The poor Merc R-Class has forever suffered from a bit of an identity crisis. SUV? Estate? MPV? Crossover? Charitably Mercedes has tried to resolve the R's woes by transforming the large six-seater into a large seven-seater. And a large five-seater. With two-wheel driveway. And four-wheel mechanism. That'll aid then.
Aiming to muscleman in on the sales of the Audi Q7 et al. Merc has squeezed an edition seat into the R's second row creating a regular seven-seater. Only it's not quite that simple .
The entry-level R280 CDI here sits on a slightly shorter wheelbase with just one row of three seats in the dorsum. So you get a beating great boot to stash all of your emotional baggage but rear passenger legroom is less generous than the R's still-hefty footprint would suggest.
It remains a great wallowing beast on the itinerant too; the R280's diesel engine - a detuned version of the 3.0-litre V6 in the R320 - struggles with the sheer majority of the car. It's a trouble that's compounded by the absurdly lazy seven-speed auto. Delayed kickdown? You'll need a journal to plan your overtaking manoeuvres.
Unlike the rest of the reach the R280 is rear-wheel drive only. Unless you're planning a spot of ad-lib tobogganing you'll barely notice but it doesn't help to allay the sense that the R-Class doesn't know what it wants to be. Amazingly Mercedes has managed to brand the world's most schizophrenic car yet more confusing. A lifetime of expensive therapy awaits the roentgen we fear.
Aiming to muscleman in on the sales of the Audi Q7 et al. Merc has squeezed an edition seat into the R's second row creating a regular seven-seater. Only it's not quite that simple .The entry-level R280 CDI here sits on a slightly shorter wheelbase with just one row of three seats in the dorsum. So you get a beating great boot to stash all of your emotional baggage but rear passenger legroom is less generous than the R's still-hefty footprint would suggest.
It remains a great wallowing beast on the itinerant too; the R280's diesel engine - a detuned version of the 3.0-litre V6 in the R320 - struggles with the sheer majority of the car. It's a trouble that's compounded by the absurdly lazy seven-speed auto. Delayed kickdown? You'll need a journal to plan your overtaking manoeuvres.Unlike the rest of the reach the R280 is rear-wheel drive only. Unless you're planning a spot of ad-lib tobogganing you'll barely notice but it doesn't help to allay the sense that the R-Class doesn't know what it wants to be. Amazingly Mercedes has managed to brand the world's most schizophrenic car yet more confusing. A lifetime of expensive therapy awaits the roentgen we fear.
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