Mercedes-Benz R-Class

The R-class is a luxury six-seat, MPV-ish, 4x4 thing that looks like a pimped piglet grown over-large. Mercedes calls it a ‘Sports Tourer’. We try to ignore them.

• Comfort

  You can get Airmatic suspension as an option, which seems to suit the R-class down to the ground. There's loads of space, the suspension knocks out all but the worst the world can throw at it and it cruises without wind noise. It makes a lot of sense, and you don't have to look at it when you're on the inside.

  

• Performance

  Just two three-litre diesels with either 190bhp or 224bhp. Both are partnered as standard by Mercedes' 7G-TRONIC seven-speed automatic transmission which works faultlessly. They're smooth and refined yet don't squeal with pain if you push them, although the 224bhp version makes lighter work of the car's bulk than its smaller sibling.

  

• Cool

  Certain sexually transmitted infections have more street kudos.

  

• Quality

  This has been Mercedes' Achilles Heel over the last few years, but it looks to be sorted on this American-manufactured car. The interior is built from the finest materials and it looks and feels superb and all of the panel gaps are spot on.

  

• Handling

  Underneath, the R-class is basically an M-class SUV so we're talking 50/50 split 4x4 and a fine-but-not-startling handling balance. It's actually quite a lot better than it looks, with little body roll and good-enough steering, but this is more ‘tourer' than ‘sports'. The now-deleted R63 AMG could put the wind up anything on the road with the 507bhp it had at its disposal, but it was too crazy to live.

  

• Practicality

  A seven-seater, all of the R-Class' seats are amply sized, with the middle row providing it's occupants with a comparable knee room of an S-Class LWB and the rearmost occupants with a legspace equivalent of an E-Class. Four conventional doors admit occupants, with the enormous rear set light enough to make access easy enough. There are two versions of the R-Class, a short and a long-wheelbase. It adds an extra and useful 24cm onto the car's overall length, which improves the SWB's rather poor boot space with all the seats up (324 litres compared to the LWB's 414). The rear two sets of seats fold flat and after rearranging a few headrests you have a van-like space - 2,385 litres in the LWB.

  

• Running costs

  There are more economical ways of moving seven people than the R-Class. The two diesel engines return just 30mpg while, thanks to high CO2 emissions, the 300CDi's road tax costs are £245 and the 350CDi's are £425. But don't forget the new 'showroom' tax which means in the first year you'll pay £550 and £750 respectively. Gulp.