If the exterior of the 2015 Mercedes-Benz ML250 pictured here looks nearly identical to the 2014 ML350 it replaces, that’s probably because it is. Comprehensively overhauled for the 2013 model year, the ML’s styling will get updated for next year—when it also adopts the GLE-class nomenclature—but for now the minor change in diesel ML badging is all that’s new outside; it acknowledges the arrival of Benz’s 2.1-liter dual-turbo diesel four under the hood. The same basic diesel engine that provides the Mercedes-Benz E250 sedan and GLK250 crossover with surprising punch and refinement, the 2.1-liter unit is the first four-cylinder oil-burner in decades to find its way into U.S.-market Mercedes passenger vehicles.

Comparisons are inevitable, so let’s get this out of the way right now: Packing 200 horsepower and 369 lb-ft of torque, the diesel in ML250 trim can’t match the 240-hp and 455-lb-ft ratings of the departed ML350’s turbo-diesel V-6. But losing two cylinders has its benefits, namely a reduction in weight. Registering a still-hefty 5041 pounds on the C/D scales, the ML250 nevertheless shaves 162 pounds off the 5203-pound figure of a 2013 ML350 BlueTec 4MATIC we tested for a recent diesel-SUV comparo.

View Photos MICHAEL SIMARI

Unfortunately, the reduction in weight isn’t enough to offset the loss of muscle. At 8.3 seconds to 60 mph and 16.3 seconds to the quarter-mile mark, the ML250 gives up about a second to the 7.0- and 15.4-second times delivered by the old ML350’s V-6. The torquey four-cylinder provides smart off-the-line acceleration, however, and the sequential turbochargers—a small one provides low-end boost to mitigate lag before handing off to a larger unit at higher engine speeds—do their best to keep momentum building as the seven-speed automatic imperceptibly shuffles though the gears. It’s a reasonable assumption that the suburbanites who make up the target demographic of the ML will never miss the V-6.

EPA city/highway ratings of 22/29 mpg put the ML250 right in the ballpark with competitors such as the BMW X5 xDrive35d diesel, the Jeep Grand Cherokee EcoDiesel 4x4, and the Volkswagen Touareg TDI. In our hands, the ML250 recorded 24 mpg in combined driving, an identical number to the one we measured with the ML350 V-6; we were hoping for at least a modest improvement in efficiency, given the subtraction of two cylinders and 162 pounds. What the numbers can’t communicate, however, is the 2.1-liter diesel’s willing and amicable nature. Smooth and quiet at idle (for a diesel), it has a polished quality that makes the four-cylinder compression-ignition unit in our long-term BMW 328d xDrive Sports Wagon sound a bit loutish in comparison.

View Photos MICHAEL SIMARI

Communicative steering has never been a key element of the SUV formula, and the ML250 does little to change that truism. There’s no doubt that the ultralight steering will be appreciated during parking maneuvers and tight stop-and-go driving, and even though the wheel weights up with increased speeds, the feel remains artificial, unprogressive, and devoid of nuance. Should the need for aggressive inputs arise, Benz’s Airmatic air suspension ($1610) offers the option of firming things up with a Sport setting, and it does a competent job of keeping things on an even keel in the standard Comfort mode, as well. Based on the taut yet creamy highway ride it provides, the air suspension is one option box we’d check without remorse.

Our test example wore Dunlop Grandtrek 255/50 all-season tires on stylish 19-inch five-spoke AMG wheels ($500), which did a good job of prioritizing a quiet ride over all-out traction and directional fussiness. The ML250 required 176 feet to stop from 70 mph, 13 feet fewer than needed by the ML350 to perform the same task; our test driver did note some mild fade and a squishy pedal under repeated stops.

View Photos MICHAEL SIMARI

What hasn’t changed about the ML is its capacity to haul five passengers and a fair amount of cargo in comfortable and luxurious surroundings. Tastefully upholstered in almond beige and black leather ($1620) with open-pore brown ash trim ($160) that perfectly complements the Obsidian Black Metallic exterior ($720), this Benz softly speaks things that flashier SUVs feel the need to shout. One word of caution: Venturing into the ML’s order sheet can hit a bank account rather hard. The price of our 2015 ML250 BlueTec 4MATIC (Benz’s 4MATIC all-wheel-drive system is standard; no two-wheel-drive version is currently offered) ratcheted from its $50,725 base MSRP to $68,610 in less time than it takes to brew a pot of responsibly harvested free-trade coffee. But hey, sometimes it’s okay to splurge if the contents are worthy of the fancy label on the package.

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