Chances are you never saw a review of the first-generation Mercedes M-Class with the words 'solid' or 'vault-like' in it. For a company renowned for building the best cars in the world, Mercedes seemed to put its feet up on the desk when it came to the M-Class, which came into being with ho-hum styling and nothing much in the way of cutting-edge engineering to call its own.

And because the car was meant primarily for the American market, its cabin plastics were more fit for an Oldsmobile than a premium car from the premium German carmaker.

But that was 1997.

People loved the M-Class anyway, and over 620,000 were sold, but eight years later (the latest M-Class debuted in 2005), Mercedes-Benz seemed to take a bit more pride in its work.

The new car's format shows a fundamental rethink of the original concept; whereas the first car utilised body-on-chassis construction for ruggedness and (probably) low-cost, the latest model is a car-like 'unibody' design, with the running gear all married straight to the body.

This brings about benefits in refinement, handling and crashworthiness, and goes a long way towards sharpening the new car's proportions. It's longer and wider than the original, but lower. The styling's suitably macho, too, and despite its harder edges, it's more aerodynamic than its predecessor.

Two versions are on sale here, with aV6-powered ML 350 starting at $225,888 with COE and a V8 ML 500 for $275,888. We drove the former version, fitted out with numerous optional extras.

DRIVING IT

On the move, the Mercedes wafts over the road with a suppleness that until recently was alien to the Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) breed. Bumps and ripples leave it unfazed, and if anything the M-Class is a little too softly dampened.

Hard cornering isn't something it encourages the driver to do, and though it's not short of grip it does wallow a little if you push too enthusiastically through a fast bend.

On the plus side, for something that weighs 2,185kg, the ML 350 is surprisingly sprightly. The 3.5-litre V6 feels smooth and torquey, and never has to struggle with the car's mass. 100km/h comes up in 8.4 seconds, which makes it quicker than the 4.4-litre Land Rover Discovery.

Some of the credit for that belongs to the seven-speed gearbox. It's occasionally indecisive about its gear selection, but is easily controlled with buttons behind the steering wheel anyway.

The brakes are well up to the task of providing smart, straight stops, and despite the size of the thing, the M-Class performs well in the city. There's a commanding view of the road ahead, and the steering is reasonably direct, while the turning radius is nicely tight, so parking and U-turns are never a challenge.

INSIDE IT

The odd bit of duff plastic remains, but the cabin of the ML 350 is so Mercedes-Benz that you might be able to tell with your eyes closed. Fine leather stitchwork adorns armrests, while the seats are plump with comfortable padding and richly covered in sumptuous leather.

The dashboard area is a model of neat design, with a family architecture to the controls ensuring that any Mercedes driver would be instantly at home in the M-Class. Relocating the transmission shifter to a lever behind the steering wheel has freed up plenty of room for useful storage boxes between the front seats, too.

Cabin room has been increased over the last model, and the improvement feels especially generous in the back. Rear legroom isn't particularly generous, but if your diet consisted exclusively of milkshakes and burgers, you would probably fit nicely into the wide rear seating.

Folding the rear seats down takes loading capacity from 833 litres to 2,050 litres, and the boot is so vast that Mercedes-Benz says you should have no trouble fitting two mountain bikes in there.

DOLLARS AND SENSE

Apart from a bigger engine, the ML 500 gets quite a bit more equipment over the ML 350, such as multi-contour seats, electric adjustment (with memory) for the front passenger seat, a glass sunroof, automatic climate control, keyless entry and ignition and a 'Sports Package', which includes mostly cosmetic items like 19-inch alloy wheels, metallic trimming inside and outside the car, blue tinted glass and so on.

Also standard on the ML 500 is Pre-Safe, a clever crash-anticipation system which adjusts the seats, tightens the belts and closes the windows if the car figures you're about to have a major prang.

Adding all that to your ML 350 would cost you $29,600, so the ML 500 isn't an automatic bargain since it costs 50 grand extra. As long as V8 power isn't that important to you, then, go for the ML 350 and spec it up the way you like without feeling like a second-class M-Class owner.

After all, there are some surprising omissions in the ML 500, such as Xenon lights (a $6,500 question) and air-suspension ($7,600), which would probably improve cornering performance.

Interestingly enough, adding air suspension further allows you to specify an 'Off-road Pro' package for $7,800. All wheel-drive is standard in all M-Class models, of course, along with a Downhill Speed Regulation system (which allows you to crawl steadily down steep slopes at a selectable speed), but the Off-road Pro pack adds low-range gears for lots of torque for crawling, and locking differentials for much better traction in loose conditions.

It also allows the M-Class to raise itself high enough to ford through 60cm of water, which means the new M-Class is literally designed to go places its predecessor never could.

Verdict

Such off-roading sophistication is standard in a Land Rover, of course, but it's actually an incredibly clever idea to make it all optional. Some manufacturers reason that few of their SUV customers hardly ever go off-road, and build them accordingly, with little more than four wheel-drive and raised suspension for tackling dirt roads. BMW calls the X5 an 'any-road' vehicle, for instance, rather than an 'off-road' one.

Others go the whole hog and load their cars with all manner of equipment, which the majority of their customers never use but pay for anyway. But by making serious off-roading kit optional in the M-Class, Mercedes-Benz has done something so extraordinarily sensible that you wonder why no one else has done it before.

Whether you intend to explore off-road terrain in one or not, the new M-Class is miles ahead of its predecessor. It looks sharp, feels nice inside, and more importantly, is great to pilot in an urban setting.

The chances of seeing one in the jungle are probably about as good as your odds of spotting a Tasmanian Devil, but on the boulevards of the city, you'll probably be seeing a quite a few of them.

NEED TO KNOW

Model : Mercedes-Benz ML 350 (A)
Engine Type : 3,498cc, 24V V6
Max Power : 272bhp at 6,000rpm
Max Torque : 350Nm from 2,400 to 5,000rpm
Gearbox : 7-speed automatic
Top speed : 225km/h
0-100km/h : 8.4 seconds
Price : $225,888 with COE
Warranty : 3 years / 100,000km
Contact : Cycle & Carriage
Telephone : 6298 1818

SIMILAR CARS WE HAVE DRIVEN

Land Rover Discovery (A) $275,888 with COE
Arguably better compared against the ML 500 instead, the Land Rover offers authentic off-roading ability, and combines that go-anywhere ability with seven-seater capacity. It's decent on the road, as well. Authenticity comes at a price, though.

Volvo XC90 T6 (A) $204,000 with COE
The XC90 boasts seven seats and is packed with Volvo's vaunted safety technology, and the twin-turbo in-line six has oodles of torque and plenty of power for superb cruising ability. It won't do the off-road thing, though, and has pretty lifeless steering.