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2.7-litre turbo with common rail DI easily best diesel we have seen.

loor the right pedal and there is a moment’s hesitation. Turbo-lag from pull-off is considerable and it takes a while before you get used to the engine’s initial unresponsiveness. Exacerbating the problem is the five-speed auto ’box which, though silky smooth, doesn’t change gears with the urgency you would like. Hence, overtaking manoeuvres on our narrow single-lane roads can be quite hair-raising if you haven’t managed to arouse the engine and gearbox in time. At such times it’s best to use the auto box in manual mode with what Mercedes describe as Tipfunction - a Tiptronic-style shift where the lever is moved to the right to change up and left to change down.

K eep the 163bhp 2.7-litre Common-rail Direct Injection turbo-charged diesel well wound up and it’s a different story. This big lady will gather up her skirt and charge at the horizon once you’ve shown her the whip. Performance is startling by even the lofty standards associated with Mercedes’ range of super CDI motors and you are unprepared for the massive and unrelenting surge forward that follows. The ML270 is astonishing for a diesel as well as a two-ton SUV, whichever way you look at it. It will accelerate to 100kph in 13.4 seconds and hit a true top whack of 181kph. That’s faster than several D-segment luxury saloon cars! And to put the ML’s performance into (an unfair) perspective, the Safari which is 75kg lighter gets to 100kph in 25.69 seconds. The quick Mondeo diesel, a much lighter saloon, however, is two seconds faster.

So addictive is the acceleration, you revel in just mashing the accelerator just for the thrill of it. Because of the prodigious 37.7kgm of torque, overtaking or merely accelerating hard uphill is something even more special. Despite the bulk, this SUV will positively slingshot up any gradient leaving even quick petrol-engined cars floundering in its wake. Gradients just don’t seem to matter as much. With performance such as this, it’s little surprise that the ML is completely at home out on the highway. Mercedes have done a lot to insulate the engine from the occupants. To encapsulate the engine, there’s a cover running underneath the engine, plus sound deadening in the carpets, the transmission tunnel and the bulkhead. All of which is very fine, except that you can easily tell that the ML270 is a diesel. Your ears will certainly pick the clatter from this big direct injection diesel motor.

Terrific performance blunted by initial turbo lag and unresponsive auto box.