Tuesday, February 1, 2011

2011 Mercedes-Benz R350

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2011 Mercedes-Benz R350
The R350 caters to families with its roomy cabin, compliant ride and available convenience features, but it sacrifices some utility in the name of style.
I tested the diesel-powered R350 Bluetec, and a gas V-6 engine is also offered. The diesel version starts at $51,740, but options made the as-tested price balloon to around $67,000. The R-Class' price range overlaps two of Mercedes' SUVs: the five-seat M-Class and the seven-seat GL-Class. The R-Class is available with seating for six or seven.
Styling
Riding lower than a crossover but looking sleeker than a minivan, the R-Class might best be described as a large wagon. It's nearly as long as Mercedes' flagship S-Class full-size sedan, but wider and taller.
The front of the R-Class has been significantly updated for 2011. It features a new grille, new headlights and new bumper styling. Taken as a whole, the changes give the R-Class a stronger, more substantial look. It's a big improvement, and it works well with the rest of the exterior design, which carries over mostly unchanged.
Ride and handling
One of the best aspects of the R350 Bluetec is its comfortable ride. It can feel floaty on undulating roads and exhibits noticeable body roll when cornering, but the suspension tuning's emphasis on comfort is the right choice for a people-mover like this.
On the highway, the R350 settles down nicely. It feels planted and would be an easy-driving steed on a family road trip.
Classic Mercedes steering tuning yields limited feedback, which isn't out of the ordinary for a luxury-oriented family-hauler. The wheel itself spins smoothly, and the moderate amount of effort required to turn it feels appropriate.
Diesel power
As if the R-Class' styling didn't make it unique enough, it's also one of the few models in the U.S. with an available clean-diesel engine. The diesel V-6 is rated 25 percent better in EPA-estimated combined fuel economy than the gas V-6 engine, but as diesels are prone to do, it also makes more noise. All versions of the R-Class have all-wheel drive.

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