 We drove our new ML-350 from Florida to Oregon and back for 8,000 miles only a month after purchasing it.  It handled beautifully in the desert, in the mountains at 9,000 feet and in snow in Nevada.  Then we returned home to see a poor rating on the M-class published by Consumer Reports.  Unbelievable!  We have lost immense respect for CR for a long, long time.  And we love our ML-350.