Mr. M
Tire Trailblazer
Hi everyone.
Within the last few days, my mid-terms has just ended and my dad brought me out to celebrate by viewing and test-driving cars. We went to the MB showroom, Audi showroom, the VW showroom and a second-hand car mart on Sunday. It was a disappointing 4 hours spent, because to every showroom we went, only Mercedes was able to offer a test-drive. Audi hasn't brought in the 2.0TFSI A6 with DSG that we wanted to try out, and VW didn't have the R32. But luckily the day was redeemed when we were given the keys to the R350.
The new showroom, and some of you have realised, marks one of several Mercedes-Benz Centres in the world. It has 5 levels, and the top level houses the AMG division and the Maybach exclusive showroom, which is only open only on request. A representative from DaimlerChrysler will serve the individual customer on an indent basis. They displayed an E55 AMG, which looks good on the outside. They locked it though, so we didn't get to check out the interior.
And it was just our luck that the Maybach showroom was open, so we got to touch and feel the Maybach - from the outside that is. Once again, it was locked. Gargantuan proportions, this car. We have ideas thinking about how it will parallel park in Singapore, since each lot is barely above 5 1/2 metres long.
While we were waiting for registration and all, we checked out the S-Class and the SL as well. I've sat in every single model they had there, and I have to point out that the A/B class is incredibly cheap. I mean by the way it's made. I can safely say that even a Golf's interior can rival them. No leather as standard... I couldn't really imagine this in a Mercedes just a few years ago...
The C-Class felt a little aged compared to the 3 Series too. The materials and all just couldn't match a newer model. The S-Class continues to impress, but I think overall the SL left the greatest impression on me. It's just perfect. Proportions, interior, everything...
This is the Mercedes I want to get. The CLS gives me a similar feeling too; but its half-hearted sedan/coupe shape means you get the compromises of a coupe as well as the strengths of a sedan. Which means you end up at an uneasy situation.
Anyway, back to the R350.
The ride is like riding on pillows. This is one incredibly comfortable car. And, bear in mind, all my reviews are as a passenger so you won't get much driver inputs from me except from my dad. No license yet. 
And he says power is adequate, but its definitely nothing to shout about. The steering was numb, but was more responsive than the one in the Phaeton. The engine sounds sporty, but that also means that the note sometimes creep into the interior too much.
Overall the R350 is an incredible cruiser. It has the space (we tested the long-wheelbase R-Class), the functionality and the appeal. The space at the first two rows can be compared to the S-Class, and the third row to a C-Class's legroom.
The exterior looks much better than in the pictures, and I daresay, it looks good. It looks more sleek than the Q7 or the X5 because of its low sitting position, and the front headlights don't present much of a problem as well, because most of the time you will be seeing the side view of this car. And it's where it shines. It looks fantastic. The roofline sweeps down from the front gracefully, and the design treats the eyes like it would be something I can liken to a gentleness of a swan's movements.
The interior remains a disappointment to me. It feels well-built, but the materials used are 'spongy' and 'hollow'. That's how I will describe it. And the leather feels rough, nothing like what is used in Audi's Q7.
I'd give the merits of the R-Class as being highly practical, affordable, spacious and having good road presence. I'd definitely consider it just because of its looks. SUVs put me off sometimes, and this offers a good alternative. But I have an uncanny personal preference for great detail, and here is where the R-Class presents its worst self.
The second-hand mart visit later just bored me. There was just a sea of Japanese cars...
Then today, VW called us to say the R32 was ready!
We jumped at the news, and the headed to the showroom eagerly after lunch. The first car we saw was a striking red R32, which looked great. Though, it looks a little too similar to the Golf... Though the smoked tail-lights, subtle body-kit and badges do redeem it somewhat.
We were very excited, because we're one of the firsts in Singapore to test-drive this car. Volkswagen had many issues with the dealer in Singapore, so most of the time demo cars aren't just available, which is really disappointing and stupid as well. How can they sell cars without demos?
Anyway, off we go on the R32 and the first thing I realised was how quiet this car was on idle. Okay, you can argue that many cars are like that nowadays, but this was a performance car, and I was quite impressed. The ride is well-sorted and comfortable, certainly not what I've expected from a stiffened-up suspension. DSG was flawless. The interior had some cheap bits, but the leather felt really nice. The aluminium trim was a nice touch as well.
The best thing about this car is the exhaust note. It sounds damn good, and you will rev this car just to hear it.
To compare this car to the GTI, the GTI felt more youthful, more rough and more raw. This R32 is more of a cruiser, and it will not offer much of a difference in terms of acceleration in 0-100km/h sprint. It felt more sure-footed, but it didn't have that immense torque up front for you to play with. Instead, this car has a very balanced torque curve which pulls the car evenly throughout cleanly.
As everyone knows, traffic in little Singapore is horrendous, so we didn't get to push this car much. But from first impressions its impressive. My personal choice is still the GTI.
That's all, and thanks for reading. Sorry, I have no pictures... The dealers aren't too happy with pictures!
Within the last few days, my mid-terms has just ended and my dad brought me out to celebrate by viewing and test-driving cars. We went to the MB showroom, Audi showroom, the VW showroom and a second-hand car mart on Sunday. It was a disappointing 4 hours spent, because to every showroom we went, only Mercedes was able to offer a test-drive. Audi hasn't brought in the 2.0TFSI A6 with DSG that we wanted to try out, and VW didn't have the R32. But luckily the day was redeemed when we were given the keys to the R350.
The new showroom, and some of you have realised, marks one of several Mercedes-Benz Centres in the world. It has 5 levels, and the top level houses the AMG division and the Maybach exclusive showroom, which is only open only on request. A representative from DaimlerChrysler will serve the individual customer on an indent basis. They displayed an E55 AMG, which looks good on the outside. They locked it though, so we didn't get to check out the interior.
And it was just our luck that the Maybach showroom was open, so we got to touch and feel the Maybach - from the outside that is. Once again, it was locked. Gargantuan proportions, this car. We have ideas thinking about how it will parallel park in Singapore, since each lot is barely above 5 1/2 metres long.
While we were waiting for registration and all, we checked out the S-Class and the SL as well. I've sat in every single model they had there, and I have to point out that the A/B class is incredibly cheap. I mean by the way it's made. I can safely say that even a Golf's interior can rival them. No leather as standard... I couldn't really imagine this in a Mercedes just a few years ago...
The C-Class felt a little aged compared to the 3 Series too. The materials and all just couldn't match a newer model. The S-Class continues to impress, but I think overall the SL left the greatest impression on me. It's just perfect. Proportions, interior, everything...
This is the Mercedes I want to get. The CLS gives me a similar feeling too; but its half-hearted sedan/coupe shape means you get the compromises of a coupe as well as the strengths of a sedan. Which means you end up at an uneasy situation.
Anyway, back to the R350.
The ride is like riding on pillows. This is one incredibly comfortable car. And, bear in mind, all my reviews are as a passenger so you won't get much driver inputs from me except from my dad. No license yet. And he says power is adequate, but its definitely nothing to shout about. The steering was numb, but was more responsive than the one in the Phaeton. The engine sounds sporty, but that also means that the note sometimes creep into the interior too much.Overall the R350 is an incredible cruiser. It has the space (we tested the long-wheelbase R-Class), the functionality and the appeal. The space at the first two rows can be compared to the S-Class, and the third row to a C-Class's legroom.
The exterior looks much better than in the pictures, and I daresay, it looks good. It looks more sleek than the Q7 or the X5 because of its low sitting position, and the front headlights don't present much of a problem as well, because most of the time you will be seeing the side view of this car. And it's where it shines. It looks fantastic. The roofline sweeps down from the front gracefully, and the design treats the eyes like it would be something I can liken to a gentleness of a swan's movements.
The interior remains a disappointment to me. It feels well-built, but the materials used are 'spongy' and 'hollow'. That's how I will describe it. And the leather feels rough, nothing like what is used in Audi's Q7.
I'd give the merits of the R-Class as being highly practical, affordable, spacious and having good road presence. I'd definitely consider it just because of its looks. SUVs put me off sometimes, and this offers a good alternative. But I have an uncanny personal preference for great detail, and here is where the R-Class presents its worst self.
The second-hand mart visit later just bored me. There was just a sea of Japanese cars...
Then today, VW called us to say the R32 was ready!
We jumped at the news, and the headed to the showroom eagerly after lunch. The first car we saw was a striking red R32, which looked great. Though, it looks a little too similar to the Golf... Though the smoked tail-lights, subtle body-kit and badges do redeem it somewhat.
We were very excited, because we're one of the firsts in Singapore to test-drive this car. Volkswagen had many issues with the dealer in Singapore, so most of the time demo cars aren't just available, which is really disappointing and stupid as well. How can they sell cars without demos?
Anyway, off we go on the R32 and the first thing I realised was how quiet this car was on idle. Okay, you can argue that many cars are like that nowadays, but this was a performance car, and I was quite impressed. The ride is well-sorted and comfortable, certainly not what I've expected from a stiffened-up suspension. DSG was flawless. The interior had some cheap bits, but the leather felt really nice. The aluminium trim was a nice touch as well.
The best thing about this car is the exhaust note. It sounds damn good, and you will rev this car just to hear it.
To compare this car to the GTI, the GTI felt more youthful, more rough and more raw. This R32 is more of a cruiser, and it will not offer much of a difference in terms of acceleration in 0-100km/h sprint. It felt more sure-footed, but it didn't have that immense torque up front for you to play with. Instead, this car has a very balanced torque curve which pulls the car evenly throughout cleanly.
As everyone knows, traffic in little Singapore is horrendous, so we didn't get to push this car much. But from first impressions its impressive. My personal choice is still the GTI.
That's all, and thanks for reading. Sorry, I have no pictures... The dealers aren't too happy with pictures!
But you know, I took pictures of the GTI before, and they told me to stop. I managed to snap a few but they didn't allow it. However, here is a few pictures to redeem myself: 
