Yesterday our dealership had trainging on the upcoming ML450 Hybrid.  The vehicle is amazing, seemless change from electric to gas, smooth shifting, and great power without sacrificing fuel economy.  In comparrison to Lexus and the upcoming BMW, the ML will fits nicely between the two in terms of power, performance, and fuel economy.  Where it out weighs each of the others is in fit/finish and safety. 

The ML will be a limited production vehicle.  As it stands now Mercedes-Benz USA will produce 1700 total vehicles over a 2 year period (this year and next) for the USA with none slated for Europe at this time.  No pricing information has been made available yet, but they are estimating lease payments to run $20 – $120 more per month than the average ML350 lease.