Mercedes-Benz has launched the sixth of its new seven vehicle product offensive. Daniel Attwood has the details of this new six-seat grand sport tourer
Mercedes-Benz has launched the penultimate car in its seven-vehicle product offensive.
The latest model - a six-seat €80,000 grand sport tourer - sits in the Stuttgart manufacturer's now comprehensive portfolio in between the five-seat M-Class and the seven-seat GL-Class, both of which are large SUVs.
The new R-Class, while sharing the four-wheel drive system of the M and GL-Class (which arrives here later this year), is not however a typical high-sided 4x4 MPV, but rather retains a car-like appearance, albeit with a much longer profile.
The car has three rows of two individual seats, which despite initial scepticism, will comfortably hold six adults. However, the rearmost seats have limited headroom and while perfect for part-time adult accommodation, are best suited to children.
Space, as expected from a car that measures either 4.92m or 5.15m depending on whether one opts for the long or short wheelbase version, is plentiful, although there is limited room for luggage if all the seats are occupied. However, with the two rear seat rows folded flat to produce a stepless surface, which they do with remarkable ease, the resulting load length stretches to over 2.2 metres and results in a load capacity of 2,385 litres, which earns the car top marks for versatility.
The R-Class has attempted to combine the attributes of several vehicle categories, such as SUVs, MPVs, saloons and estates, and has come very close to achieving that.
Competing against a range of vehicles from the medium and upper premium categories - the likes of the Porsche Cayenne, the imminent Audi Q7 and BMW V5 through to high-end Renault Scenics - Mercedes expects the R-Class to fill the admittedly niche gap in its showroom line-up.
The price of this hatchback grand sports tourer is high, even by Mercedes' standards, although there is a choice of three impressive engines - the 3.0-litre 320CDi and a 3.5-litre and 5.0-litre petrol - all of which are coupled to the silky smooth seven-speed 7G Tronic auto box seen in the flagship S-Class, and a four-wheel drive system that sends power equally to the front and rear axles.
A powerful engine and four-wheel drive in a premium car-like SUV - Mercedes clearly has Audi's Q7 in its sights.
The pick of the engines is without doubt the 320 V6 diesel, which apart from being the cheapest R-Class at €79,530, produces 50Nm more torque punch than the flagship R500, which costs a shade under €100,000.
As normal with Mercedes, there are three specification levels, although in a break from tradition it has done away with Elegant and Avantgarde and replaced them with the less ostentatious sounding Sports and Styling packages that are available above the standard package.
Entry level equipment levels are high in this SUV car, as is the safety specification.
Indeed the feel of the car is one of quality, which is clearly something Mercedes has been working to achieve since it faced the wrath of many of its disgruntled buyers over the past few years.
The new range of Mercedes cars and SUVs that have arrived here in the past 15 months will not suffer from the quality issues that plagued previous models assures the company's Irish managing director, Stephen Byrne. And, in an attempt to placate those three-star badge buyers whose cars have suffered from a recognised fault, the company has introduced a 10-year warranty meaning it will replace or repair recognised faulty parts without quibble.
R-Class: Grand Sports Tourer
Engines: 3-litre V6 diesel: 165Kw and 510Nm 3.5-litre V6 petrol: 200Kw and 350Nm 5-litre V8 petrol: 225Kw and 460Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed 7G-TRONIC automatic gearbox with cruise control and speed limiter standard across the range
Drive: Permanent 4MATIC four-wheel drive
Length: 5.15m from nose to tail (long-wheel-base model)
Seating: six individual seats
Luggage capacity: 2,385 litres (with all rear seats folded flat)
Load length capacity: 2.23m
Safety: Eight airbags, seatbelt pretensioners, ABS with BAS brake assist, and ESP®electronic stability program with ASR acceleration skid control. (Pre-safe and Neck-Pro are optional.)
Warranty: Three-year
Cost: €79,530 to €99,070
Competition: Audi Q7, Porsche Cayenne, BMW X5 and future V-Series crossover