Mercedes finds a market niche
by ANDREW KOCH
The Mercedes-Benz R-Class R500 looks like a very large station wagon, with four conventional opening doors and a top-hinged one-piece boot, but it’s not a traditional wagon. It has permanent, computer-controlled all-wheel drive, but it’s not an SUV. It has three rows of two bucket seats, kind of like a minivan, but it’s not a minivan. It’s a brand-new entry in a class the company calls an SUV Tourer, and there’s nothing else quite like it on the market today.
The R-Class is goodlooking. Its radically sloping roof and sweeping lines help disguise its considerable size. It is truly cavernous inside and comfortably accommodates six tall adults in six well accommodated bucket seats. On a recent ski trip in New Zealand, it easily housed four adults, two snowboards, two pairs of skis and all the other paraphernalia that come with skiing, without any issues. It’s quiet and comfortable on the highway, and surprisingly responsive on winding roads.
The R500 is downright fast -” 0-100 in 6.5 seconds with Merc’s new 5.5-litre V8 under the bonnet -” with all-wheel drive, electronic stability control and other features designed to help the driver maintain control, and of course all the other standard safety features you find in all Mercedes-Benz.
This is a very large vehicle, but the radical design and its sloping roof and sweeping front-to-rear lines tend to minimise the size and accent its sportiness at the same time. Up front, the R-Class uses the sports car grille theme with the large circled star in the grille, multi-element headlamps, a sporty upper and lower bumper look, and a fast-sloping bonnet and windshield.
The R-Class was designed from the beginning to accommodate seven average adults, not five adults and two kids. The interior has loads of room in all directions, including third-row headroom and legroom.
The new dashboard and instrument panel is easy to use and looks great. It’s more chronometer-like in its layout and design, with more chrome ring decoration than any other Mercedes model. It also has huge amounts of glass front, side and rear, and that makes for a very open and airy environment inside.
The seven-speed is the best automatic transmission currently on the market, smooth, quiet and extremely flexible and usable. Mercedes has abandoned the conventional console-mounted floor gearstick in favour of a stalk on the right side of the steering column, supplemented by paddles on the back of the steering wheel.
The all-wheel-drive system works in the background whether you’re on pavement, dirt, snow or ice -” each of which we experienced driving up to the snowfields of Mt Hutt, an hour’s drive from Christchurch -” and it kept the car planted and pointed properly.
We found the huge brakes to be especially reassuring on twisty, blind-corner country roads, where just a tiny dab of pedal brings the speed down very swiftly. At highway cruising speeds, the R-Class is extremely well-insulated from the outside world, enabling easy conversation between and among all the passengers.
The Mercedes-Benz R-Class is indeed an SUV Tourer. All six seats were window seats, though seven is standard. No centre seating here. There is plenty of interior layout flexibility for people and cargo, and plenty of torque. The R500 is not a fuel economy champion, but with the new engine it has a claimed combined cycle of 13.3l/100km -” but then again this is range-topping V8. The R-Class is also available in smaller V6 petrol and 2 diesel -” of which the 280 CDI sips away at a mere 8.9l/100km. The R-Class is very cool to look at, and even more fun to drive whenever and wherever there’s lots to see and enjoy.
AUTO FACTS
Price: $80,835-$129,111
Engine: two versions of a 3.0-litre V6 Diesel; 3.5-litre V6 and 5.5-litre V8 petrol
Transmission: seven-speed automatic
Power: 140kw, 440Nm, 165kw, 510Nm, 200kW, 350Nm, 285kW, 550Nm
Fuel: 8.9, 9.3, 11.5, 13.3l/100km combined
