Category: Large MPV 
Price Range: £36,970 to £53,630
Refined engine, imposing, badge, spacious cabin, huge boot.
Looks, lack of air suspension, no seven-seat option, pricey.
A classy, if expensive way of transporting people. It's blunted by the absence of extra rear seats.
As you would expect with a car that costs the thick end of forty grand quality levels are high. Plastics feel expensive and panel fit and build are first rate.
For reliability, the R-class should be pretty much trouble-free, although our long-term R320 CDi was hit by an electrical fault that required parts of the wiring loom to be replaced - not very reassuring.
Latest Readers' Drives About the Mercedes R-Class
wrote on 01 05 2007