Familiar Mercedes-Benz touches are obvious in the M-Class. The seats are wide, yet supportive, with thick, sturdy leather upholstery and more than enough bolstering for SUV driving. There's a traditional Mercedes look to the gauges, with two trip odometers and an ambient thermometer inside the speedometer. With the ML430 come buttons that memorize front seat positions and dark, glossy wood trim.The M-Class follows the Mercedes tradition of placing two control stalks on the left side of the steering wheel: one for wipers and turn signals and the other for cruise control functions. Mercedes obviously thinks this is proper switch placement, yet it's very easy to hit the cruise stalk when you want to turn on a blinker, even after you're familiar with the distinction. Otherwise, the controls are easy to locate, and they work with a soft, satisfying click. Darker interior colors do better than light when it comes to giving the plastic and vinyl panels a Mercedes-grade appearance. The M-Class's door sills sit only 18 inches above the ground. That's low step-in height by SUV standards, but the driver still sits tall above the pavement. The high seats, expansive glass, effective mirrors and fall-away hood combine for great visibility in all directions and a secure, confident feeling at the wheel. The ML430's rear seat is one of the best in the sport-utility business. It's actually three individual buckets that can be folded separately to maximize passenger or cargo space. The seat bottoms are wide and supportive, and the seats slide about five inches fore and aft, increasing either legroom or cargo space. With maximum capacity of 85.4 cubic feet, the M-Class offers more cargo volume than some compact sport-utilities. But it has considerably less than full-size luxury models such as the Lincoln Navigator and Cadillac Escalade. The ML430's payback when compared to those competitors is more maneuverability and better on-road performance. Mercedes upgraded the M-Class interior last year, and it was a welcome change. A leather steering wheel and gearshift knob come standard and the interior is trimmed in real burl walnut. Mercedes has tried to minimize production costs in the M-Class and longtime Mercedes owners might notice this in several ways. The seat controls are mounted on the seat bottom, rather than in a seat-shaped pattern on the door. The driver's seat can't be moved unless the ignition is on, so a tall driver must reach in and turn the key before moving the seat back. The ML430 has a conventional steel key, rather than the electronic type used in expensive Mercedes sedans, and it lacks separate temperature controls for each side of the forward cabin.
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