any opinions?

ML....Milk Laxative?

not under transportation/driving surely ?

Excellent transport for a yummy-mummy to take her kids to school.

EDIT: beaten to it

Hence my reasoning for posting under driving and transportation ie hoping to avoid the "off topic" community. Don`t understand why the thread couldnt stay there.

Ah yes, I see. I'm not a fan of German cars as they're much like Switzerland, once a good and solid product but much overhyped as of lately. The interior feels like a dentist chair and is not much to look at either. There are also some quality concerns pertaining Mercedes (not sure about the ML but I'm talking about the Taxi and the S-class). If I were to spend that money on a truck, I'd look at the Lexus SUV or the Navigator/Escalade option.

Yep well I certainly agree that the image has been dented by poor build quality over the last years, having said that Navigator has no great claim to build quality either. I have the 2010 model ML which I have driven for over 60.000 km now in 2 years without the (touch wood at this point) slightest hiccup. It really does do exactly what it says on the tin. Trouble is that some US build cars have been imported into CH due to the massive price difference and the experiences have been that they are not as well built and have electronic problems as well. Hence my petrolheadedness asking for opinions because it is surely an expensive car, although with current exchange rates, a german import is about 20pct cheaper than a Swiss car, although I m expecting the Swiss importers to start reflecting the exchange rate gain before the car comes out in Dec.

I'd agree with you there LiB. I used to be a big fan of VW, MB and BMW but now I just don't see the quality anymore that used to be synonomous with these brands.

I like Honda now.

With all due respect, it's a 2 year old car and therefore, shouldn't give you any hickups for another couple of years.
As far as I know, none of the MLs are built in Germany and therefore, all come from the US (but correct me if I'm wrong).

As far as I know, they are all built in the US but the european ones are finished in Germany
As for the time , its true that you should expect 5 years trouble free and I know that when I think back to the days when i was buying a car second hand with 100k miles on the clock, thinking if it was german that it should last another 100k, so I guess that is cetainly a sign of the times too. But I must say that the car has been very impressive in terms of comfort reliability and performance which is why I am reluctant to change model. Depreciation however after two years can make the car more expensive to keep than to change.

I'm the same way as you. Why fix it if it ain't broke. However, I suggest you test drive one of my aforementioned options, as clearly, you'll be blown away. I have yet to drive a car that is smoother than a Lexus or has that feel of the Navogator/Escalade. Would love to hear your feedback on it.

You asked for opinions. Car image is important for some. If I see someone driving a car like that I think "what a dick".

I'm not the only one.

If you want facts such as engine capacity then check out the Mercedes website.

You're hardly going to get reliability data or anything else for a new car from here.

What is it that you wanted exactly? Grown men to say, "Ooh, nice motor, go for it?"

I reckon at a push I could say something nice about it. Probably. Possibly. Maybe on a really good day.

yep, i think you proved the point pretty much, thanks for the considered opinion . I shall save it for....... second thoughts nah its in the bin

major issue with the lexus rx400h is that after leaving the car parked for a few days to a week and longer, results in a flat 12v battery leaving you stranded - its a well documented issue on owners forums.

lexus dont appear to be interested in fixing the issue either.

I have a car that does that,I got the garage to put a cut out switch into the glove box.It not only protects the battery but they cant hotwire the car either.

then if should be easy to find the cause of the drain by pulling fuses...

with the rx its a complicated system, the 12v battery is to power the electronics which allows the main 270 ish volt battery to start the petrol engine. owners have been forced to carry around jump start packs to get home after weekends away.