Mercedes R Class
Ratings
2 stars
Summary
Not Recommended. This curiously impractical 4x4 MPV will appeal to Mercedes badge-snobs, but almost nobody else.
Review
The R Class is one of those vehicles that must have seemed like a great idea on paper. Mercedes calls it a "grand tourer", but in essence it's a large MPV based on the same set of mechanical underpinnings as the ML and GL off-roaders.
Yet the reality is a sore disappointment, with the R Class looking expensive and impractical compared to proper people-carriers while offering far less of the rugged appeal of a conventional 4x4. External styling is particularly disappointing, with the R Class clearly designed around American tastes and doing nothing to hide its gargantuan proportions.
The cabin is well-finished and features lots of switchgear and components that are familiar from the rest of the Mercedes range, but the standard wheelbase version really lacks space in the back. Seat seats limits practicality compared to mainstream full-sized MPVs, too. Standard equipment levels are very stingy, despite which the R Class still wears very steep pricing.
At least it drives reasonably well, with wafty driving manners and good refinement from noise at motorway cruising speeds. Three petrol and one diesel engine are available, with only the 350 petrol and 320 CDI diesel making any kind of case for themselves. The more powerful 500 and 63 AMG versions bring nothing other than straight-line speed to the equation.
Ratings Breakdown
Styling
3 star
Big and slabby - it looks like a cross between a PT Cruiser and a Chrysler Voyager.
Handling
3 star
Painless dynamics make for a smooth, if uninvolving, driving experience. Good at high-speed motorway cruising.
Comfort
4 star
Compliant ride quality takes the edge of rougher road surfaces and the driving position is good.
Quality & Reliability
4 star
The R Class benefits from the same quality interior as the other mid-ranking models in the Mercedes range. Well finished and built from nice-feeling materials.
Performance
4 star
Entry level engines come closest to making sense with decent performance and not-outrageous running costs. V8 petrol versions are needlessly fast.
Roominess
3 star
Enormous dimensions make the R Class a nightmare to park in crowded city streets - despite which it still only has room for six occupants.
Running Costs
3 star
Steep depreciation, expensive servicing and big fuel bills mean the R Class requires very deep pockets to run.
Value for money
2 star
Stingy standard equipment levels dent the R Class's already weak case even further - you can get a better-equipped and more practical seven seat MPV from a mainstream manufacturer for vastly less.
