New car review: Mercedes-Benz ML350

These days a turbo-diesel engine is almost a prerequisite in a large SUV. Mercedes-Benz calculates about 80 percent cent of sales of the new third generation M-class will be diesels.

Accounting for most of the rest will be the V6 3.5-litre ML350 BlueEfficiency, as it is the only model still petrol-fuelled apart from two V8s, the outrageous ML63 AMG V8 and the forthcoming ML500.