It's look is somewhere between a SUV and a van. It comes short on its upper rear end, as if part of it was cut off, even though its body length is not any shorter than other mid-size SUV. Overall, it simply looks awkward. The best exterial design in my eyes goes to Acura MDX, which is copied by some other SUVs like Cadilac.
Consumer Reports says this Alabama-made ML series has been having bad reputation for electronic and mechanical problems.