Green light for M-Class active suspension?

Mercedes-Benz would love to offer the Active Curve System as standard equipment for every variant of its new M-Class range when the SUV arrives in Australia early next year.

But the active safety system might just not make the cut for the entry-level M-Class, the ML 250 Bluetec. That's the word from Senior Corporate Communications Manager for Mercedes-Benz in Australia, David McCarthy.

It's a product planners' conundrum for the four-cylinder diesel variant of the new SUV, due in Australia from the first quarter of next year. The base ML's sub-7.0L/100km fuel consumption allows it dispensation from the Luxury Car Tax (LCT) under the legislation applicable. Up to a retail price of $75,000 there will be no LCT payable on the ML 250.

However, specifying the active safety system as standard may lift the price of the ML 250 beyond the tax-free ceiling of $75,000 in Australia. At that point, buyers begin paying the LCT (33 per cent extra) on the excess.

The Active Curve System is a spiffy piece of technology that de-couples the anti-roll bars when wheel articulation is needed, but then recouples them to control body roll. This is handled on the fly and the driver is not aware of anything going on other than differing levels of cornering power, stability and ride quality — adjusted by the system in nano-seconds, as explained to motoring.com.au by one of Benz's test drivers during a presentation in Austria a few days ago.

It's a system not unlike the one pioneered by Citroen in the Xantia Activa a decade back, but also links the system to advanced electronic safety systems, such as stability and traction control.

In Europe the ML 250 is priced above €46,000, which on current exchange rates places the car above AUD $60,000 — before GST, which would add a further 10 per cent. However, McCarthy warns against speculating on the price of the vehicle landed in Australia based on the car's Euro pricing.

"The big difference is the trim level — Europe versus Australia," he explained. And for that reason, he doesn't rule out Active Curve System for the ML 250 at this point... not by any means. The Australian specification can be adjusted to allow for something — the Active Curve System — that could be a feature offering high value and appeal to prospective buyers.

"We are looking at putting Active Curve in the ML 250 at the price we would like it to be, but we haven't got sign-off yet," said McCarthy.

Asked about adjusting the vehicle specification to suit the landed cost here at the time, he explains that getting the "kit" right is important for certain price points — the LCT threshold and the LCT ceiling for green cars being two examples.

"You look at every vehicle we have around that price point, we tend to load up the equipment," he replied. So if you're buying a Mercedes-Benz for $75,000, you're ultimately getting better value out of a model that posts a fuel consumption figure at or below 7.0L/100km. That's some incentive to go green...