Video: 2011 Mercedes-Benz R350
By Cars.com Editors
October 13, 2010
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About the video
Cars.com's Mike Hanley takes a look at the 2011 Mercedes-Benz R350. It competes with the Lincoln MKT and Audi Q7.
Transcript
(upbeat music) <v Host>Cars.com auto review. Hi, I'm Mike Hanley with cars.com and I'm here with the 2011 Mercedes-Benz R-Class.
It's one of those vehicles that's kind of hard to classify, 'cause it's not necessarily an SUV, but it comes with standard all-wheel drive. It's not necessarily a crossover either because it rides a lot lower to the ground than many crossovers, but it has room for up to seven people. But I think it's safe to say is that this is a luxurious family mover. The shape of the R-Class is very unique. From some angles, it looks kind of like a large wagon, but it gets some significant styling changes for the 2011 model year and they're all focused up front. It has these all new headlights, a new grille, and it really gives the car a stronger appearance than its predecessor had. One of the things worth pointing out on the R-Class is its second row doors because they're enormous. When you open it up, it gives you good access to the second row, which is nice, but look how wide it is. If you have kids sitting in the back, they could throw this open and ding anything next to you. In addition to its styling, one of the other things that makes the R-Class unique is its available diesel engine. It can have a three-liter V6 diesel, it's rated at 210 horsepower and 400 pounds feet of torque. Now you can get a traditional gas engine in this vehicle, but the diesel will get you better fuel economy, It's rated at 18 miles per gallon in the city, 24 on the highway. With a lot of Mercedes, there's a command control knob down on the center console to control the audio, navigation systems, but this one has this little control pad up on the dashboard that is supposed to mimic that, problem is it's not really good at doing that. One of the most impressive aspects about the R-Class is its roomy second row seat. I have nearly as much leg room here as I would in Mercedes flagship S-Class sedan. Now this is a six seat configuration not the seven seat model, but it does come with some other upscale options like, dual screen rear seat entertainment and a big panoramic sunroof. It's so nice back here that I'm not sure if I'd be willing to let kids ride in here if this was my car. If second row passengers are willing to share some of their leg room space, the third row is surprisingly accommodating. This seat slid forward a little bit and with it at that position, I have pretty good leg room and also nice headroom too, and I'm just over six feet tall. Like a lot of three row vehicles, there's not a lot of space when all the seats are up and if you've get the optional Harman Kardon audio system, don't really have under floor storage either because of the subwoofer, but you can fold down the third row and second row flat if you need to carry more things. The R-Class avoids the minivan stigma while still offering a comfortable driving experience and quite a bit of utility that families are looking for in a vehicle, but you've got to pay a lot for it because the diesel model starts at more than $51,000. And with options, the price rises considerably. (upbeat music) <v Host>For more car related news, go to cars.com or our blog, KickingTires.net. (bell dings)