Make mine ML

MANILA, Philippines - Mercedes-Benz is the quintessential car brand, and it’s hard to be unemotional about it and what the German brand stands for. The venerable “chedeng,” after all, has always marked an arrival into the doorway of success. Or, more correctly, you drive through said doorway in an MB. That coveted star symbolizes a lifestyle that many aspire for, but few ever realize; it is the aspirational brand and trophy ride.

For a couple of days, I got to taste the mobility of a chosen few. CATS Motors offered to lend us a brand-new ML 350 CDI Grand Edition with but a scant hundred kilometers on it. How could mere mortals resist such a proposition?

At the outset, the solid feel as you open the door gives you an impression of just how much love and devotion went into making the vehicle. Well, yes, this may be a little too dramatic for motoring, but what are cars for if not to move you – in more ways than one?

The mid-size M-Class first rolled off the production line in 1997 – an SUV smaller than the GL and larger than the GLK. More than a decade removed, this new ML-350’s three-liter V6 diesel power plant is as frugal as it is perky. The 224 horses for the permanent all-wheel drive make for a nimble ride, and consumption is a meager liter for some 15 kilometers of bliss.

Being a Grand Edition variant, our black test unit came with (among other niceties) velour floor mats, Parktronic System, LED daytime driving lights, poplar wood trim finish, ambient lighting, and (get this) heated front seats.

There’s not much that can bother you when you’re on a ride this opulent – except traffic and the occasional hassle of a downpour. But I digress. You don’t get bothered precisely because you’re in an ML – and most everyone else is not.

To be fair, the vehicle doesn’t try hard to impress you or the gawking outside world just outside your window. By its nature, the ML already stirs you. The adjustable lumbar support, electronically operated telescopic steering column – even the way the vehicle stands on the road. Heck, even the way it smells commands respect and awe.

The seven-speed automatic transmission (7G-Tronic) smoothly puts the vehicle through its paces, giving you enough feedback and excitement to want to drive it yourself, as opposed to letting someone else drive you around. But if you’re inclined to turn over the reins to someone else, you’d be perfectly comfortable in the rear – with the ample legroom and independently customizable rear air-conditioning.

Auto dimming mirrors, bi-xenon headlamps with cornering light functions, motorized tailgate, electric tilting/sliding glass sunroof, an easy-to-use phone interface, and various sundries complete the total experience of being in the lap of luxury. The ML 350 CDI is truly a gift that keeps on giving.

Costing a shade under P6 million, this vehicle might make you think twice about where you park. Out of sight will not mean out of mind. Thankfully, the good folks at MB have loaded it with an array of deterrents. This means the ML can take care of itself, thank you very much. One of these foils is an interior motion sensor, which goes off with a visible and audible alarm if movement is detected inside after the alarm is primed. Creeps who break the window or even jimmy the doors (if they can, that is) will be thwarted.

Against sophisticated carnappers (and even those colorum wrecker or tow trucks), MB employs “tow-away protection.” The vehicle will sound off and light up when its “angle of inclination” is altered – such as when it is, say, jacked up on one side. Pretty nifty stuff, indeed.

Here’s something for the Aquino administration to ponder over: from the sales figures of CATS Motors, we can say the local economy is on the up and up. I’m not saying, of course, that Mercedes-Benz sales are a yardstick of per capita income, but a whopping 50.27 percent sales growth from 2009 (YTD November) means more people can afford the good life.

That’s certainly good news for the holidays.