R-Class R-Class Facelift

[cawimmer430]

Hey Christian, Any sales numbers on the r in europe? maybe some monthly figures or yearly...

I am never sure where to find these statistics.

The R-Class is a slow seller in Europe, but it has sold in numbers that have apparently convinced the Daimler leadership to facelift it. I believe on the used car market that R-Classes are quite alluring cars. Safe, spacious, comfortable and from Mercedes - what's not to like?


Personally, I also think that Mercedes completely marketed the R-Class in the wrong way. It's a people-mover and family car, not a "Sportstourer". They used that word "Sportstourer" for the B-Class and R-Class when there is really nothing sporty about these cars. The R-Class does feel and handle better than the B-Class in my experience though.

 

[Tarek]

Actually after talking to some R owners at the sevice center when goin to service my dad's car.they are very happy with everything about the car,and they all greed on one point which is when u are looking for a premium luxury cruiser for ur family there's only one choice

And i have to say that the car has a very pleasant spacey interior

 

[klier]

The R class is a great car indeed. Very luxurious, spacious, expensive and comfortable. I have absolutely nothing against it. I always felt like a king driving that car. The facelift will only improve on that!

 

[Giannis]

Safe, spacious, comfortable and from Mercedes - what's not to like?

Personally, I also think that Mercedes completely marketed the R-Class in the wrong way. It's a people-mover and family car, not a "Sportstourer". They used that word "Sportstourer" for the B-Class and R-Class when there is really nothing sporty about these cars. The R-Class does feel and handle better than the B-Class in my experience though.

You are quite right on this Christian! I happend to see the R-Class at the local MB dealer a couple months ago, wasn't availiable for a test drive though. The interior is huge and very spacious, plus the materials are of great MB quality. Very nice designed and hides easily it's huge shape! Nice design, but not sporty! It's a great and very comfortable cruiser and not a Sportstourer. It could be marketed this way, with MB marketing pointing on the typical MB virtues, meaning comfort and quality!

 

[Tarek]

The R class is a great car indeed. Very luxurious, spacious, expensive and comfortable. I have absolutely nothing against it. I always felt like a king driving that car. The facelift will only improve on that!

Wow

 

[coolraoul]

I think the R-Class had two major flaws who completely killed it.

- *** are those headlights? Do they want us to think the car is a stunned frog?

- *** are they trying to sell a 5m++ people mover with no possibility to have THREE SEATS IN THE MIDDLE-ROW? Make it an option, either king-size captain-chair or three seats.
Even the FL, with its ridiculously small third seat, didn't adress this issue.

The overall design is good (better then the 5er GT for me), the overall concept is good.
But the front is poorly designed, and the seat-concept should've been an option, with the availability of a standard 2-3-2 configuration.

 

[Sunny]

While we are playing arm chair executives, here is my 2 cents on how to make R class successful. Along with the face lift, make it an exclusive hybrid model - a MB prius, only bigger, more luxurious and more practical.

Oh, I am another R class lover, I prefer the design infinitely over the banana on wheels as far as niche cars go and the funny part is I even remember it selling better than the CLS (at least certain months) but is somehow perceived to be a failure cause of unreasonable expectations.

 

[tennmb]

The R has the best interior room. The GL is the funny one to me. It "looks" SUV so it sells great, but has no more room in the front and middle row than the ML. The dimensions are identical.

The R is wider, longer and has middle row leg room that is S-classish. A 6 foot person can sit in the 3rd row and have ample knee room, and easy access on either side of the vehicle. Something the GL is very poor at. It mainly boils down to look. It looks like a wagon or a minivan.

I would keep the R as a cross over, sharpen up the design with a little ruggedness. The next gen needs a flatter hood. Lose the sloped nose. Raise the suspension slightly and give it a full tow capacity.

In the current form the R is a luxury minivan. And that's fine. You can succeed there. If Toyota and Honda can sell minivans for $40k, then MB can make the R work. Just be honest about what it is.

 

[cawimmer430]

I think the R-Class had two major flaws who completely killed it.

- *** are those headlights? Do they want us to think the car is a stunned frog?

Design is subjective.

I doubt someone looking for something safe, spacious and comfortable (like an R-Class) is going to be turned down by it. Moreover the Mercedes badge will be enough to convince them that this is the right car for them, nice headlights or not.

 

[coolraoul]

The R has the best interior room. The GL is the funny one to me. It "looks" SUV so it sells great, but has no more room in the front and middle row than the ML. The dimensions are identical.

The R is wider, longer and has middle row leg room that is S-classish. A 6 foot person can sit in the 3rd row and have ample knee room, and easy access on either side of the vehicle. Something the GL is very poor at. It mainly boils down to look. It looks like a wagon or a minivan.

I would agree... if the fifth passenger didn't need to sit in the boot.

R-Class... people-mover with either less seats than anything else bigger than a smart, or less boot than anything bigger than a smart. Or, with the FL, with the smallest fifth-seat ever created in real car for the real-life.

In a GL, you can actually sit five persons in great comfort without having one in the boot. And that is quite something for a 5m+ car. Something the giant R-Class is totally unable to do, thus making it totally useless for 90% of the customers it targeted, explaining the poor sales.

 

[tennmb]

sorry raoul but you are talking about 1 seat in the middle. you can not seat 6 adults in the GL with anywhere near the comfort of the R. In other words there is always another side to the coin.

If you've ever had 3 adults in the middle row of a GL, I think you'd change your tune.

The 5th seat was a bandaid, and not a good one. But it does retain captain style chairs for both outside passengers, something the GL does not do. You can still recline, and slide the middle row seats in the R. Can't do it in the GL. The R is wider than the GL, so if MB had simply engineered a complete bench seat then this argument would be moot. Hopefully something they will address in the next facelift.

Many full size, 3 row SUVs have captains chairs in the middle row, which only allows TWO, so your argument kind of fizzles when you consider this.

And the difference in space behind the 3rd row in the R and GL is little.

 

[coolraoul]

I get your point.
However, thing is in the R you were UNABLE to sit three people in the middle-row. In the GL you could, with ease.

The third one doesn't sit that bad in the GL, I did drive in a GL (and ML for the matter) with my two bros sitting next to me and the boot full with things. That was impossible in an R-Class.

Now it is, but the seat is so ridiculous that people don't consider it as a real seat. In the GL, it's not that much wider, but it doesn't LOOK like it's only as wide as a hand.

It's all a matter of perception. Many people do drive alone in their car. Would they consider buying a smart? No, because they need the ABILITY to seat more people if they need. This is where the R failed, it did not offer the possibility to drive at 5 with full-luggage space.

Now it does, but in a quite unsatisying manner with that uncomfortable-looking narrow armrest/seat.

The GL does offer you a king-size 3-seats middle-row with big boot. In that it is much better perceived, as a more multi-purpose vehicle.

The solution to this is offered since many many years in many many vans, starting with the Renault Espace: you can either the have three independant seats, or only two captain-chairs with armrests. Your choice. Depending on your needs.

That would'been the solution if the R had been properly engineered.

For the ability to seat 6 people in great comfort... Yes, true, but
- few families need to seat 6. The majority are 5 persons.
- If you're 6 in the R, you can say goodbye to your luggages.
- What if you're 7? The the R would be awesome with its space... Too bad it's only 6 seater, or maybe 6and a half with the FL...

 

[tennmb]

You obviously don't live in the States, which is what determines the SUV market for MB. That's where the ML, GL, and R are built and that's where the majority stay. I've seen the things you guys drive in France, and to try and compare that to the US isn't reasonable.

Some of the most popular vehicles have been full sized SUVs with captians chairs in the middle row. Which only allow two. (Escalade, Tahoe, Yukon, etc. etc.) We don't have a Euro pass, so it's not unusual for a family to load up these big vehicles with a luggage rack on top or behind and drive 12 hours for a trip.

The ML has exactly the same size in the middle row as the GL and cost $10k less.

I have a feeling that if the R had a regular bench in the middle row, you'd still be arguing for the GL.

I sell both, and like both. I am 6 feet 170 pds. and I would want to sit with three in middle row of a GL. I would pick the R in a heart beat, expecially considering the costs difference. There's over $10k differene in the R320 and GL320 with same options.

They both have their draw backs, but that few inches in the middle of the GL seat isn't worth that kind of $$$.

 

[coolraoul]

^^ I'm French, and French people are know for their strange ideas...

But you obviously are not French, and thus don't appreciate all the brilliantness of our vehicles...

I don't want the R to have a bench in the middle. I want it to have, like the Renault Espace, or Scénic, or Peugeot 807/Citroën Evasion, the ability to have either 2 or 3 independant chairs in the middle-row (by the way of different fixations for these seats).

If not used, the third seat is reclined and is used as a table with beer holder. Or can be removed, so that the two chairs can be moved away from the doors and offer even more comfort. Individual armrest can then be fitted to both sides of both seats.

At least, MB, if this seems far too complex, give the armrest/third seat a proper size, so that you can actually sit on it.

With that, it would offer significantly more than the GL (who is, in fact, an ML with two seats in the boot).

In addition to that, give the R-Class a proper face, and you have a winner. Practicality, comfort, look, reliability and performances. No true competitor at all.

 

[tennmb]

It's just we have a completely different car culture here. So we just have to take that into account when debating the issues with these two vehicle.

The ML, GL and R were all designed based on the US market. That's a fact.

The R is definately getting a new face. I hope they redo the back seat as well.

 

[coolraoul]

^^ I agree. The three are primilarly thought for the US market.

Let's see what they do with this FL! At least it seems to get a brand new face... that's a start...

 

[tennmb]

I do have a question for you.

Do you guys get the short wheelbase version?

In the US we only sell the long. I know they initially had a SWB for euro markets.

 

[coolraoul]

Yes in Europe we have the two versions. I have to say that the boot is not that much smaller in the SWB, but the third row is roomier for the legs in the LWB.

I prefer the look of the LWB, looks lower.

 

[PHYBENZ]

 

[PHYBENZ]