18 Apr 07
Better yet, the six-seat format invariably saved us the use of two cars at weekends by comfortably housing a brace of out-laws in addition to the immediate family.
Especially pleasing is the ease with which the third row can be brought individually in and out of play, and the artful manner in which the middle-row seats fold and slide forward to allow easy entry astern, even for an adult. Barely contemplated in the average road test, such things become paramount in day-to-day life with a car like this. Oh, and I also love the fact that the second-row seating is nigh on identical to the front seats and every bit as comfortable on a long haul.
True, you have to remove the rear centre console in order to fold both second and third seating tiers fully flat, which is a faff. But there was no time in six months of life with the R-Class that we actually found the need for such drastic measures.
Lob in excellent ergonomics, a comprehensive equipment specification which only very rarely indeed requires a rummage through the instruction manual, iPod connectivity in the glovebox and masses of proper storage space - including three-in-a-row central cubbies made possible by the removal of the gear lever to the increasingly popular, all-American, steering column location - and you have something very close to the ideal interior.
