Andy Cooper faces a battle of the sexes in his own mind as he takes a rather special car for a test drive
How do you like your Ms – male or female? That’s a question I have been pondering of late.
No, I’m not talking about the single letter boss in James Bond movies and whether you prefer Judi Dench or, in the future, Ralph Fiennes. My mind is on matters of far greater import.
All cars are male or female, right? I’m not the only one, I hope, who drives a vehicle and immediately gives it not only a name but a gender. In my time I have had Myrtle the Mini, Max the Mondeo, Bella the BMW and Rita the Rover, among others. And best we draw a veil over Ivana the Ital…
My predilection for ‘sexing’ cars was front and centre in my mind after a most enjoyable five days driving the new Mercedes-Benz M Class. At first approach, this solid, step-on-board vehicle could only be masculine, surely? But once inside, the elegance, light handling and attention to detail, made me wonder whether a female moniker might be more appropriate.
But enough now of my whimsy as to whether the elegant, stylish ML 250 AMG Line model I drove should be called Max or Marlene and let’s get down to some hard facts. This is a seriously stylish vehicle.
A trip to the Cotswolds was the perfect opportunity to test it on the open road and a few tighter tracks and it didn’t let me down on either. For motorway driving it was relaxation personified. Click on the cruise control and from your high driving position you truly feel like a king of the road. Hit the inevitable M5 jams and the automatic gearbox handles the stop-start traffic elegantly and without fuss.
And when it came to those Cotswold hills, this marvellous M-Class took them with ease, smoothly and efficiently selecting its way through the gears.
The spacious ride we enjoyed up front didn’t mean if we’d had company the back seat passengers would have suffered either. Plenty of legroom and comfort in the back meant the M-Class could easily be described as a family vehicle. Add in oodles of boot space and you don’t really need to be looking beyond its capacious acres for a weekend away – or even a longer family holiday.
The boffins have been vigilant on the fuel economy front too, meaning you get more miles for your buck than might have been expected. And the permanent four-wheel drive means handling and manoeuvrability are a delight.
All too soon s/he had to go back…with me still undecided as to the gender I’d give to ‘it’. And there, in the brochure – the Mercedes-Benz marketing folks as good as admit the dilemma themselves, describing the car as “muscular yet elegant”. Couldn’t have put it better myself…and saves me from a tricky decision!
To find out more or to book your own test drive call Mercedes-Benz of Exeter on 01392 822700 or Mercedes-Benz of Plymouth on 01752 720199 or e-mail info@mercedes-benzsouthwest.co.uk
