes before you can finally put them in the seat.

    I find the side airbags particularly dangerous because with more than 1 kid one of them will have to sit next to the side door where an exploding air bag will kill them. Despite what other people say, you cannot train a 2-4 year old to lean away from the side door.

    I also find the MB smart seats nice. I like having my kid right next to me when I drive. You can point things to them, wipe their drool and smile at them.
  • dt77dt77 Member Posts: 232
    sorry drew, but i think u gave me the url long time ago. I don't seem to have it anymore...i'm sure u still have it ...hehe =)

    dt77
  • sshowittsshowitt Member Posts: 137
    It sound like your dealer is on the up and up. When they have to trade to get another vehicle or transport there is usually additional costs involved, by finally giving it to you for your price, I'd say they did right by you. Good luck and enjoy your vehicle.
  • planomlplanoml Member Posts: 244
    You seem to be the resident expert on the MY'02. Your last post indicated that the major exterior change would be the bumpers. If that's the case, I'm going to get the MY'01. When is the end of the model year? I'm getting impatient after reading about all the fun you guys are having. I'm assuming that this is the best time to get the old model. Any idea on what the price difference may be.
  • kenyeekenyee Member Posts: 738
    William:
    I'm no childseat expert, but the ones I've seen in commercials look really flimsy compared to a full-blown childseat...sorta like the Land Cruiser 3rd row "seats" compared to the ML's :-)
    I'd never expect them to be as safe. And as you know, the official MB baby seats are modified Britax's...
  • wmquanwmquan Member Posts: 1,817
    Ken:

    I'd trust that if MB made them, the built-in childseats would be quite secure. The built-in boosters from Volvo are supposedly pretty good.

    ctic:

    Understand your concern about rear side airbags. Just out of curiousity, though, are your 2-4 year old(s) in five-point harness seats? Perhaps that might help any leaning (and even extracurricular activity).

    There are a number of new-fangled chlidseats that support 5-point harnesses for older children. Fisher-Price has the Futura which goes to 60 pounds.

    Sometime within a year Britax will release the "Super Elite", which will probably be frightfully expensive but provide a 5-point harness from 20 lbs to 80 lbs.

    It might not stop the leaning, but it might help somewhat. Of course, a lot of kids won't appreciate it; I guess the idea is to get them accustomed to the five-point from infancy.
  • whatwasthatwhatwasthat Member Posts: 23
    Can the rear seat airbags be de-activated by the dealer?
  • robsutsrobsuts Member Posts: 18
    MB is stating that the "trip computer" is not available on the ML320 Classic. That is a change from MY 2001. I can tell that the ML-320 classic, ML-500 and M55 are going to be US releases, but I cannot tell if the ML-400 is going to be available in the US. Does anyone know? Also, does anyone know when pricing was available for 2001 -- this would be a clue for the 2002 MY. Thanks in advance. - Rob
  • mlx52mlx52 Member Posts: 72
    Why has MB published info on the 2002 models so soon in the model year? Last year this information was not available until May or later. Is this an indication that MB will be releasing the 2002's during the summer like they did with the 2001 SLK last year?

    Jamie
  • kenyeekenyee Member Posts: 738
    Jamie:
    These are rumors so far. The official MB sales briefing for all salesmen won't take place until roughly June. Then, we'll have full feature lists, etc.

    robsuts:
    The "Classic" designation is for the Canadian market.
    I got pricing info for my 2001 ML320 in October. It was reallly late. Usually the pricing is available in Sept. I'd guess at least a $1K MSRP increase.
    The ML400 can't be brought to the US. Thank the diesel industry and our politicians for not providing/forcing cleaner diesel that doesn't trash the new high-efficiency Euro engines...cleaner diesel should be available by 2009 though.
  • cticctic Member Posts: 291
    whatwasthat: Yes, the rear air bags can be deactivated by the dealer, but they won't.

    wmquan: It's been a while since I shopped for car seats, but all mine are 3 points. 1 each at the shoulder and then 1 below the crotch. Do they sell a 5 pointer for the wife?
  • robsutsrobsuts Member Posts: 18
    Thanks for the pricing info. I was hoping to get a 2002 in September.
    The official MB site isn't publishing the information to the public yet. If you want the option details, write me and I will send.

    Thanks for the info on the ML-320 classic.. I had no idea what that meant.
  • thor3thor3 Member Posts: 120
    As stated, Mercedes has not released any info. on the 2002 ML's this is why this forum is so great. It is a group of dedicated MB fanatics getting info. from various sources ahead of the main stream. All the info. posted is more than rumor but you won't get MB to talk about it yet. Consider yourself lucky for being part of this great forum and getting information way before anyone... this should help those on the fence trying to determine either to buy now or wait.

    As far as your question, if you don't think you'll like the new modified bumpers and want this years look.. start looking now... as you have read already here in the forum, depending on the options you want, the 2001 models will start becoming scarce - depending on area, some faster than others.

    Consider this - If you wait until Mercedes formally announces the changes for 2002, what ever inventory is left over will go at a steep discount... perhaps with a manufacturer to dealer incentive you will be able to buy below invoice. The real trade-off is that all 2001 models and older will take a good depreciation (more than normal) with new features such as front and rear climate control, air curtains,integrated fogs in bumper, turn signals in mirrors... So if you buy now get a good deal and plan on being happy with it for a few years.

    I own an ML430 and want the ML55 but I wanted the front and rear climate control (travel with large dogs). I also wanted "more" for my money on a $70K SUV... that's me - everyone has their priorities. I can tell you this - if the ML55 does not have any HP enhancements (Supercharged would be awesome) I may strongly consider a fully loaded ML500 - depending on what the specs turn out to be.

    Good luck
  • kenyeekenyee Member Posts: 738
    Veryyy doubtful you'll get a 2002 by Sept. MB almost always holds up shipment to let dealers get rid of last year's inventory. If they can't do this, they ship the old inventory up to our Canuck friends. :-)
    For MY2000, first shipments didn't arrive until Dec if I remember right (info leaked about a major interior change for that model year, so all the 1999s sat on dealer lots). My MY2001 which I ordered in March was built on 9/13, but didn't get delivered until 11/10 (I was hoping for last week of Sept or first week of Oct). Hope that gives you an idea of how long it really takes to get the first ones.
    BTW, what do you mean by options? You mean you have the option codes for 2002 already? If so, please email them to me ;-)
  • dietmikedietmike Member Posts: 7
    Hi all!
    I am new to this board. Have been reading for some time and just bought a 2001 ML320 Sport w/M1, M2, M6, Bose. So far I really like it. The only annoying thing seems to be some slight radio reception problems. The problem sounds as if a tweeter vloume is being turned up and down ever so slightly. I'm in Dallas and it seems to affect most of the radio stations. CD is fine, just radio has the problem. Anyone else have this problem?

    I got about $1000 of the list. I know others have received a bigger discount but I was wondering if anyone out there has a Sport(M6 package = same styling as AMG w/out the V8) ?

    My dealer had to trade w/ an out of state dealer for the silver sport I wanted. None of the other dealers in Dallas had a sport 320.
  • atomic80atomic80 Member Posts: 24
    This is what my dealership had to say when I asked about the list of changes Thor3 told us about before:

    Some of the things you listed are going to be on the 2002 ML55, however
    there is no body changes for 2002.There will be no rear climate control and
    as for the other changes I have no info at this time. The body changes and
    model changes will be on the 2003 vehicle and there will be a ML500 in 2003.
    You can see and read about some of the changes in the March issue of
    AUTOCAR.

    Let's see what really does change for 2002.

    Jason
  • thor3thor3 Member Posts: 120
    Jason,

    I assure you your dealer is wrong regarding climate control - there will be both front and rear with independent controls. The body of the ml55 is already modified with different bumpers so you are close to accurate here. There will be Parktronic sensors in both front and rear bumpers on the ML55. Also, the headlamps will be the bi-xenon..different from what you have currently... The ML500 will also be 2002.

    There will be new side mirrors with the turn signals built in...

    Most differences will be seen in the regular models... they will receive the new bumper (front and rear) different from the ML55 but more similar... you will have side curtains (air bags)... my list you referred to is accurate in every way... other than what might be optional vs. standard.

    2002 will be a significant change but not a new model which will follow in most likely in 2004...but who knows maybe MB will surprise us.
  • kenyeekenyee Member Posts: 738
    Your dealer is yanking your chain or confused ;-)
    Even before Frank's info, there were rumors and spy shots. It does sound like the Sport pkg will be standard equipment. Climate control and blinkers on the side mirrors are definitely in the 2002.
  • birgerbirger Member Posts: 80
    Drew,

    unfortunately it seems that the TV feature hasn't been included in the COMAND version we get over here. I guess some of the German tuners will offer it, at a price of course. Personally, I'm still wondering whether a reversing-aid camera could be fitted.

    Sorry for the delay in answering - have been busy buying a new computer for home + 2 additional ones for our in-company video club and a friend.

    Kind regards,

    Birger
  • planomlplanoml Member Posts: 244
    I'm sitting on the fence on getting a MY01 or MY02, and the research I've done validates Thor's postings. It's in the dealer's best interest, at this point, to say that there won't be any changes to the MY02-you'll be more likly to get a MY01. My experience has been that, this group is a lot more knowledgeable than most dealers.
  • planomlplanoml Member Posts: 244
    Does this mean the U.S. models do? This is the first time I've heard about this. Is it an option? Can you hook a DVD and/or VCR to it? If it runs through the center screen, how does that effect the drivers concentration? We have enough trouble with cell phones-joke.
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