Fella's,
I have to say I'm very impressed with the tone of this thread, we have all just got along...
G-Man, I'm the proud receipient of a California Offroad Commission 4x4 certification. A one day course with several hours of lecture on trail navigation. This was followed by an afternoon on the course with instructors/spotters helping each of us through each hazard; mud pit, water crossing, hillside navigation, sand, and boulders.
The best part of all this was that it was all a group of ten ML owners and a couple with an ML55. Needless to say we all bonded during the day putting our trucks through their paces.
The instructor has seen most "SUV's" try his course and he was impressed with the ML's capabilities!
While I might not compare the offroad prowess of my ML with a Hummer, or GWagen for that matter. I ran out and got brush guards for the front and tail lights just in case
Remember guys, these are just sibling rivalries, we're still driving the safeset most capable vehicles in their class!