What about the look?
Insofar as the exterior design is concerned, the R is certainly unique. It is perhaps not the best looking, in my opinion, however I have been told by several other people that they really appreciated the raked windshield, high-shouldered look of the R. One thing that is certain is that the larger the wheels are, the better the overall effect is. My biggest hang-up is shape of the headlights. They would benefit from adopting a more B or E-Class motif to sharpen up the front fascia. Body panel gaps are tight and kept to a minimum.
Can it replace the wagon?
Truthfully, it can easily replace every car in your personal fleet save for the compact car. The R-Class excels at hauling people and cargo. It does so
with sedan-like smoothness and, when equipped with the 4MATIC AWD system, can take you to your country place without skipping a beat. Question is: Is this enough to get people away from their premium SUVs and station wagons? I quite honestly do not know. I am perhaps more of a traditionalist, more so than I thought, because I would rather be seen in an E wagon, a GL or an ML over the R if I was shopping for a high-end product. The other three vehicles are instantly recognized as Mercedes-Benz and carry the panache and prestige of the storied brand. Wherever I went with the R, I could see that people sported more question marks at the sight of the crossover than recognition.
The R 350's pricing starts at $64,400, the R 500, at $75,950. With a significant amount of options, the price tag climbs to over $110,000. My R 350 tester retailed for $75,987.
Good stuff:
Interior volume
Mercedes velvet
Not so good stuff:
Navigation optional at $76,000
Symbolic 3rd row seat
Competitors:
SUVS
Lexus RX 350
[link artid="31555"]Volvo XC90[/link]
Cadillac SRX
[link artid="32142"]Acura MDX[/link]
[link artid="49790"]Volkswagen Touareg[/link]
[link artid="29006"]Audi Q7[/link]
Crossovers
Chrysler Pacifica
Lincoln MKX
Infiniti FX
 |
| (Photo: Philippe Champoux) |
Can it replace the wagon?
Truthfully, it can easily replace every car in your personal fleet save for the compact car. The R-Class excels at hauling people and cargo. It does so
 |
| (Photo: Philippe Champoux) |
The R 350's pricing starts at $64,400, the R 500, at $75,950. With a significant amount of options, the price tag climbs to over $110,000. My R 350 tester retailed for $75,987.
 |
| (Photo: Philippe Champoux) |
Interior volume
Mercedes velvet
Not so good stuff:
Navigation optional at $76,000
Symbolic 3rd row seat
Competitors:
SUVS
Lexus RX 350
[link artid="31555"]Volvo XC90[/link]
Cadillac SRX
[link artid="32142"]Acura MDX[/link]
[link artid="49790"]Volkswagen Touareg[/link]
[link artid="29006"]Audi Q7[/link]
Crossovers
Chrysler Pacifica
Lincoln MKX
Infiniti FX
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