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.
Normally you'd expect a two-wheel-drive version of a vehicle to return significantly less miles to a gallon than the all-wheel-drive version on account of the added friction and weight.
Not so with the R280 CDi. It returns just 0.3mpg more than the R320 CDi and will still slot into the maximum 35% tax bracket for company car drivers.
Latest Readers' Drives About the Mercedes R-Class
wrote on 01 05 2007