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2006 Mercedes-Benz R-Class Road Test

Luxury Crossover Leaves a Wide Footprint

Some time ago I was flying across the country in business class, something I do as often as I can, and I found myself sitting beside the president of a major financial company. When he found out what I do, which normally happens when I pull out a press kit and begin punching out a news story, preview or road test, he asked me, "I normally only drive BMWs, but I just bought a minivan. Guess which one I bought." I knew immediately, and answered "A Honda Odyssey, of course." He smiled and said, "Howd you know?!"

You could easily substitute Mercedes-Benz for BMW in this scenario, or any luxury marque for that matter, as none makes a minivan. No doubt, if BMW, Mercedes-Benz or some other premium brand produced a minivan this person would have, at the very least, considered it, but nothing even remotely similar was available from the top-tier carmakers - at least it wasnt back then. Mercedes-Benz, mind you, is trying to capture this market, with

The R-Class: A minivan for those who cringe at the thought of driving a minivan. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, American Auto Press)

an all-new model that comes close to providing the same type of functionality.

Yes, the new R-Class comes close, but if youre used to the amazing flexibility of the worlds most versatile automotive genre, it wont quite hit the mark. Although, for many it will, so before I get into where it comes up short, lets define whats good about it? First and foremost, the R350 and R500, the two models currently available (an R55 AMG and R63 AMG are on the way), are both incredibly spacious inside. Amongst luxury brands, nothing comes close to offering as much room for driver and passengers, even those relegated to the third row. Yes, theres room for full-size adults back there,

Interestingly, half of the R-Class range consists of AMG models. Pictured here is the base R350. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, American Auto Press)

so now those who have teens or often carry around their aging parents or customers aplenty (it would be ideal for real estate agents), dont have to give up on premium appointments to get the room they need.

Those rear seats fold flat into the floor too, making room for extra luggage if the third row isnt needed. If all seats are full, the Rs cargo volume is compromised - understandably. I loaded up a variety of items, something I normally have to do in order to deal with life while living with a test vehicle, and all it took were two tugs on rear straps that popped the rear seatbacks forward. They wouldnt fold flat until I went around the side, tumbled a second-row forward, an easy and efficient process, and then pulled

Flat-fold seats yeild a big, wide floor. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, American Auto Press)

forward the lower seat cushions. Not as convenient as an Odyssey minivan, or the class-leading Stow n Go seating system in M-Bs second-cousin Dodge Grand Caravan/Chrysler Town & Country, but it worked. I suppose this is as good a time as any to say what didnt work, in this regard with the R-Class.
I think its most inconvenient aspect is its side doors. Theyre amazingly wide, which is good for ingress and egress, no doubt, but just try getting in and out of them, or the front ones for that matter, in an average shopping mall parking stall. The problem is the Rs width, at 85.4 inches, compared to the Odysseys 77.2 inches, which is a difference of a substantial 8.2 inches. Can you see why it was near impossible to use the side doors when parked in a regular stall? Who dreams up cars like this anyways? Obviously not those who live anywhere

R-Class interior shares many of its components with the ML and GL-Class. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, American Auto Press)

in North America, despite this one being produced in Mercedes-Benzs Tuscaloosa, Alabama assembly plant. If the Odyssey was a particularly narrow minivan the Rs worst challenge wouldnt be so bad, but in fact the Odyssey is amongst the wider of its segment, the Toyota Sienna a mere 0.08 inches wider and the DaimlerChrysler vans measuring slightly more at 78.6 inches, still much narrower than the R. Add to this that the minivans feature convenient sliding side doors, which are often powered no less (talk about luxury), and the Rs inconvenience is glaringly apparent. It was so bad, actually, that on a number of occasions I had to park closer to the vehicle on my right than I normally would, just so that I could open a side door and let the kids out. Kaden, my five-year old, took to getting in and out via the rear liftgate - do you think Ill be able to get him out of that habit easily? After realizing

While the Rs wide stance adds to interior roominess, it makes accessing the kids through the extra-long doors near impossible when slotted into an average-width parking stall. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, American Auto Press)

that by parking over the parking stalls rightmost white line, I was forcing the neighboring driver to enter his/her vehicle from the passenger side and straddle the center console, if he/she wanted to leave before I arrived back, I chose to park closer on the left side and do the straddling myself. Believe me, after a day of trying to find parking spots at the other end of the lot (it really needs two to allow reasonable access to its four side doors) the R remained parked in my garage more often than not. In short, living with the R-Class, which (for S-Class owners thinking of moving up from a sedan to a crossover) is 11.7 inches wider than a 2007 S550 and, get this, even spans 4.1 inches more from outside fender to outside fender than the 81.2 inch wide Hummer H2 and is only 1.1 inches narrower than the overwhelmingly wide Hummer H1 Alpha (yeah, the HUMVEE), is ridiculously inconvenient.

But its

My goodness, the R-Class is long and wide. That makes it a handful to park. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, American Auto Press)

not all bad, right? If you arent the type to go to shopping malls, grocery stores or any other facility that uses traditional parking stalls youll be fine. Sure its a bit long, but its 203.0 inch length wont be much more difficult to parallel-park than similar vehicles in this segment. Again, it dwarfs Hummers H2, with some 13.3 inches additional length from front to rear bumper. OK, thats not fair. The H2 only seats five and the R can hold seven. Compared to the minivan most likely purchased by premium buyers, once again the Honda Odyssey, the R is only 3.2 inches longer, making it manageable, at least. Its shorter than the new 205.1 inch long S550, mind you, by some 2.1 inches, and GMCs gargantuan Yukon XL by an amazing 16.3 inches, so for those looking to step down from a full-size SUV, the R might work well - and yes, the R is a freakish 6.5 inches wider than the Yukon XL, so you might want to think about what kinds of parking spaces you normally use before purchasing.

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