Class Act

“Look Ma! It’s a Mercedes”, exclaimed the kid when I was waiting at a red light. Once the signal turned green, I zoomed ahead of the pack. After all I was driving a three-pointed star. If that wasn’t enough, sometime later in the day a man tapped on my window asking, “Is this, the 2011 model?”, when I was waiting in the long expressway toll queue. It was then I realized that the trend of expensive MPV is yet to come here. Mercedes-Benz is the first to roll out something in this category. Sooner or later, we can expect this segment to get populated. So, if you are one of those looking to buy a premium MPV for your family, read further as we drive the new Mercedes-Benz R-Class.

Highlights:

- The R-Class comes standard with 4MATIC, which is a term for permanent four-wheel drive in Merc’s lingo.

- The R-Class comes only with one engine option which is the 3.5-litre V6 petrol.

- When the third row of seats is flipped down, the R350 can swallow luggage upto 2385 litres.

The Mercedes-Benz R-Class has an arrow-shaped fascia with a sprawling grille that proudly wears the large central star. The headlamps and the crown hood with the prominent strake blends well into the front end making its snout, very SUV-ish. The silhouette of the R-Class is well-proportioned with a not-so-long hood, integrated fenders and small front and rear overhangs. It also has a pronounced swage line that rises smoothly as it moves towards the rear. The diffuser and the twin rectangular exhaust pipes add meat to the rear but the large rear windshield and the leaf-like tail lamps do soften the butch look a tad.

Get inside the R-Class and you will feel at home, if you have been in a ML or GL. Most of the interior bits like the four-spoke steering wheel, the six-CD changer in-dash music system, the air-con controls and the suspension setting button come straight from these SUVs. The look and feel of the plastics, however don’t, and just do not live up to the expectations from a three-pointed car sold in India. The instrumentation again is typically Mercedes with the R350 getting a twin-dial instrument cluster with chrome surrounds and the steering column mounted gear-lever. The COMAND system though is missing on the R and the place instead is occupied by two large cup-holders. The Harman Kardon music system and the rear entertainment system come as standard equipment on the R-Class, which is a good touch given the R is essentially for a large family.

The electric front seats have a four-way adjustable lumbar support. The first two rows are spacious; however the third row is a bit tight on space. The seats in the second row are large and comfortable with good thigh support, but the same cannot be said for the third row of seats. The boot of the R350 has a volume of 633 litres and the last row seats split 50:50. The power tailgate is a great feature to have, wherein the tailgate closes with the press of a button.

At the moment there is only one engine option available on the R-Class— R350. This 3.5-litre V6 petrol engine has been tested by us on the E-Class and E-Coupe. This feisty petrol motor wrings out 272bhp of power and 350Nm of torque. This is a stratified direct injection engine which Mercedes-Benz claims has improved both performance and fuel economy.

The engine, as with most Mercedes-Benz engines, has very low NVH levels. At idle, one might mistake the engine to be switched off as there are no vibrations and noise. Needless to say, one can’t hear the engine inside the cabin either. Stamp on the throttle pedal though, and you can hear the engine come alive. You can feel it too, as the R-class piles up the kilometre per hour figures with reasonable gusto and fluidity. But yes, there’s no getting away from the 2200kg kerb weight of the MPV which results in a not-so-spectacular 0-100kmph time of 9.6 seconds.

The engine is coupled to the 7G-TRONIC on the R-Class, as it is on most cars sporting the three-pointed star logo. And like on the new E, the S and even the GL and ML, the gearshift lever is mounted on the steering column. It’s thoughtful feature this as it frees up some space on the centre console. The shifts on this gearbox, principally the downshifts feel a tad lazy, even in the sport mode. The up-shifts in the comfort mode though, are smooth.

Mercedes-Benz cars are known for their comfortable ride and the R-Class is undeniably one of them. The ride is fairly composed on low and high speeds. The R350 just glides over bumps and potholes soaking all the jounce and rebounds without affecting the occupants.

The MPV isn’t fun to drive in comfort mode as it feels wallowy. However, there is an improvement on the handling front once you change the suspension setting to sport. The stability at high speeds is exemplary. With the four-wheel drive system you never run out of traction around corners either and even if you do, ESP acts as your guardian angel.

The feel of the steering on the R-Class is a bit vague as it is heavy at low speeds and lightens up as the MPV gathers speed. This can be tiresome for city driving and to a certain extent while parking. The steering response is a bit slack reminding one of its large dimensions. The R-Class is about 5.2 metre long and this can be felt when you drive it. With a turning radius of 6.3 metre, turning in tight city spots can also be a chore.

The Mercedes-Benz R-Class is a very niche product from the German manufacturer which comes with a price tag of Rs 65.3 (ex-showroom, Mumbai). At this price range, it doesn’t really compete with anything as of today in India. Thanks to roomy and comfortable interiors, the R350 is a good option for family transport— not to forget the badge which you will own! However, we believe the R-Class has come in too early, as the automotive market is yet to mature unlike the European market, where there is a demand for expensive MPVs. All we wish that the R-Class came with another torquey-diesel engine option.