If you want a sensible substitute  for the ML 350, go for a Lexus

The Lexus was used as a benchmark vehicle, so they are direct rivals

Hi Baraza,

First of all, keep up the good work.

Now, this is an urgent matter. While I don’t know whether I will get your feedback in time, I might as well try because you are the best I know in this field.

Someone close to me has owned an ML320 for a few years now and for lack of a better word, the vehicle has been hell on earth.  It has had major problems, ranging from turbo, sudden loss of power, jerking uncontrollably when you accelerate full throttle,  just to mention but a few. Anyway, my friend wants to buy the ML 350 asap because he feels his ML320 could just have been a problematic car (bahati mbaya).

I want you to advise on the ML 350. Do you think it’s safe to spend about Sh4million on it (second- hand of course, a 2010 model), or can you give alternatives?

The reason why my friend has decided to upgrade to another ML class is that the model is quite comfortable, a “big” vehicle, not so common on our roads, has good handling, the  interior is superb and most important, he believes German machines are the way to go.

Please review this vehicle for me and compare it with its  possible competitors. My advice here would earn me not less than Sh50,000, so please help a fellow Kenyan. If you had Sh4 million to spend on a German SUV vehicle, what would you buy?

Charles

Hi Charles,

Good for you wanting to make Sh50,000 off of my intellectual property. Was I to get a cut from this arrangement or did you just snitch on yourself,  knowing I will not trace you? Anyway, that is not the issue at hand.

We will look at your problem from the bottom up. If I had Sh4 million to spend on a German car, I’d probably buy a used W212 E Klasse Mercedes, something along the lines of an E250 or E300 - 4 cylinders or 6, does  not really  matter, provided I got a pretty Benz.

German SUVs all have air suspension (except maybe for the Geländewagen, which is a whole other story) which I regard with the same anticipatory glee that a cat approaches swimming, so I will not be buying one soon. I have a phobia for that kind of running gear, and no, I will not buy a crossover with coil springs.

That being said, I’m not exactly averse to a Porsche Cayenne, but again, these are overdeveloped and highly complicated German SUVs; repair cost invoices, when they come around, will look like land transfer documents.

Replacing the ML320 with an ML350 seems more like winging it on hope and faith rather than a scientific approach towards eschewing similar difficulties in future. You need to know what exactly was wrong with the first car before buying the exact same thing with a few extra cubic inches under the bonnet and praying that it works.

The ML is not a bad buy, on the surface, but these cars are best sampled brand new. When used, you will discover tribulation on a level you might have previously been unfamiliar with. Buying a car is easy.

Owning a car isn’t. I will not declare the used ML350 a poor purchase because, who knows, your friend might land himself a low-mileage, well-kept example that will not bother him for a while.

However, at Sh4 million, he could look around a little wider. I have had V8-powered MLs (both a 430 and a 500) cross my desk at Sh3.5 million a pop ­–  and the sellers insisted (via WhatsApp photography and lengthy diatribes) that the vehicles were wholesome, so a 350 at half a million more seems like a pricey gamble and probably worth reconsideration.

Let your friend decide for himself whether he wants to stick to the ML programme or switch over to new brands.

In case he doesn’t want to stick with the ML programme, options include a BMW X5 (not a bad option), a Porsche Cayenne (yummy!), a Volkswagen Touareg (which will ruin you financially in the long run) and an Audi Q7 (which I don’t much like because it looks funny and is too heavy).

If the friend is into masochism, he could get himself a first-generation Range Rover Sport, which has twice the capability of the Germans, but with twice the pain on maintenance.

You know what a sensible buy would be? A Lexus. The RX. Any of the myriad available options; they will all serve the purpose, and yes, when Mercedes-Benz created the ML Class back in the mid  ’90s, the Lexus RX was used as a benchmark vehicle, so that makes them direct rivals.

Compare the dimensions, engines (forgive the Lexus for lacking a V8 or a violent, tyre-shredding F derivative to keep Merc’s own AMG busy) and powertrains, and tell me one cannot stand up to the other.

The ML comes with air suspension while the RX doesn’t, but the RX has hybrid options which the ML lacks. Tit for tat.

So, the summary: I cannot give a definitive review of the Mercedes ML just yet (both end-user feedback and test drive availability are a bit thin), especially not a comparative one.

But for now I’ll just say hope for the best but prepare for the worst. Good luck with the ML350.

Worry not, you’ll get Sylphy spare parts when you need them

Hello Baraza JM,

I would like to refer to your article comparing the Toyota Premio and Nissan Buebird Slyphy 2005, in which the Bluebird carried the day for me.

Since I’m in a sale negotiation for a Bluebird Slyphy 2005, I would like to whether the spare parts are readily available. I have a friend who works in an auto parts shop and he claims they mostly import Toyota spare parts.

Edwin

Your friend mostly imports Toyota parts because the numbers favour that business decision. That does not mean everybody does it at the expense of Nissan spares, so no need to panic, you will get spares for the Sylphy when (not if) you need them.

If the computer says it’s a valve problem, it is

JM,

Thanks for your articles.

I drive a 2015 NP300 Pick-up Turbo 4x2. Since October 2017, it has been giving me trouble. First, it started with loss of power then, after a few days the vehicle could not start.

I changed the injector nozzles and all was well for about a month. On diagnosis, the mechanic reported two errors...P1272 FRP Relief Valve and P0089 Fuel Pump.

Could this be the correct diagnosis and if so, how can it be repaired and what would be the cause of constant breakdown around the fuel system.

DG

Hi DG,

If the computer threw those codes, who are we to gainsay them? I don’t think the mechanic pulled those numbers from his head, unless his creativity is exceptional, in which case he deserves applause and a scholarship; this might  be wasted talent.

P1272 FRP Relief Valve:  this is the root cause of the power loss because when this code is presented, more likely than not the engine is in “limp home” mode, whereby it cuts down power as much as possible to save itself.

This is indicative of a problem with either a quantity control valve (for pressure relief) in the fuel pump, or a pressure sensor behind the pump. Usually, replacing these particular components solve the issue without necessitating replacement of the entire pump.

P0089 Fuel Pump: Yes, from the look of things, the whole pump maybe problematic. Just replace it.

For your cross-country trips, the Forester is a surer bet

Dear Baraza,

I am a banker working in Mombasa but I come from Busia County.

I currently drive a Toyota Axio but  am planning to upgrade to an SUV in August this year, largely informed by the  need for family space and travelling upcountry at least twice a year.

I have narrowed down my choice to the Subaru Forester XT and Nissan Dualis because of their prevailing market rates, but I don’t have much information on their safety features and consumption levels and/or maintenance (availability of spare parts). 

Please help me understand these models so that I can make an informed decision. 

Shadrack Wafula

The Nissan Dualis is bought mostly by yuppie women. That statement is sexist, discriminatory, politically incorrect and very subjective, but it is also true by observation.

The corollary, which is also the converse, holds as well: Foresters are mostly bought by men. Look around and tell me who you see driving what, then revert.

I expect to hear a response along the lines of “I have never noticed, but by Veritas, you are right!”

Now, having demoralised you on a gender basis, let us dabble in a bit of fact. You say you work in one corner of the country but home is right across on the other end of the republic’s waistline, with a one-way journey approaching 1,000km.

You will need a powerful car for that, and one that won’t send you to sleep behind the wheel by its sheer boringness.

One of the cars at hand is based on a white-rice, papier-mâché, front-drive compact saloon with a maximum engine size cap a two litres; the other is a derivative of a platform developed specifically to dominate world rally championships, with extra ccs and turbochargers as a bonus for those so inclined.

You don’t necessarily need to be a petrolhead to appreciate driver engagement, but on a long journey like your biannual one, that engagement will come in handy in keeping you sane as you pound away the furlongs homeward bound.

Once you get home, your choice of car will make itself felt even more prominently. I have been to several places in and around Busia and I know very few roads off the main highway are tarmacked... or even graded (but this was a few years ago, things could have changed).

You will need 4WD to keep you out of the undergrowth, over and above keeping you in uninterrupted forward motion. One car has optional 4WD, which works by detecting slip, meaning it is 2WD most of the time.

The other has symmetrical AWD that is yet to be defeated in any of the tasks it was targeted at.

So now, you mention safety. Safety doesn’t come any better than directional stability but should this fail for some reason, it’s good to know how many airbags you have.

Now, the Forester SH got a “top safety pick” subjective star from the IIHS, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety in the US. That is impressive but not quantifiable.

Meanwhile,  the Dualis scored a perfect 5-Star rating, which is impressive as well, if only some folks down under did not bring this result into question.

This is the first time I have heard of a safety rating dispute and, unfortunately, it landed on the head of a Nissan. Very telling anecdotal evidence, this.

Consumption might not favour the Subaru, which has thus far been mopping the floor with the Nissan, but discretionary driving can cure that easy-peasy. Expect to hover around the 11km/l mark generally.

Maintenance: Subarus are hardy; I have said that plenty of times. Nissans are not. I have also said that, just not as many times.

Subaru parts cost comparatively more but will last across time frames that border on the geological, though full disclosure: the stabilizer links on the Subaru Forester are notoriously fickle, but to their credit, they are cheap to replace.

As far as ownership experience is concerned, do not hope for anything different from what you can already infer here.

Having car trouble? Write to [email protected]