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The original Mercedes-Benz M-Class signaled a major shift in attitude for the German manufacturer when it debuted in model year 1998. Not only was it designed primarily with U.S. sales in mind, it was built here, at a new facility near Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and exported around the world. Since that time, over 600,000 examples of the Mercedes SUV have been sold worldwide, with about half staying in the U.S. And in the time since the M-Class's debut, nearly all luxury automakers have introduced SUVs of their own.

So the time has come for the second-generation M-Class. Like its predecessor, it's built in Alabama, but both the plant and the vehicle have had major makeovers.

If, at a quick glance, the new ML 350 and ML 500 look only like stylistically-updated versions of last year's models, they aren't. The original was a clean-sheet design, and so is the new one. Yes, the exterior and interior styling has been updated in keeping with current Mercedes-Benz trends, but nearly everything underneath has changed as well. The new M-Class models are slightly larger in nearly every dimension, for greater interior space and cargo capacity. The originals were built with body-on-frame construction; the new M-Class vehicles are made with car-like unibody structures for improved ride and handling characteristics and increased safety. Because of the new construction, weight has been reduced by around 400 lbs.

The ML 500's 5.0-liter V8 has minor enhancements that raise its power output by 14 horsepower, to 302. But the real changes have been to the ML 350. Although it's V6 engine has the same 3.5-liter capacity as previously, it's a completely new engine, up 36 horsepower on the old V6 with 268. Both engines feed their power to all four wheels through a single-range transfer case. Both models use the new ``7G-TRONIC'' seven-speed automatic transmission, which benefits to both performance and fuel economy.

I had the opportunity to drive both models of the 2006 M-Class a few months back, and have just finished a week with an ML 350. As expected, the V8 model has more luxury and performance equipment in its standard specification, but the V6 is hardly Spartan. The previous M-Class models were among the best-handling SUVs, especially for spirited driving on pavement, but they are eclipsed by the new ones. With the ML's increase in interior space and the new drivetrains, Mercedes-Benz has made its luxury SUV even better.