Mercedes ML420CDi review

1. Introduction

When Mercedes launched the ML420 CDI, it was hard to believe that this wasn’t going to be the zenith of diesel SUV performance from a company that’s no stranger to making things go faster than they need to. The 3.0-litre V6 diesel in the 320 CDI was, and many will agree still is, as good an engine as you’ll ever need in an SUV, yet here was a 4.0-litre unit offering a load more power and torque for a price premium of around twelve grand. How very Mercedes.
As, indeed, is the arrival of yet more for those who want, well, yet more. The Brabus PowerXtra D8 (III), to give it its full name for what we promise is the one and only time, is a chip which brings with it Mercedes factory approval and its own three-year tuning warranty. For £2200 plus labour, it gives you 44bhp and 74lbf.ft on top of the standard model’s already very healthy output.
That means you’re looking at 345bhp and 590lbf.ft from the tuned engine, with no penalties in terms of emissions or fuel consumption. Nurse it, and you’ll get well into the thirties on a run – though with this much power on tap, who’s going to do a thing like that?
Much more interesting, if you’re the sort of M-Class owner who likes the idea of giving the range-topping model a dose of the Brabus treatment, is the fact that with the chip fitted, the 420 sprints from 0-62mph in 6.0 seconds flat. It’ll keep going all the way to 152mph, too, rather than 146 – though if this matters to you, you’re on your own.

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