Eva Cassidy sings: "The falling leaves drift by my window. The falling leaves of red and gold." Sitting here in the relaxed and hallowed environment that is a large Mercedes-Benz at rest, I have nothing but admiration for the surroundings. Respryn Bridge, over the River Fowey, surrounded by autumn chestnut trees, and the cabin of this ML 300 CDI BlueEfficiency surrounded by this very convincing fake leather.
M-Class is the nearest Mercedes-Benz gets to an affordable 4x4 and at just under £39,000, this particular model in SE trim is the cheapest of the lot. But basic it ain't since it's got a great rake of equipment for comfort, entertainment, safety and improving the quality of the driving.
Cruising the golden lanes of Cornwall in this elegant off-roader is a pure delight. The 187bhp engine isn't powerful enough to stir the heart, but it burbles away quietly, the 325lb/ft of torque hauling you steadily up the steep and wooded hills. The seven-speed automatic gearbox makes virtually imperceptible shifts up or down and when cresting the hill and dropping down the far side, it nicely holds onto the low gears to stop you running away to the swollen rivers below.
Sitting high and proud, there's a good view over the granite walls above Port Isaac to the choppy sea beyond. Then when it comes to navigating through the narrow lanes of this prettiest of fishing villages, you're helped by the clear view of all the corners, the proximity alarms on the front and rear, and the folding door mirrors.
Unlike so many 4x4s these days, the M-Class is more than just a pseudo-off-roader. There are enough useful buttons on the dash to make this car a genuine all-rounder. On the road, it thunders up to a top speed of almost 130mph, clipping through 62mph 9.8 seconds after take-off. Looking at it in this state, it looks like a cross-over vehicle – relatively low to the ground with the wind rushing up over its streamlined nose and steeply raked windscreen.
However, when things get a little more marginal, you can start rummaging in the toolkit. If snowdrifts, ditches or fords stand between here and over there, a dial on the dash gives you options on three raised suspension heights. It takes a moment to pump up but when raised to its maximum, the whole dynamics, abilities and demeanour of the vehicle are utterly changed. If it's too slippery for the 4MATIC automatic four-wheel drive system to cope, you can also lock the rear differential for better traction. Still too slithery to get up that hill? Stab the next button to lock the central differential too.
Now, your road-biased luxury cruiser has transformed into something of a mud-wrestler. If that's the route Mercedes-Benz takes the M-Class towards its working roots, it also has a route in the other direction towards extra performance and luxury, even on this most basically appointed derivations. If you're needing something akin to sporting performance there are two buttons you want to stab. One firms up the suspension from its regular setting to Sports. It's a genuinely tangible difference and while it brings you closer to the vagaries of the road surface, it also helps you get round corners with a bit more oomph.
The second button turns it into a manual gearshift using paddles under the steering wheel – right for up, left for down. Again the shifts are smooth and subtle, but the opportunity to hold onto low gears for longer and to have more control over engine speed make it feel more responsive. The final and softest option is to put the gears back into automatic mode and stab the suspension button into Comfort setting. Corners now need to be taken with more restraint, but when you're chauffeuring your most beloved down the motorway, this is the one you want. Magic carpet time.
There's a lot of technology, even on this base model. Electrically-adjustable seats, windows, mirrors, seat heating, trip computer, cruise control, and the push-button electrically opening tailgate is a great gimmick, especially as you can open it on approach with a blip of the key fob.
One thing oddly noteworthy because of its absence is satellite navigation. It'll cost you an extra £1300 for the entertainment system with the most basic navigational aid, over £2100 for the 6.5" screen full-blown system. Here's a tip. If you have an extra £2000 to spend, don't bother with satnav. Instead, consider buying the ML 350 version. Same engine, same fuel consumption, same emissions, but an extra 34bhp and an extra 52lb/ft of torque to play with. The sums start to make more sense then.
Setting that aside, the ML 300 CDI BlueEfficiency is an excellent drive and an elegant thing to look at. Almost no lip at the door frame makes it easy to get in and out of, there are enough suspension and gear options to give you many kinds of motoring in one package and, although this hasn't always been the case, it has a badge that once again speaks volumes for reliability and residual value.
