Up Close: 2009 M-Class

The M-Class' restyling is likely to be lost on anyone not aware of the details, but I have to admit that the changes give the SUV a different presence. Almost all the exterior changes make it look lower and broader. The grille sits lower and the fog lights are farther apart, for example. The stainless-steel skid plates — front and rear — draw the eye downward. Two exceptions are the new side mirrors, whose signal lights have grown and spread, threatening to overtake the entire mirror enclosure. 

Though Mercedes says the interior has been upgraded, the changes aren't dramatic to my eye, apart from the new steering wheel. That new wheel consolidates the controls to two groupings, patterned after the Comand system buttons alongside the center LCD screen. I'm not sure this is an improvement, but I'll need some time to experiment. Comand itself has been upgraded to the type in the new C-Class, the menus of which we found to be a big improvement. Unfortunately, this one doesn't have the central-knob controller. As much as we hate the one in BMWs, the one on the C-Class is pretty good.

Related:
2008 New York Auto Show: 2009 Mercedes-Benz M-Class