Update:

We had a "frog strangler" today. Got to check out the wet capabilities of the tires. Again, an improvement over the Dunlops. Pushed through the standing water without the car changing path as much as the old ones did. At one point, the water was so deep, it was spraying over the hood, obscuring vision. I've never had water spray cause this dangerous situation in any other vehicle I have ever owned, but seems to be the norm in the ML. If I had to guess, it is probably due to the short distance between the front of the bumper and the front axel. A longer snout would keep the upward spray in front of the tire trapped under the car instead of the front of the car catching it and driving it up and over.

No chance to test the braking. Had the family in the car with me.