rukarims

Hey everyone.I just wanted to get some input from a few people. Well as you know i have been looking for a new vehicle. I have found that the mercedes mL 430 and lexus rx 300 are the two i like. Well as you know i can only pick one. The mercedes has a V8 and the lexus has a V6, but for some reason i think they are both excellent vehicles. For some reason im getting better deals on mercedes ml430's. They seem to be cheaper. If anyone has any input that would be great.

SecPole14

Well, if you want to go off-road, the ML will own the RX. On-road, I think the RX will ride better and maybe even handle better. I would choose the RX, and not just becuase it's a Lexus. It's a damn fine vehicle.

Be warned: MLs break. A lot.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

I wonder why! Their reliability and quality record has sunk Mercedes overall rankings.

I'm not sure if you're talking about new or used, but the new RX330 is about to come out.

If you're getting a used ML, get a pretty recent one after they upgraded the interior. The older interior stunk. I think it now finally has climate control.

Nabeel

MLs are depreciating fast, especially the 430s. The reason is that their quality is absolutely horrible. '99-'00 RX300s and ML430s are selling for approximately the same price, despite the ML being more expensive than new. Also, I don't think an ML430 will own an RX300 off-road. The ML430s low-profile wheels and tires combined with a sport-oriented suspension make it more of an on-road vehicle. An ML320, on the other hand, will perform better off-road.

One area where the ML will of course dust the RX is in acceleration and handling. It's quick, and handles very well for an SUV, but still not as well as an X5. But if I were in your position this would be a no-brainer. I'd go for the RX300 in a heartbeat. Afterall, the ML's power and handling will only be enjoyable as long as the car's not giving problems- which will be never!

jimxo

I read an artical recently that polled MB SUV owners and was surprised to learn that 40% of MB drivers would not buy another MB SUV, If I can find it I will post it here.

e43Guy

First of all any ML car will perform better off-road because of the "low range" button on the console. I guess RX doesn't come with this 1.

Heres a photo of the low-profile tires on the V8 ML. Enjoy.


Did you get this info from the same source as low-profile tires?

Nabeel

I was basing my info on a number of sources. If you want to get specific, here is what Car and Driver had to say about the ML430 in a comparison test a while back:

Highs- Scads of scoot, quick on its feet, fun to drive, snappy styling.

Lows- Sub-Mercedes fit, finish, and materials; choppy ride, limited off-road usefulness.


By the way, the standard tires are 55-series, which indeed would qualify as low-profile on an SUV. Unless fitted with tires that are better suited to off-road use, I would not claim that the ML430 is better than an RX300 off-road.

Furthermore, go take a look at any reliability rankings- Consumer Reports, JD Power, etc. The ML is nowhere near as reliable as any Lexus. In fact, it had one of the lowest scores ever recorded by Consumer Reports in terms of reliability.

PS- an LX470 won the above mentioned comparison test.

e43Guy

How lovely that they compared ML430 with LX470. Probably RX wasn't good enought. Ah and btw check out the prices. New ML500 seems to be almost 20k cheaper than LX, no wonder it won the test.

If you don't want to agree with me that ML will perform better off-roading than why ML320 will perform better than ML430?

Can you give us all the link where ML430 got the lowest score EVER recorded.

satxrx

I had a chance to check out mbworld discussion board and looked at the owner's responses to their ML's. Man, it was bad. REAL bad. Very rare finding a positive post. That made up my mind to go for an RX. I'm glad I made Lexus my choice ride. The ML 430 may have more up and go, but no fun when it's in the shop more than it's on the road, though.

Nabeel

1. The fact that the LX470 won the test despite being so much more expensive than the ML is very telling.....perhaps the ML430 is not the great value it is cracked up to be. Car and Driver even noted in its conclusion that the LX470 was "worth the extra dough." They did not include the RX300 because it was a test for V8 SUVs. Car and Driver did a test in 2001 which included both an RX300 and an ML320. The RX300 scored higher than the ML320 by a large margin.

2. An ML320 will fare better off-road due to its taller tires which are more suited to off-roading than the 430's tires. Also, I don't know any specific measurements off the top of my head, but the ML320 seems to have higher ground clearance than the 430.

3. I did not say the ML had the lowest score ever recorded. I said it was among the worst. I can't provide a link, but I have the magazine. It is in CR's annual auto issue from a couple years ago. They had bar graphs showing vehicles ranked by their reliability. The ML's rating was off the charts in the negative direction, indicative of its 'much worse than average' reliability rating. Very few other cars have managed to score a rating that is off the charts, but that select group includes some other DaimlerChrysler products. In CR's later auto issues, from the last 2 years, the ML has been slowly improving reliability-wise, but they remain worse than average.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

e43guy - there's no getting around it, the ML is not a very impressive vehicle for the money in either quality or features. No doubt MB will improve it in the next generation, but it's got some STIFF competition from many parties now unlike when the ML was originally launched.

MGS4

Look at the chart and also read the words at the bottom of the chart "Finishing at or below industry average........."

meanboy

Long term test I found in C&D for the ML430 and RX300.

http://www.caranddriver.com/xp/Caran...keywords=ml430


http://www.caranddriver.com/xp/Caran...=lexus%20rx300


http://www.caranddriver.com/xp/Caran...=lexus%20rx300

Not a direct comparison against the ML430 but against the ML320.

e43Guy

Im not trying to say that ML is a better car than RX, i also agree that the quality of ML is 1 of the lowest in the production line of MB. Myself probably i will prefer 2000 RX over ML430, i just don't agree with a lot of facts that some people provide here about ML.

Johnny Mo

I went to the ML55AMG M-Class Powertrip and have to tell having driven all levels of the ML and had a long-term RX, I would take the RX.

Let's face it people buying these are not buying them for their off-road prowess, they just don't have the ground clearance...that being said the 4WD system in the MB anihilates the RX. From a build quality perspective my sister's ML has had lots of problems in less than 1 year of ownership...rear sail panels keep becoming detatched, bubbling on some of the paint/trim around the doors, weather seal issues and most recently blown power steering pump. My wife's RX on the other hand has been stellar, my sister wanted the RX, but my brother-in-law is a big MB fan, but I think he may be converting soon. From my immediate experience the ML is not a good value based on the issues I have experienced and read about.