2012 M-Class :: Same Price, More Features
Mercedes-Benz revealed the new M-Class SUV and I had an opportunity to test drive the new generation M-Class in the beautiful setting of Montana and enjoyed a stay at the Paws Up luxury resort while getting to know the SUV better.
The 2012 M-Class is a perfect family car for those looking for ultimate luxury with impeccable safety features. Surprisingly, this beauty with an engine of a beast also comes with a very competitive price tag making it a smart choice. You might also like that this German-engineered car is manufactured in the U.S.
Starting for under $50K
Read more about the improved and new technology, luxurious features and how Mercedes-Benz is now offering 3% more value while keeping the price same as the M-Class 2011 models. The 2012 ML350 4Matic starts at $49,865, (same as the 2011 model) and the ML350 BlueTec 4Matic diesel starts at $51,365 (prices include an $875 destination charge but not the tax). Find out why I think the M-Class is the ultimate car for living life to the fullest and why I wanted to take this car home with me.
Mercedes-Benz Luxury :: Because You Deserve It
The sexy look of the 2012 M-Class with beautifully shaped headlights wrapping around the front and the separate daytime running lights turn heads at the car pool. The enhanced aerodynamics and the roaring engine make it easy for you to be the Queen of the Road, and helps you to pass any car when you are in the hurry.
Impeccable Interior
The soft leather seats and the wooden front panel give instantly the feeling of luxury and the soothing ambient lighting, which can be switched between 3 different colors (available as part of the optional Premium 2 package) makes it possible to customize your luxury driving experience. A power glass sunroof, heated front seats, power liftgate, cruise control, rain sensing wipers and an integrated garage door opener are also standard equipment and make the ML350 a joy to own and enjoy. Don’t forget the spacious cargo to fit a stroller or two, or the treasures you found at IKEA or Crate & Barrel.
The (optional) GPS navigation system offers many new features, including a 3D display, a compass overlay, dynamic route guidance, the ability to show alternate routes plus the functionality to record routes while driving. Also optional, a Sirius-XM feature can provide real-time traffic and weather information on the navigation map and the SUV will help you find your destination, no matter what. Nothing is more stylish than finding your way without asking directions or getting lost.
Cup Holders Keep Cool or Hot
The award winning famous Mercedes-Benz cup holders are heating and cooling – keeping the latte or even the baby’s milk bottle warm, and boy could we all use the cooling cup holders this summer! The central console also has two “Favorite” shortkeys allowing quick access to frequently-used functions, especially handy if you have to share the car with your husband.
iPoD Dock
Mercedes hasn’t forgotten the kiddos or friends traveling on the backseat. The 2012 M-Class is nearly an inch longer and a half inch wider and as a result, there’s more room for passengers and cargo. Not just that the backseat has plenty of space, but you can also get the all new Mercedes-Benz iPad® Docking Station and the backseat passengers can watch movies, play games or music, surf the Internet, all from the convenience of their own iPad® without having to hold it in their hands while in transit, also allowing audio streaming throughout the car’s audio system.
M-Class New Safety Features :: Raising The Bar for All Carkind
While I love luxury like anyone else, I would never buy a car that is just easy on the eye and keeps my morning latte hot. And while there was a day that I would have wanted to know more about the V6 engine, as I get older (gasp!) and as a mom, I tend to care more about the safety features. And when it comes to high-tech safety, the M-Class is exceptional in the car industry by offering safety features that come standard, not as option. We were driving on the highway and an incoming 18-wheeler was driving towards as very fast and fairly close to the center of the road, and while there was no scare of us hitting the truck on the upcoming traffic, the car sensed the truck and automatically steered the car to the right gently. Now that you don’t see of feel often. Unless you drive a Mercedes-Benz.
Pre-Safe and Attention Assist
PRE-SAFE senses if your car is about to hit something in the front of you and takes protective measures even before impact; first by warning you, then by slowing down and finally stopping automatically before the impact. This feature could also be called the “saving lives” feature. The Pre-Safe feature will adjust the seatbelt tension and the seats to an angle that is more favorable to the oncoming crash, and will close the sunroof and side windows before the impact. ATTENTION ASSIST detects drowsiness and warn the driver to take a break. This is pretty big news, because falling asleep at the wheel causes more than 100,000 accidents a year in the U.S.
Blind Spot & Lane Keeping Assist
Not just that the car sensors a possible impact or you getting sleepy when driving, but the LANE KEEPING ASSIST also warns if you are getting close to the lane markings and driving off the lane, and the blind spot assists warns if there is a car in the blind spot whenever you use the turn signal. A separate option, they also incorporate an intervention feature, and the system makes the car to correct the car’s course if the driver doesn’t heed the initial warning.
Electronic Stability Program, Active Curve System etc.
The stability in the ML350 is amazing in turns as well as when driving straight ahead, even over uneven surfaces and over snow, ice or gravel, and the car is drives smooth and the Active Curve System prevents the car from tipping over even on the craziest curves, and keeps the passengers from shifting around on the backseat. We put this one on the test by driving an off-road course..
Tech Savvy Mama caught me on video driving this beauty like a beast on the off road driving course in the Montana mountains. The sensors kept beeping and warning us but at the same time even the off-road driving was smoother than a normal gravel road would be with my normal car. The safety features make the M-Class also more comfortable to drive.
Read more about several additional safety and other featured of the
Mercedes-Benz M-Class SUV and go and check it out at your local MB dealer this fall. I dare you to test drive the new M-Class. If you are looking for a safe, spacious luxury SUV I know you won’t just like the M-Class, you will love it. Just like I do.
Disclosure: Mercedes-Benz invited me to the press event to preview the new M-Class in Montana and paid my travel. All of my opinions are my own.
