Tribe of one

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It’s difficult, at first, to make a clear case for the existence of this car. It is, according to Mercedes, a fusion of already established vehicle sectors, namely sports saloon, MPV, estate and 4x4. But we’ve heard talk like this before – off-roaders with sporting intentions are the most common attempt at hitting two markets with one car, and it’s a rare beast that satisfies all the criteria for both.

A good measure of how easy a car is to place in a niche is how quickly you can come up with a place to photograph it. Go on, give it a shot – where would you have taken this? First up, you think MPV – take it to a school, put some kids in the back and take some pictures of them pulling it apart in that special way only children can. Perhaps.

Metal and glass
Or do you take it to a business park – all metal and glass? It looks pretty futuristic. Open fields? It’s a 4x4 after all. Racetrack? You can order one from AMG with a five-litre V8. The list goes on and there, in that split second when you realise that you don’t quite know what to do with this car, you think that maybe, just maybe, Mercedes is right.

It’s a good looking car, when you consider its design rivals are mainly MPVs. Like the CLS, it’s a surprising shape which requires time to get used to, and commands huge presence just standing still.

The R-Class is a clever amalgamation of automotive diversity

It’s also a big car, but a waistline crease running from the rear lights to the front wheel arch lightens its sides a little and bring the roofline down; from the rear, the R-Class looks plain mean. The front is classic Mercedes, and overall it’s a tidy design hiding what is essentially a pretty large car.

As a hefty car, the sporting credentials are therefore somewhat dubious. Admittedly you order a seriously fast one, but a 747 can shift pretty quickly in a straight line; I still wouldn’t want to take one through a fast hairpin.

The surprise is, for a heavyweight it handles really quite well, dispatching corners tidily and with minimal fuss. A button on the dash enables you to set the suspension to Sport mode, lowering and firming the car, and it does make a difference. The R-Class is never going to handle like a sports saloon, but it wears its weight well and, if you try, you can still have some fun down your favourite B-road.

Open the solid doors and it becomes immediately obvious that the crossover between MPV and luxury saloon occurs inside. Capable of travelling six up (and that’s six adults, in comfort), the R-Class affords you a commanding view of the road, pitting you just enough above the normal traffic to aid your vision.

Natural light
A panoramic windscreen and glass roof also throw plenty of natural light around the cabin, giving the car a real sense of airiness and space.

The six seats are arranged in three sets of two, and this is where the luxury side of things starts to come into play. There is no option for a middle bench seat; in order to ensure the R’s occupants have ample space all the time; they are two separate chairs. The seats are supremely comfortable, and in the front are heated and electrically operated in more directions than you thought existed. It’s a brave soul, though, who puts the heated seats on their highest setting – you could sear a wild boar on them. The solution; fire retardant trousers or the ability to admit defeat and bump the heat down a notch.

The final row of seats folds out of the floor in the boot and, although leather trimmed, they don’t afford quite the same level of comfort as the front two rows, but they’re fine for short journeys and children. Six seats really is enough, so if you have any more than four kids, you’ll have to put them in a roofbox. That’s ok though – they’re on the options list.

You can’t really criticise the interior of the R-Class; Mercedes has had more build-quality issues in recent years than it should have done, but this is evidence that things have improved hugely. It’s comfortable, well screwed together and, if there’s not enough space in it for you, there’s always the option of the long-wheelbase version.

Style and thought
A luxury dashboard in MPV-style sweeps across the car’s interior, incorporating all major controls including the satellite navigation. The fascia is clear and uncluttered, and the dials and driver instrumentation is clear and well thought out, proving you can have a bit of style and not confuse everything in the process.

Freeing up some storage space between the front seats means the gearshift has been moved to the steering column, and it takes a while to get used to; it’s a long time before you stop reaching down for a gear lever that doesn’t exist.

The column shift works well, in general use, except when you’re manoeuvring in a car park and need to turn the wheel and swap between forward and reverse at the same time – you’ll wrap yourself in the steering wheel. Which looks amateurish, at best.

Ratio hunting
The seven-speed automatic gearbox isn’t as fussy as it seems in other Mercedes, and thankfully doesn’t spend ages hunting for ratios; kickdown is immediate and cruising on the motorway is quiet and refined. There is also the option to swap cogs via buttons behind the steering wheel, but this tends to be a relatively unsatisfying form of progress and after a while you’ll find yourself leaving it in Drive.

Thanks to borrowing the M-Class’s powertrain, the R-Class also boasts four-wheel-drive. The ability to raise and lower the suspension at the touch of a button will also make the Merc better equipped to handle difficult situations than MPV rivals, and while it’s not up to Land Rover standards, the inclusion of 4x4 is more than just a gimmick here – it will, I suspect, be genuinely useful.

Around half of UK sales will be for diesels, and our test car was fitted with the most popular: Mercedes’ three litre V6. Starting at a shade over £40,000, the diesel should return around 30mpg in gentle hands, and it’s a well-proven engine. Mated to the seven-speed auto box provides ample refinement and good response, even from low revs; put your foot down and the 3.0 litre diesel also has some proper grunt. On the charge it’ll hit 62mph in 8.8 seconds from standstill, and for a car this size that’s really quite impressive.

For those who want to move their family really, really quickly, and are in a position to hand over a £74,000 cheque, there is the R63. Fitted, somehow, with a 6.2 litre V8, this AMG-tuned monster will hit 62 mph in 5.1 seconds, and storm on to an electronically limited 155mph. That’s faster that the Porsche Boxster we tested last month. It’s horrifyingly quick.

It is very easy to be cynical about ‘crossover’ cars; so many have failed in the past, the public are weary of yet another marketing department’s attempts at automotive spin.

Mercedes is brave to step away from its tried and tested formulas, and dynamically, the R-Class is excellent; it’s spacious, comfortable, luxurious, refined and, with a little effort, fun to drive. The company isn’t trying to convince you it will cross the Sahara and provide unprecedented levels of luxury at the same time, but by giving each market sector a chance to showcase a talent, it becomes a clever amalgamation of automotive diversity.

Think of it like a medley of your favourite band’s hits. You might not like the concept at first, but you’ll still love the result.

ENGINE: 3.0litre V6 diesel

PERFORMANCE: 0-62 8.8, 138mph

ECONOMY: 30.4mpg (combined)

PRICE: from £36,420

OUR PICK: the R 320 CDI

VERDICT: Fast, comfy, roomy, sleek and fun to drive

SHOOT LOCATION: Thames gateway

Words by Michael Palmer, pictures by Matthew Richardson