Adept at urban commuting and even the occasional crawl over a grassy field on the way to a polo match, the M-Class has been a favorite of upscale buyers since its late 1997 introduction. The M-Class is a five-passenger luxury SUV that is "right-sized,"聺 meaning not too big and not too small for the average owner's needs. Available in several flavors to accommodate various tastes, it can be had in with V6 and V8 gas engines, as well as diesel and AMG versions. For 2010, look for the addition of a ML450 Hybrid version. Our tester is the recently-introduced, entry-level ML350 two-wheel-drive model. Aimed at those who want the high seating position and the style of an SUV, it does help bring down the price at the expense of any semblance of dirt road traversing ability. What's it up against? To say this niche is increasingly crowded is an understatement.

Adept at urban commuting and even the occasional crawl over a grassy field on the way to a polo match, the M-Class has been a favorite of upscale buyers since its late 1997 introduction. The M-Class is a five-passenger luxury SUV that is "right-sized,"聺 meaning not too big and not too small for the average owner's needs. Available in several flavors to accommodate various tastes, it can be had in with V6 and V8 gas engines, as well as diesel and AMG versions. For 2010, look for the addition of a ML450 Hybrid version. Our tester is the recently-introduced, entry-level ML350 two-wheel-drive model. Aimed at those who want the high seating position and the style of an SUV, it does help bring down the price at the expense of any semblance of dirt road traversing ability. What's it up against? To say this niche is increasingly crowded is an understatement.

From a pricing standpoint, rivals include the Audi Q7, BMW X5, Infiniti FX, Land Rover LR4, Porsche Cayenne and Volvo XC90. The M-Class only offers two rows of seating, however, so its three-row rivals might steal some sales from larger families. Not so much technological as it is a styling breakthrough, the M-Class features new front and rear fascias, with newly styled headlights. But that is clearly superficial. This Merc features the brand's PRE-SAFE safety system, which to this point has been seen in the E- and S-Class. The system tenses up the seatbelts when it senses an impending impact and moves the front passenger's seat into a crash-ready position. The windows go up to support the airbags, and if the M's sensors feel a rollover is likely, will close an open sunroof. We didn't see fit to test out the system. The optional hard drive-based navigation system now accommodates Sirius traffic info and Zagat restaurant listings and ratings.

We did test out this system and our full bellies thank us. How does it look? A few weeks ago, we mentioned in the review of the 2010 Chevrolet Equinox that it is channeling its inner M-Class. This is the source of that inspiration. Broad fender flares give the impression that the M is hunching down like an English Bulldog. An aggressive forward slant along the belt line, combined with the front leaning C-pillar make the ML350 look like it's running while at rest. Blacked out privacy glass keeps the prying eyes at bay, while the aluminum-alloy 20-inch wheels add a touch of sparkle to the overall appearance of the M, which despite the aggressive lean is surprisingly buttoned-up. But the look is unmistakable Mercedes-Benz. If appearance has a shortcoming, it's in the add-on running boards. Handsome enough, they help butch up the exterior, even though to our eyes it doesn't need it.

But what it does add an extra amount of distance that needs to be traversed to get in and out of the vehicle, and in the process soils pants, shoes and the like. And on the inside? Leather the color of a Black Angus in a coal mine is what greets you when opening the doors of our test ML350. Simplicity is elegant. And so it starts with a simple but to-the-point gauge binnacle with all the normal gauges where you would expect to find them. The center stack houses a Harmon/Kardon audio setup that can also accept music files from an SDHC memory card through the slot in its nose. But to this day, we know of no one who does this. Does one use SD cards for anything other than their digital cameras? We also wish we did not have to dig through the menus via the buttons on the sides of the seven-inch monitor display, just to see if the vehicle was equipped with satellite radio.