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Wagons Mercedes-Benz R-Class Mercedes-Benz R-Class Test Drive: What Did You Think?
27 messages, Last post on Feb 17, 2008 at 6:07 PM
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Replying to: gagrice (Jun 17, 2005 6:25 am) You can't get an M class european delivery. Now, i believe you can take factory delivery of a mercedes here in Tuscaloosa, and you can drive it around their off-road proving ground a little. I don't know if they will make these new M's and R's in Europe still, but I do know that there were diesel M classes made here that were only for European use-- we would see them driving around on the highway every now and then. So, I would bet that even the designed-for-europe diesel models will be made in Tuscaloosa.
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Replying to: msc (Jun 19, 2005 6:58 am) I showed the R class pictures to my wife and she was less than impressed. She likes the E320 CDI so that is probably the one we will pick up in Germany. I think the R is cool looking. I will go take a test drive when they get to the dealers. |
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Replying to: msc (Jun 19, 2005 6:54 am) I suspect that any acceleration concerns in the R500 and ML500 for that matter, will be addressed and eliminated for 2007 when the new 5.5L DOHC 32v V8 arrives with anywhere from 380-400hp, depending on who you believe. M |
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Replying to: merc1 (Jun 16, 2005 10:41 pm) 
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Replying to: stroudman (Jun 27, 2005 3:46 pm) M |
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I test drove an R500 yesterday. The space in the second row is quite good. My 5 year old particularly liked the panoramic sunroof. Acceleration was good, took it on the highway and had no problems darting in and out of traffic. Surprises, the sunvisors must be the cheapest plastic they could find, the second row doors are very large and there will be many dings. The leather was not as it should be for a 70,000$ vehicle. I was told by the salesman that this was a preproduction model-it had a brushed metal interior which is not available on the mbusa website, so maybe he was telling the truth. Availability of options(dvd player), and certain colors also seems to be problematic. My local dealer won't have cars in final form until Oct 26th. This car could use bluetooth and a rear view camera then it would be complete. |
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I was somewhat disappointed. I own a fairly well equipped 2004 Pacifica and I was truly interested in the R Class as a possible replacement for my Pacifica in the not too distant future. I drove a fairly well equipped R 350 that had a sticker hoveering close to $59K. Here is a short summary of my test drive observations: * 6 cylinder version is short on power, hardly FEELS faster than the Pacifica which is also short on power. * Engine is disappointingly NOISY- a real surprise in such a pricey vehicle. Pacifica seems noticeably quieter. * Engine at higher throttle is also somewhat buzzy and the buzzy feel can be felt through ythe steering wheel as well as the pedals. Does not impart a high quality feel. * Dashboard is attractive with a fairly high quality appearance, but as is usual Mercedes practice, there are too many buttons with fairly small lettering that look very similar. I'm sure, like everything else, most drivers will get used to their functions and find them by feel and memory. * I always liked the Mercedes-designed seat adjustment buttons mounted on the doors. What happened here? The Pacifica has them, why not the R ? Of course this is not a necessity, but I thought it was a signature Daimler item. * The front seats are very comfortable, as well as the second row seats. The 3rd row seats, while SLIGHTLY more roomy than the Pacifica, are really not all that comfortable for adults (and I'm barely 5' 7") and certainly are not something I would look forward to taking a trip in longer than about an hour. It's certainly fine for for kids up to about 12-14 yrs of age. I thought it was little deceptive for Mercedes to promote the 3rd row as designed for adults. * Rear storage space, as you know, is pretty awful in both the R and the Pacifica with all seats in use. Of course this problem even plagues most 7 passenger SUVs, even the Giant Tahoe & Yukon. * Ride & Handling were pretty good, but again not much of a quantitative difference when comparing against the Pacifica. In fact, I would give a slight advantage to the Pacifica when it comes to steering feel, though both vehicles don't have much steering feedback from the front tires. I'd say the ride quality was a smidgen more sporty on the Merc. But one of the really srong points about the Pacifica is its ride quality and confident handling. In fact, I find the Pacifica (AWD) version has some surprisingly good handling traits. In fact, I bought one after taking a test drive, I was duly impressed. * Styling is a very subjective thing but here is my 2 cents in a nutshell: Merc Front- a little strange and kind of bug-eyed looking but not butt-ugly (barely). Nod goes to Pacifica for better front styling. Merc Side: Here's where I think the R is better looking than the Pacifica I kinda like that strong swoopy character line, and I think it makes the R look sleeker than the pudgy boxy profile of the Pacifica. Merc Rear: Ok but kind of hearse-like and some strange curvy lines that don't work very well for my taste. Nod to Pacifica on rear styling that I think is one of the best views of the Chrysler. Overall: I wanted to come away from the test drive this morning duly impressed with the R Class, and I kinda hoped that the Merc would show me how the R-class is $25K more car than the Pacifica. I was disappointed. Here's what I think MB should have done here. R Class base price of $48K should have included most of the items that are optional. Sunroof, power liftgate, rear side airbags, 6 cd changer & better stereo. Even if these items were to become standard equipment, I'm still not sure the R Class is worth $20K more than a Pacifica. |
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Replying to: shellymeister2 (Oct 01, 2005 2:30 pm) |
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Replying to: shellymeister2 (Oct 01, 2005 2:30 pm) Even if built to exacting MB standards from the past, where a common "complaint" was that the MB was over-engineered/over-priced, I would not find the R-Class on my short list. Seems like an idea spawned from a marketing guy.
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Replying to: lovemyclk (Oct 02, 2005 9:38 am) |
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