Mercedes Minivan
Mercedes-Benz has dabbed some fresh make-up and applied the nip and tuck scalpel to freshen up the looks of its revamped, family-hauling R-Class station wagon and it has also added some new high tech goodies.
Not that many of us have even seen one of these big barges on the road recently – and little wonder, because only about 200 of them were sold in South Africa during the entire 2009 which does makes you wonder why they bother with it at all, seeing that there are already 97 different Mercedes-Benz variations on the local market.
Sure, the R-Class is spacious and it brims with safety, luxury and comfort features, plus it wears the bragworthy three-pointed star label, but it is expensive and it competes in a market segment where there are a number of less expensive and cooler, sportier options from which to choose.
Why is it… you know… here? Well…
It is kinda difficult to find a good real reason for its existence other than the fact that the R-Class is probably just another Mercedes weapon to continue the ongoing war against its two direct Teutonic opponents, Audi (with its Q7) and BMW (with its X5 and X6), all three easier on the eye and sportier than the Merc.
However, there are also quite a few other, more rands and centsables to consider, such as Merc’s own Viano, the Volkswagen T5, the likeable Kia Sedona, the Hyundai H-1 and even, at a push, the ugly ducklings, SsangYong Stavic and Chrysler Grand Voyager.
In essence the big Merc wagon is a quiet, comfortable, safe upmarket long distance cruiser for a family of four, maybe five.
It is classy, it’s got presence and it has acres of luggage space although, rather surprisingly, the leg space for the back-seat occupants is not all that generous – particularly if the driver is of the long-legged, long-armed species.
Nice ride
Of the three refreshed R-Class models introduced to the local motoring media recently I drove the R300 CDI (R582 400) and the R300 (R577 400) on a long and rather boring N2 from Knysna to Port Elizabeth, but unfortunately not the flagship R500 4MATIC LWB (R823 400).
This particular stretch of road is hardly a testing terrain to evaluate any vehicle so I can’t tell you much about the R’s handling and roadholding.
In terms of ride quality though it scores very well. Both vehicles are well-insulated, quiet, comfortable and easy to drive and the cabins are typically Mercedes, a bit dark and sombre, but neatly off-set by silver trim, switches and dials. Although not a fan of sunroofs in extreme African sun, they do help to brighten up the interior. The tilting/sliding glass roof is standard on the V8 but an expensive optional extra on the two smaller models.
Of the two V6 models, most of us preferred the diesel option which felt a littler perkier than its petrol sibling, even though it is only fractionally quicker off the mark and has a top speed considerably down on the petrol model.
Not thirsty
With a claimed combined fuel consumption figure of 7.6l/100km, the R 300 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY model requires around 7% less fuel than the previous configuration which was offered in South Africa, whilst offering the same power output and enhanced performance.
The V6 diesel engine pushes out 140Kw and 440Nm against the petrol option’s 170kW/300Nm output.
Although the bigger V8-engined model is a long-wheel base, the two V6 models are only available in standard wheelbase format.
The big brother R500 with the V8 petrol engine churns out 285kW and a hefty 530Nm.
Drop-dead ‘coupé-like lines’…? Not really
Mercedes claims a 0-100 km/h sprint time of 9.5 seconds for the V6 diesel, a top speed of 215km/h, a combined fuel usage of about 76.7l/100km and C02 emissions of 234g/km against the petrol model’s 9.6 seconds, top speed of 222km/h, combined cycle fuel usage of about 11.2l/100km and an emissions rate of 260g/km.
The V8′s sprint time is down to 6.3 seconds and it has a top speed of 250km/h, gurgles fuel at 13.3l/100km and spews out 310g/km.
Mercedes suggests the R-Class has “coupé-like lines” although not too many would agree with that. The vehicles are just too big, broad and heavy-looking to look even remotely like anything sleek and sporty.
Having said that, I do like the new 10-spoke alloy wheels (18-inchers on the V6 and 19′s on the R500) and the fact that the wagons are long and wide, yet seem to squat down fairly close to the tar.
However, parking this big beast is not easy. The doors are huge, heavy and wide-opening which makes it high risk in windy car parks…. not the type of car that the pretty mummies will want to drive to Woollies or in which to fetch the kids from school. (Besides, most spotty teenagers would probably brand the big Mercs as uncool anyway…).
Although the seating arrangements in our launch drive vehicles were standard five seaters, fitting an extra two seats is an optional extra while it is a standard on the long wheelbase model.
Blind Spot Assist makes lane changing safer
The seats are comfortable and power adjustable, heated and ventilated. Leather seats are standard across the range.
In addition, although leg space is far from generous the luggage space is as spacious as a World Cup Stadium. The smaller models have 1950l and the long wheelbase 2385l.
The R-Class boasts a number of impressive safety features (many of them optional, so check before you sign on the dotted line), including the unique anticipatory occupant protection system called Pre-Safe which is a complete restraint system with eight airbags, crash-active Neck-Pro head restraints, a tyre pressure loss warning system and adaptive brake lights.
Other ride comfort and safety kit include Airmatic air suspension with the Adaptive Damping System (ADS), or Blind Spot Assist, which can make changing lanes significantly safer.
A Lingguatronic voice control system makes using the telematics systems relatively easy and the strain of docking these big barges is eased by a reversing camera. As soon as reverse is selected on the auto transmission the image from the camera is shown on a console display.
A handy counter for the backseat ankle-biters’ whines of “How much further is it still to go” is a rear seat entertainment system with screens attached to the back of the front seats on which they can play games or watch videos. (Optional and expensive but probably worth it for regular long journeys).
Wall-to-wall with goodies
The R-Class wagons are expensive, but they certainly are wall to wall equipped with the sort of high-quality goodies one would expect for the price. Goodies include 7G-TRONIC automatic transmission with shift paddles on the steering wheel, a host of airbags, Brake Assist (BAS), tinted glass, an ISOFIX child seat safety attachment system, dual zone climate control, speed sensitive steering, a brilliant sound system (watch the expensive optional upgrades), easy to use cruise control and a fully adjustable steering column with audio controls.
The long list of expensive optional extras include things such as air suspension with Adaptive Damping System (ADS), vehicle level adjustment via a switch in the centre console and automatic lowering on motorways, Bi-xenon headlamps (darkened) with range adjustment, headlamp cleaning system and LED daytime driving lights on a chrome insert (standard on the R500), rear-seat entertainment system plus many others.
The R-Class is a big, impressive vehicle, guaranteed to impress the neighbours and your work colleagues, but whether it is practical is very much an individual choice.
Precious metal you’d want to protect
Whilst it is clearly classy it is not the sort of fancy metal you would want to use too extensively on gravel or badly pot-holed roads, not even to mention schlepping the garden cuttings to the dump in or taking the dogs in for a run on the beach. Fuel consumption is also likely to be fairly high in commuter traffic.
On the plus side, surveys show that the R-Class holds its value fairly well in terms of after-sales value and you are sure not to lose it in an airport car park.
Order it in black and you can probably also cut your running costs by renting it out as a hearse over weekends or as VIP transport for rap music artists.
