ML vs 4R

[lawwailok]

my dad was curiously knee down the under carriage of my 4R yesterday and came up to me for the chassis structure on the 4R. he pointed out my 4R is a truck base frame and the off-road ability/durable is not as good as his 2000 ML320. then i told him 4R's been on the truck chassis for decade, if it is not a excellent off-road monster, then the sales wouldn't be that high and also the rating wouldn't be WAYYYYYY better to his ML. he still try to argue the point, then i told him if we both pull up a rock at 45+ degree, and let's try to open the door and get out the car, see who's body started to twist. then i showed him tons of pics here in the forum how people brought their 4R on trails, rocks..... i said picture won't lie. i questioned him how many ML owner actually brave enough to go to the same off road scene with the 4R group? NONE! hahahaha, then he stopped the arguement. i know he is a die hard fans of MB, he swears if he's going to replace his ML, it's gonna be another MB SUV again no matter how sucks MB is. anyway, he owns a 2006 Tundra V6, honestly he told me he likes the tundra way more than the ML. i guess he's just jealous about me having a V8 which is more powerful than his ML and tundra that's why he just making up some comment.

 

[GatorGreg]

Normally I'd say tell your dad he's crazy if he thinks the ML is as good as a T4R, but given that it's almost Father's day my advice is to tell him he's right and hope he doesn't write you out of his will

 

[<<<<]

Benz? blah . Consumer reports rates them among the lowest in reliability and resale value. Parts and Service $$$$$... Don't get me started...

 

[Northof49]

Toyota truck vs. Mercedes minivan, off road no less....hmmm

 

[Hank]

Come on now, my dad's '02 ML can't even keep up w/my 4R. Both of them have ladder type truck frames, but the new gen MLs are unit body designs. There's no way in hell the ML can keep up with the 4R. They come w/30" all-season tires and at about 4700-4800lbs they outweigh the 4R. Btw, my dad's ML has been in the MB shop too many times. Can't say the same about my 4R. Oh yeah, the current gen ML doesn't even have low range gearing. Not a true truck any more.

 

[lawwailok]

oh forgot to mention, the first year when my dad bought the ML, it went back to dealer for problems 10 times, which is almost once per month. upholstery has been replaced once, sunroof has been fixed 2 times. CD changer has been replaced 2 times. rear seats hook underneath has been replaced 2 times. Both Cat. converter has been replaced due to manufacture defect, the whole exhaust actually was cracked into 2 pieces when it was in the dealership performing regular oil change. O2 sensors were replaced under warranty. Windows switches were replaced 2 times. i mean there's still tons of stuff that i couldn't think of now, back then he paid $47k out the door for a POS like this. how funny when i drive it once awhile, the stupid Chrysler tranny don't like to shift if i rev the car all the way close to redline, it will lag and lock in a gear for at least 5 sec at extremely high rpm then it shift up 2 gears. really, i have no offense about MB but since they have too many problems, i will not buy one of those in my life. MB -----> :FOS:

 

[deusxq]

lets be fair

to be fair, the quality of Mercedes has risen drastically this past year, all across their line of products. It seems that selling off Chrysler and listening to all those consumer reports finally paid off.

 

[lawwailok]

Re: lets be fair

to be fair, the quality of Mercedes has risen drastically this past year, all across their line of products. It seems that selling off Chrysler and listening to all those consumer reports finally paid off.

well, maybe depends on certain models, i definitely are not voting for M-class. within pass 7 years of my dad owning it, nothing but problems. i am sure E, CLS, S... those luxury, high end models are no doubt well quality built. but same as BMW, electronic still the biggest problems off these 2 automaker. and their resale value depreciate dramatically in pass few years. my friend had a AMG C32, only put 6000 miles on it, ended up he lost $20k when he sold it 1 year later.

 

[deusxq]

i agree

I'm not arguing your opinion. In fact, i would say the ML is still pretty unreliable. All I meant to point out is that the 2007/2008 models of most of their line has really stepped up the quality of their products. But I agree, the 2000 year and up ML was a complete waste.

 

[Uneek]

I was helping a helping customer yesterday. She is dealer support rep for the techs and she was just going off on how much electrical problems they deal with on Mercedes Benzes. She said the worst is the 2003 E55.

 

[Thai]

Toyota truck vs. Mercedes minivan, off road no less....hmmm

I agree...the quality on those MLs, esp. the first gen, is horrible. It did have body-on-frame design (pretty clean underbody), ATRAC, and good low-range. Since it was body-on-frame, it should do the body twist test just as good as 4runner...it's frame was pretty strong.

However, there were no skidplates to speak of. Independent suspensions had as much travel as my Corolla. ATRAC in those days was mainly for on-road safety...it allowed way too much wheelspin for off-roading.

So, i would not even think that your father's ML could even make up the rock!!

 

[lawwailok]

I agree...the quality on those MLs, esp. the first gen, is horrible...... So, i would not even think that your father's ML could even make up the rock!!

thai, even tho i had somewhat negative on MB, but you know what, your G500 is still my dream truck!!!! it is classic!!!!! lucky that you have one.

 

[spud72]

Re: i agree

All I meant to point out is that the 2007/2008 models of most of their line has really stepped up the quality of their products.

Don't you think it's a little early to come to any conclusion on quality of 07/08 vehicles?

 

[deusxq]

fair point

i can't argue your logic, and partly agree, even if it discredits my earlier argument. All I mean to say is that, by the looks of things so far, things are looking bright for MB. A quote from JD power:

"All Mercedes-Benz models in the study improved substantially," said Neal Oddes, director of product research and analysis for J.D. Power, in the announcement, "and the breadth and speed of these improvements demonstrates the Mercedes-Benz commitment to quality."

I know that most J.D. Power statements should usually be taken with a grain of salt, but it must mean at least something, since they used to rank MB so low in the previous years.

 

[pipspeak]

Can't vouch for reliability but my friend's new (2007) ML350 is a work of art compared to my 4runner. The body and interior is beautifully put together, the 7-speed semi-auto tranny works like a charm, and I think the new shape looks pretty good. For 55K, however, I'd still rather buy a V8 landcruiser/LX.

The only thing that truly sucks is the navigation system. Seems German companies will never get that right.

 

[Mark86]

My parents owned a 1998 and 2000 ML430. Those two trucks were probably the worst trucks they ever owned. Just to name a few problems, the transmission had a glitch which would make the car stall sometimes, air conditioning was never cold, interior was made like garbage (trim pieces falling off), SRS light was always illuminated on the dash, and numerous oil leaks. My parents never bought another MB after the 2000 ML430 experience. On the other hand, the 1st generation ML's were pretty nice in the snow and offroad. These trucks never got stuck!