Out of curiosity, I got a chance to stop by the Lexus dealer (Watertown Lexus) this Saturday to have a look at the RX300. This was just a scouting mission to see if I could eliminate the RX300 from consideration. First of all, it is noticably smaller than the ML320. I'd say at least 10% in the height (I could see the top of the roof) and the depth of the trunk. However, it definitely looks/feels like a Lexus; you don't get this feeling of looking at a paradox as do when you get into the ML320 where it's obvious they cut corners on the interior. The leather feels like glove quality and the leather also is on the doors. There are no cheapie feeling turn signals and all the switches are large and ergonomically placed. The only thing odd was the shifter placement because I know of no others like it. It looks like only two people can sit in the rear and the middle headrest looks a bit skimped (smaller than the other two). The center console was extremely well done with a *lined* compartment at the bottom and four cupholders that should work with large drinks. The power window switches are also the typical Toyota intuitive type (pull does up, push goes down). The trunk also looks higher than the ML320's, possibly because of the full-size spare. The trunk is also velour (or some kind of fuzzy rug-like cloth) lined. Everything was easily accessible from the engine compartment and I had no problems seeing the front of the car, even though the front is sloped like the ML320's. The dash and much of the other visible plastic is also apparently made of the same slightly-sticky material found in my brother's 1997 Camry, so it doesn't feel as plasticky as the ML320's dash and parts; it's amazing how much a little texture fools your body. The side mirrors are HUGE; there is no question this is a major contributor to the highway noise on the RX300 and why it is noisier than the ML320. Rear quarter visibility seemed better than the ML320. The RX300 has protective lower body cladding like the Cherokee (I don't believe the ML320 has this even though the comparison brochure mentions it does). The CD changer is in the glove compartment and the glove compartment is much larger than the ML320's. I'd have to say Lexus executed well when they designed the RX300 for their target audience. The dealership itself I found to be a bit unfriendly. The receptionist was friendly enough, but the salespeople were very aloof and didn't ask if they could help. Perhaps it was because we were dressed down or looked too young (my brother, wife, and I look 20 even though we're over 30) or maybe it was because they were too busy. At any rate, we weren't impressed by the salesdroids. I also got Xerox copies of the comparison brochure which the dealership didn't get enough of. It's useful because it lists a few things I would have not checked for such as: rust warrantee period, rear seats can recline, power windows are one-touch up and down (more expensive because they have to add a pinch sensor and its convenient for toll road travels), glass is UV/Heat reducing, no what for metallic paint, automatic on/off headlamps, autodimming inside AND OUTSIDE mirrors, one-touch close moonroof, and a diversity antenna (whatever that is). I stopped by the local Mercedes dealer (Herb Chambers in Cambridge) on Sunday because my wife couldn't remember what the ML320 looked like. They had a heavily souped up Chambers Special Edition for $56K that was loaded to the gills with equipment; I'll have to bring a camera next time to grab some snapshots. I chatted with a salesperson for a while (who for once was friendly...when the ML320 first came out, they would not let me do a test drive without a weekday appointment, even when I was the only person at the dealership on a Sunday morning). He mentioned that Mercedes builds their products for durability and that is probably why the Mercedes leather isn't as supple. He also mentioned that the waiting list is now down to 6-9 months and they normally take a $1000 refundable deposit, but only for the M1 package; for the cloth seats, they take a $4000 deposit because it is harder to sell. I took mental note of the things I felt made the interior "cheapie": the sticky clicks of the signal stalks, the cruise control antenna, the plastic bar hole (anyone know what kind of bar can be placed here...it's not listed in the accessories and is not on any dealer demos) covers inside between the top of the front and back doors, the fit of the steering wheel airbag cover, the loose kick shield on the back of the front passenger seat, the texture of the plastic in the trunk, and the hole in the passenger side of the dash where the parking brake lever goes on the driver's side. My wife did mention the ML320 interior would be easier to clean since there was less rug/velour. The ML320 is definitely bigger in headroom and the trunk is definitely deeper. Unfortunately, I couldn't see the front of the car (I'm 5'9" and my wife is 5'2") so power seats may be a requirement. 10/17/99: Back-to-back test drives: Well, this update has been long in coming. I decided not to go for purchasing a '98 or '99 ML320 because I was telecommuting most of the time (driving in for meetings once or twice a week), so I put it off as long as I could. My current 11yr old car is rusting away and making creaking noises and putting on a check engine light at 60mph (speed sensor failure), so it looks like I have no choice. On the bright side, MB has updated the interior on the MY2000 and I am not struck w/ this feeling of plastickiness any more when I sit inside the ML. First stop was Flagship Motorcars in Lynnfield, MA. Met a friendly salesperson who gave me a presentation on MB's new no-haggle policy; one odd thing that bugged my brother was that the salesman asked me a bunch of survey questions on what I was looking for in a car, what kind of car I had, what I did for a living, etc. (we've never had anyone ever ask all that to be able to get a test drive). Every model has a flat 7% markup at the dealer. It was an interesting slideshow. For purchasers of MB's high-end stuff, this is a GREAT deal (the S-Class is a good deal now if you are in the market for that kind of car); for purchasers of MLs who have been able to get markups down to 3% or less, it's not. It seems that the price can be readjusted at the beginning and end of every month. They will adjust the price of models if they have too many. E.g., they were currently offering a $500 no-haggle price on the SLK since no one buys convertibles during the winter. The one key thing MB didn't think of was how to let dealers differentiate themselves. I kept asking the guy "if the price is the same, why would I buy from you?" He kept saying that a J.D. Powers survey said they had the most customer satisfaction and then went on and on about their service department and how it is clean; they also have a fleet of C280 loaner cars; they also have a 3 day full money-back price guarantee if you can find a better deal after you drive off the lot; they also will give you a trade-in price which is separate from the sale. Well, none of this surprised me since it was a new dealership and the service departments are normally a big profit center for dealerships so they have a strong incentive to do the best they can at service. He finally admitted that it will probably come down to how people are treated by the salespeople and which dealers they trust. Back to the MY2000 test drive. We took a new ML320 (bordeux red w/ java interior) on the test drive (more on this later). Flagship Motors has this interesting little test area in the woods out back. He showed how the low range will prevent you from drifting backwards when you are up a steep incline. He showed the short turn radius but going around a tree and not hitting rocks. He showed how ESP works in emergency maneuvers by going at high speed in a gravel area toward a bunch of boulders, slamming the brakes, then cutting the wheel hard to the right; he mentioned that this was supposed to simulate what most people do when they are about to hit another car and how other SUVs would flip over. He then crawled down the hill in low range. This was pretty cool. I've never seen an MB dealer do this...only Land Rover ones. We then took it on the highway for a while. The engine was surprisingly loud when accelerating hard. No real wind noise until I got to high speeds (70mph). I tried the wobble test and found no body roll. I also went through on/off ramps at 50mph (something I would have no problems w/ on my old Integra if my suspension and tires weren't as shot as they are now :-). I felt a little dizzy doing the ramps at that speed..must be the higher center of gravity. The lack of visibility to the rear was little disturbing compared to my Integra; the pillars and dark windows are a bit disconcerting and it's harder to sense where cars are when they are next to you. The non-auto-centering steering wheel also took me by surprise on one turn and I ended up heading down the wrong side of a two-way road for a little while. Back at the dealership, he tried to show me how much easier the rear seats were to fold. He struggled for 5-10 min and couldn't get them to go down consistently. Back at the dealership, he showed the inventory he had and the build dates/configs they had queued up. Some of the dates went into February. He also said it would take 60 days from new order to delivery; big "huh?" from me since I've heard 2-4 weeks, but didn't push him on it. I asked him if it was possible to get an ML fresh off the truck and he said no; I was concerned about the "test drive" we did in the demo...mostly about the wear and tear of people like me slamming the accelerator and picking up paint chips from the highway tests. He did say it was possible to swap Dunlops for Generals if I had a preference. The interior of the ML has been improved greatly. It definitely feels like what I had expected an MB to be like (don't take offense anyone, but I never pictured myself as an MB owner). A lot of what is new has been reported already. The cruise control stalk looks more substantial to the one I saw in the 1998 model which had what really looked like an antenna (I'm not exaggerating...it looked like a wire w/ a knob on the end); the salesperson mentioned this has been that way in the 1999 model, so I'm not sure when it was changed. The hole where the parking brake release is for international MLs is still there on the right; I had thought that was fixed in the pictures I saw. I didn't play w/ the MCS/radio, unfortunately; I'm not sure how the thing is supposed to work w/ the volume control so far over and the buttons so far over; I guess they couldn't mirror image it for the US market. Next stop was Ira Lexus on Rte 114. Friendly salesman (though he did set off some warning sirens w/ his multiple rings and slicked back hair :-) showed me some of the features on the RX300 including the rear seats that he operated easily w/ one hand, the full-size spare in the back, and the CD changer in the glove compartment (weird how he seemed to sense I was comparing it to the ML320 before I even mentioned it). I did note that ergnomics were typical Toyota: close to perfect...everything was where I expected it to be. He did mention that there was no negotiating price, but that was ok since I just wanted to test drive it to make sure I wasn't making the wrong decision w/ the ML. I didn't see why anyone would want a MY2000 RX300 since the only change was the dust deflector on the back. The RX300 felt pretty similiar on the road. It seemed to have a little more body roll. When you slam the accelerator, the engine is not as loud and you get a more solid kick in the back, so it feels faster Visibility is magnitudes better, but a large part of this is the reflective type of windows they chose to use instead of the dark tinting that MB used. When headed down an off-ramp at 40mph, I did feel the tires slip, so I slowed down because it didn't feel that safe. The suspension also felt like it oscillated when the road was bumpy. It actually felt/sounded a lot like a Lexus ES300. The salesperson seemed a bit miffed when I said it reminded me of my brother's Camry. The ML320 still sticks out as the obvious choice for me. The interior is now a non-issue. It feels more solid than the RX300, though they could use a lesson on ergonomics from Honda or Toyota. Cost is roughly the same if you can't negotiate on either one. It feels more "solid" than the RX300. It's a great Section 179 writeoff if you have your own business.