MERCEDES-Benz has taken its top 100 fleet buyers on a two-day exercise to put the new M-class through its paces in Scotland. The company is confident that fleet registrations will play a significant role in helping it get a grip on the British off-road market.

Keen pricing and a high features content are being highlighted as major attractions of the US-built, 3.2-litre, £32,780 M-class, which is due to be launched on September 4. More than 4,000 potential customers have already declared an interest in the chunky model which rivals the Land Rover Discovery and the Jeep Grand Cherokee and is also priced to deeply undercut the Range Rover.

But no more than 800 examples are likely to reach the 160 Mercedes dealers before the end of the year, and only 5,000 are due to be delivered during 1999, although the UK importer can boost supply if necessary.