THE Mercedes M-class is more sought after than most off-roaders secondhand, and this helps keep prices high. The Range Rover rival is less common than its British counterparts, and neither is it as accomplished as main German rival the BMW X5. But there is a wide range of engines in the model built up to 2005 model built until 2005 starting with a 218bhp 3.2 litre V6 and rising to a 3.7 with 235 and a 4.3 V8 with 268. At the top of the range there are 5.0 and 5.4 V8's with 292 and 347bhp respectively, but the one to go for is the 2.7 litre five cylinder turbo diesel, which is the only one giving any kind of economy. It's also the only model with a manual gearbox as all the petrols have autos. All are effortless cruisers and very comfortable to ride in over any kind of road or off-road surface. On-road they are composed through corners with good feel from the steering and refinement is excellent, with little road or wind noise. Interior. There is plenty of leg and headroom for five, even if the rear centre occupant has the transmission tunnel to contend with, and the boot is big enough for just about any family need. Safety is very good with ABS, traction control and stability control on top of loads of airbags, and equipment is excellent. FAST FACTS 2.7 TD Price: Pay around £8,300 for an '00 X-reg CDi, £11,000 for an '03 03-reg, or £15,100 for an '04 54-reg auto. Mechanical: 163bhp, 2685cc, 5 cylinder diesel driving all four wheels via a 5 speed or 5 speed auto gearbox Max speed: 115mph 0-62mph: 13secs Combined mpg: 29 Insurance group: 16 up. Emissions (g/km) 250 Marks: 9/10. Main Rival: Range Rover, Land Rover Discovery | 
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