ML handling on motorways?

[mercedes lover]

I was under the impression that you have to take it a little bit easy with 4X4’s on the motorway, but last time I drove to my wife’s family in France I was driving 90mph on the motorway and an ML registered in Paris came up behind me like a rocket with his indicator on, sat so close to my rear end all I could see was his bonnet and his 3 pointed star, so pulled over he shot off and was tail gating everyone and anyone. I didn’t think ML’s were that stable at speed. Can anyone tell me, what the handling is like on motorways?

 

[jonnyboy]

I like ours as a motorway cruiser, almost as much as the s430 lwb we have, its where its best, our experience is poor on lousy/urban roads. For a sudden change of direction they are a bit of a roller, but for cruising/overtaking - spot on (ours is a 52 plate 500 - maybe its the v8 roar I like on the motorway hahaha)

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

No problems at all on the motorway, can cruise at high-ish speeds all day long with no drama.

 

[BTB 500]

Vehicles with a high centre of gravity are as stable as anything else in a straight line ... the problem is if you need to change direction rapidly (say swerve unexpectedly across lanes to avoid something). Older SUVs will often roll over in this scenario (a TV program - 5th Gear? - demonstrated it with a Range Rover).

Modern suspension/tyres/ESP/etc. keep this in check to a reasonable degree, but it's basic physics. That's why sports/racing cars tend to be as low as possible.

 

[mercedes lover]

I didn't feel very comfortable with the guy nearly touching my bumper at 90mph as I know an ML is hell of a lot weight to pull up if you need to. I think when I get mine and drive through France will stick to 80mph with cruise control.

 

[219]

Don't the French have some fairly strict policies re speeding on their motorways ?

Never been there .

 

[rf065]

I remember many years ago Richard Branson had to swerve to avoid someone on the m/way. As he was driving a Land Rover at the speed limit, it ended up on its roof as they cannot change direction like a normal car.

Branson walked away & appeared in all the next mornings papers praising the Land Rover for saving his life and claiming from there on, he was going to order a fleet of them for his staff as they were the safest car to survive an accident in. Rather ironic since in any other car, he would not even have had an accident!

Russ

 

[Gawdi]

I remember many years ago Richard Branson had to swerve to avoid someone on the m/way. As he was driving a Land Rover at the speed limit, it ended up on its roof as they cannot change direction like a normal car.

Branson walked away & appeared in all the next mornings papers praising the Land Rover for saving his life and claiming from there on, he was going to order a fleet of them for his staff as they were the safest car to survive an accident in. Rather ironic since in any other car, he would not even have had an accident!

Russ

It was a range rover.

Then in Branson style he bought a load to ferry business class passengers from home to check in...

 

[Mactech]

Things have moved on a little now

Driver's Republic - Monsters Inc 049

They now test them on race tracks!

 

[A210AMG]

Hello


While I agree they roll, once you get use to that with just me in the car I can still have some fun in tiptronic mode and driving swiftly...

I've also done a few trips to europe in the ML and tend to stick in on cruise at 85mph (on the speedo) around 81 GPS. Its very stable and secure.

A few times it really rained hard, wipers on full and still hard to see type rain, I have to say the ML feels very very safe in these conditions compared to my previous cars (some were convertibles) you don't hear the rain as much and it just feels sure footed.

On the odd occasion on our journey I press the go pedal and join in a convery of locals, last year a GL420cdi and Audi Q7, the bus sat a 130 for quite a stretch and again you don't really feel you are going that quick.

Even round town, poor roads with the 17" wheels and huge profile tyres in rides very well.


With regard the RR above I use to go to the motorshows in uk and get complementory tickets from LandRover, part of this was a drive on their test course and dropped off at the entrace to the NEC etc. One year we were 5 up in the RR and the driver after the off road course drove onto the trach area at approx 35-40mph and locked the wheel right round. Yes it leaned like something not right but hung on fine.


I think in the 'real' world the driver would back off before the car.

 

[jonnyboy]

yeah, i think ours is on 18" wheels, wonder how it would drive on 17's ?

 

[Doodle]

(a TV program - 5th Gear? - demonstrated it with a Range Rover)

Saw that episode again recently, and it's quite blatantly staged. He swerves in one direction, then grabs an extra handful of lock and gives it an almighty heave to flick it up and over.

Not saying it wouldn't have gone anyway under normal avoidance, but it was being driven to make sure it definitely did.

 

[BTB 500]

Yup it was staged, but there have been plenty of real SUV rollover accidents in real life. I passed a Discovery on its roof at the M25/M11 interchange a few years back ... didn't appear to have hit anything else.

The point really is that it's almost impossible to roll a normal car just by rapidly changing direction.

 

[Mactech]

Yup it was staged, but there have been plenty of real SUV rollover accidents in real life. I passed a Discovery on its roof at the M25/M11 interchange a few years back ... didn't appear to have hit anything else.

The point really is that it's almost impossible to roll a normal car just by rapidly changing direction.

Do you mean without any outside elk?

 

[BTB 500]

Do you mean without any outside elk?

Boom, boom!

 

[RoseTattoo]

Don't the French have some fairly strict policies re speeding on their motorways ?

Never been there .

The maximum is 130 kph, which is around 80 mph. In wet conditions it is posted as 110kph in some places, although judging by their driving, it never rains in France.
The change in French driving habits occured about 4(?) yeras ago when speed cameras were introduced and they started enforcement. No idea if it is consistent acroiss the country but it is a percentage game. If you drive above the limit all day your chances of getting caught must rise. Considering how often that I am overtaken when I am at or near the limit, I would guess there are some people who either don't care or are well informed as to where cameras and enforcement are.

 

[renault12ts]

I was under the impression that you have to take it a little bit easy with 4X4’s on the motorway, but last time I drove to my wife’s family in France I was driving 90mph on the motorway and an ML registered in Paris came up behind me like a rocket with his indicator on, sat so close to my rear end all I could see was his bonnet and his 3 pointed star, so pulled over he shot off and was tail gating everyone and anyone. I didn’t think ML’s were that stable at speed. Can anyone tell me, what the handling is like on motorways?

You were able to pull over when he came up behind you? So why had you not moved over before this? I love driving in France because the attitude is different. In the UK you will lose face by moving over, in France you lose face if you hold up a faster driver.

Now suppose I will get jumped on. Let it be.

 

[A210AMG]

Agree with above,

In Europe generally they understand to move in quickly once overtaking, I love the way they keep the signal on until they pull in again.

In the UK the overtaking lanes or 'Fast lane' is seen as something you have to stay in at all costs !!

 

[Meldrew2]

Do you mean without any outside elk?

ROTFLMAO!

........I know an ML is hell of a lot weight to pull up if you need to......

The brakes on the ML are up to the job.

I found that out when a foreign wagon (1st lane) pushed a car (2nd lane) in front of me (3rd lane). I was doing 95 or so but the ML stopped in plenty of time to avoid any impact with the remains of the other car. No drama, no sweat, no problem.

The guy in the Transit behind me had a bit more of a job, but he did stop. A bit sideways, certainly, partly in the central barrier, true, but he did stop.

I never got a chance to thank him for being alert........


LEGAL NOTE..... At no point in this message have I defined the unit of speed measurement..... I could be defining my speed in KmH, M'Lud.

 

[RoseTattoo]

Agree with above,

In Europe generally they understand to move in quickly once overtaking, I love the way they keep the signal on until they pull in again.

In the UK the overtaking lanes or 'Fast lane' is seen as something you have to stay in at all costs !!

Sometimes but not on crowded roads or in rush hour. The standard is to hog the outside lane, bumper to bumper, even when there are long gaps on the inside lane. The only aspect of French driving I can admire is their respect for pedestrians, otherwise it is outright dangerous.