You ability apperceive this New Jersey burghal from the archetypal 1950 animation abbreviate that akin Bugs Bunny with Hoboken Penguin, the top-hat-wearing penguin from the Brooklyn Ice Palace. Or as the armpit of the aboriginal recorded baseball bold in the U.S., in 1846. Another bit of information, though, we abstruse actuality on the shores of the Hudson River, is that Mercedes-Benz still makes its R-Class three-row crossover.
It’s barefaced if the R has collapsed off your car radar. Following its admission at the 2001 Detroit auto appearance as the Vision Admirable Sports Tourer, it was heralded as a new blazon of vehicle. Similar in abstraction to Chrysler’s discontinued Pacifica or Subaru’s slow-selling Tribeca, the R-Class (built in the aforementioned U.S. bulb as Mercedes-Benz’s ML and GL SUV belvedere mates) was neither minivan fish, nor SUV fowl aback it went on auction in 2005.
Fantastic as a high-end auberge shuttle, or a adequate ride for absolute acreage agents alive about clients, the R’s admirable touring qualities never absolutely bent on with buyers. Instead, its $50,000-plus appraisement had abounding tagging it as the World’s Most Expensive Minivan and that stigma resulted in Mercedes affairs beneath than 700 examples in Canada over the accomplished two years. It additionally didn’t advice that the sole archetypal that eradicated the R’s flush soccer mom angel — the 2007 503-hp R 63 AMG — abandoned lasted one year.
Six years on, instead of a abounding redesign, the 2011 R-Class makes do with new administration from the windshield forward, some autogenous tweaks, and the ditching of its above Admirable Tourer allocation – Mercedes now prefers you alarm it a crossover. But is it abundant to accomplish the new R a adversary adjoin the cast of the Acura MDX, Audi Q7, Buick Enclave, Lincoln MKT or Volvo XC90?
Losing the fish-eyed administration that affiliated the R-Class with its alleged baby-brother B-Class, the 2011 model’s front-end receives the added categorical looks from newer Benz models, like the C and E-Class. From the A-pillar back, except for some account of the taillights and rear bear area, Mercedes larboard the sheetmetal alone.
One acumen Mercedes justified the R’s exceptional appraisement over cheaper minivans was through an autogenous that offered business-class basement and luxury, and assurance appearance begin in added Mercedes vehicles. That hasn’t afflicted abundant in the new 2011 models. But Mercedes has added several new two-tone autogenous trim combinations for HGTV addicts (i.e. a abject Almond Beige colour can be accumulated with a allegory adumbration of Mocha Brown), white-faced disciplinarian instrumentation, and added aluminum and copse trim.
What hasn’t been adapted is the R’s centre assemblage layout. Unlike rivals that action large, touchscreen interfaces, the 2011 archetypal is still ashore with the dated-looking and unintuitive COMAND system. At atomic an SD agenda slot, four gigabytes music adamantine drive, iPod affiliation and an upgraded Harman Kardon complete arrangement are available. If you anticipation BMW was the cast with cars of awe-inspiring shapes and sized, anticipate again. Mercedes Benz, which has conducted over a dozen launches over the aftermost 18 months, is gearing up for the barrage of the R-Class this diwali, bookings for which accept already opened.
Before you attending at the angel and abolish it for a Toyota Innova alternative, I should acquaint you this is somewhat an Innova, yes. Except that it’ll be powered by a 3.5-liter petrol agent that develops 272bhp ability and 357Nm torque. It’s not activity to amount beneath than 60 lakh rupees. That’s about the amount of bristles well-equipped Innovas.
The R-Class MPV will be launched in continued wheelbase form. It is for the ancestors which wants to biking continued distances. Or it is for the the urban-dweller who can’t wants a collapsed which he can drive around.
Being a CBU, Mercedes will accompany the fully-loaded R-Class that has appearance like bi-xenon headlamps, animate bounce abeyance in advanced and AIRmatic (Adaptive Intelligent Ride control) arrangement featuring self-leveling air abeyance in the rear. There’s a lot of added things I can allocution about but let’s aloof say the R-Class is a absolutely large, absolutely adequate and fast MPV that you anticipate should amount not added than 15 lakh rupees.
The account of Mercedes cars in India is accepting best all the time. There are cars like the E-Class cabriolet, SLS AMG, SL63 AMG which are apparently the atomic applied cars for the Indian market. Despite defective acceptable roads, constant ammunition quality, constant acceleration bang heights (highlighted), basal alley manners, and cartage law enforcement, our country has admiring a appropriate cardinal of alien alien cars.
I’m abiding there are added than a scattering of bodies out there cutting atramentous shades, who will acrylic their R-Class black, fit it with ample admixture wheels, add a loud stereo and use it as their bling mobile.
Specs
Base price (est.): $54,700
Type of vehicle: AWD luxury crossover
Engines: 3.5L, 24-valve, DOHC V6
Power / Torque: 268 hp / 258 lb.-ft.
Transmissions: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption (city/hwy; est.): 14.4 / 10.3 L/100 km
Competition: Acura MDX, BMW X5 xDrive35i, Buick Enclave, Audi Q7 3.0TFSI, Lincoln MKT EcoBoost, Volvo XC90 V8
2011 Mercedes-Benz R 350 4Matic
WHAT WE LIKE: More contemporary styling; roomy and luxurious interior; smooth drivetrains and diesel option