Mercedes-Benz R-Klasse W251

[System]

http://img74.imageshack.us/img74/6536/mercedesbenzrklassew2510022vl.th.jpg (http://img74.imageshack.us/my.php?image=mercedesbenzrklassew2510022vl.jpg)

[TT]

Uhm.. for a moment I almost wanted to give it a cool. It's a hell of a luxury vehicle, maybe because the one I was in was an official test car, ence packed with all the goodies, but I can't see many better ways to travel cross country quickly and in comfort.. but hell, Mercedes is stretching it too far, creating tons of new subclasses and so on.. this sort of big B-Klass can't be cool :bad:

[5.7 V10]

Very few vehicles from Mercedes offend me; but this one does. My personal opinion is that the R class is a rebadged Chrysler Pacifica.

I'm going with SU

[komotar]

Voted cool just because I think this car falls nicley into the Merc line up.

I mean, I'm ok with MB making luxury cars. Big ones, fast ones. I don't care which segment, even this one.

I think it's more a Merc than any A or B class. That's why I like it. It'll help Merc get the status back that started to slip away from them.

But on the other hand, the Merc range is just so big it's all getting a bit funny.

But hell, I made my choice :lol:

[sameerrao]

Seriously uncool Mommy wagon. Dont like the design one bit

[stmoritzer]

as said before, too many classes, models....
for sure a great car, but nothing that special on this R class

=> uncool

[Shinigami]

Got an invitation to go check out the car at my dealer this coming thursday, so I'll make my verdict once I've seen it in person.

[gobs3z]

Deffinately cool. At the last US Grand Prix there was one there, i guess someone flew it over here. It looked great, had tv's in the rear. I was just really jealous.

[crayzayjay]

Really dont know what to make of this car apart from the fact that it's extremely ugly. Anyway, how can a vehicle of this sort be cool?

Uncool...

[taygunho]

Seriously uncool. I dont like this car and it's design.

[chest3r]

Cool!!

I voted for cool just because it's better than an SUV :P It isn't much different but I think it's better :roll:

Apart from that, I think it's a ugly and way too big. That's why it was made for the American market and not for Europe... :wink:

[numerouno]

baing a benz van't save it!...seriously unkool!

[numerouno]

baing a benz van't save it!...seriously unkool!

[Ghostbat]

This must be one of the cars I am most certain of giving an seriously unccol vote on, its ugly as hell, being an benz the electrical system will probably fail before getting it out of the dealers parking lot and all the luxury in the world cant save it cuz its that luxury wich cause all the problems in the first place....

Benz have gone downhill for quite some time and this car just makes it even more clear....sad to see really.... :|

seriously uncool....

It's so entertaining to see how you don't get what the Cool Wall is all about :roll:

[Shinigami]

being an benz the electrical system will probably fail before getting it out of the dealers parking lot
I think you need to talk to my SLK. After 16 months, the electrics have STILL not failed.

The DVD player works fine. The Navigation works fine. The electric steering column works fine. The automatic electric seats still work fine. The automatic climate control works fine. The roof still works fine, and it's one of the most complicated things one can make for a car.

Everyone has a neighbour, cousin, friend that has an MB which fails. How come mine still works? How come my old SLK still worked when I sold it? How come my fathers 10 year old C class is still running like it was new?

Oh, and for this car, I'd give it something between cool and uncool, but I'll give it cool to even things out a bit here :roll: I saw the car in person, and whilst it was full of interesting gadgets, I'm not really into this kind of cars.

[LotusGT1]

Current Mercedes' have more than average problems with their electrics. The fact that yours doesn't does not change that fact. Also it's a well known fact that quality wise Mercedes has increasing problems.

[Shinigami]

The problem I have with this is that everyone assumes that they ALL have the problem. I read everyday a post on a forum with someone saying to another person "don't buy a benz, you'll have electrical problems all the time" and this is not true.

There are of course cars which will have problems, and this goes for every brand of car, even Lexus.

It is well known that the first "production year" is the worst and most bound to have bugs, but if those problems are identified and fixed, will the car really have problems "all of it's life"?

For example, my dad had an Alfa Romeo, which although a very nice car, had constant problems. But here's the catch, it was always something different! One day the brakes would stop working, and then it would be the aircon, and so on... After many years, he sold it, still with problems on it that were never identified.

So are the problems with MB recurring problems, or random problems which rear their ugly head at inopportune moments? Because from what it would seem, everyone assumes it's immediately a problem with every single car made by the company, and from there the circle goes on and on...

Basically, it has become synonumous with MB. Everyone just likes to jump on MB's back because it's good to see a once great giant go down. It seems to make everyone feel so good... yet they all seem to forget that if it wasn't for Karl Benz, the world first automobile would not have been made.

There's a lot more "MB hate" then there is for any other car maker, and I don't quite understand why. I think they make perfectly good cars, and not all of them immediately fail :?

Nobody seems to care that BMW's sometimes rip their chassis or the engine in the M5 or M3 blow up or break a pipe, or that a Ferrari engine might simply drop from the engine bay to the floor, or basically, anything badged by GM has bad fit and finish and knobs that fall in your hands, etc... etc... the only one anyone ever talks about as having problems is "MB... avoid them at all costs". It's their loss...

[Ghostbat]

Current Mercedes' have more than average problems with their electrics. The fact that yours doesn't does not change that fact. Also it's a well known fact that quality wise Mercedes has increasing problems.

Do you know anyone who has all these problem or have you just "heard" about it? A friend of the family has a C215 CL500 and all he has had to change is lightbulb. The car has over 30,000km on the clock, and my dad's old E-class works like a charm.

No doubt they have had their share of problems but they don't have increasing problems. It's the other way around. Watch the CLS55 Clip from TG and you'll see what I'm talking about. Most manufacteres have to racall some models. Happened to BMW X5 in 2003 worldwide.

http://www.geinsurancesolutions.com/erccorporate/resources/pc/product_recalls/allentries_2.html

So you still think Mercedes are the only ones having problems.. 8)

[LotusGT1]

Yeah, not only do I know friends who actually have a Mercedes and have problems, but just look up JD Powers ratings and reports (their new site is a bitch though) or other reports.

There still is no proof the new Mercedes' line up is improving, I say a consumer survey here in the Netherlands a while back, and the current E-class is still not doing well.

Mercedes' is attacked by many because they once were the epitome of automotive engineering. They were among the best in quality. And they lost that lead and became one of the under-performers...

http://money.cnn.com/2003/07/08/pf/autos/bc.autos.durability/?cnn=yes
http://www.forbesautos.com/reviews/2007/mercedes_benz/s_class/testdrive.html
http://www.time.com/time/europe/magazine/printout/0,13155,901051024-1118309,00.html

CNN - 2003
Perhaps the study's most shocking results involve DaimlerChrysler. Since the 1998 merger, Daimler executives have contended that Mercedes-Benz's knowledge of how to build quality vehicles would be used to improve the Chrysler brands.

But Chrysler, Dodge and the now-defunct Plymouth brand all outranked Mercedes, which had 318 problems per 100 vehicles. Ivers said Mercedes' troubles were concentrated in its M-Class sport utility vehicle and its E-Class sedans, which accounted for roughly half its sales.

"The M-Class has had a lot of problems since its launch," Ivers said. "The rate of deterioration on the E-Class is greater than on any other vehicle in the industry."

Mercedes also had the largest gap between initial quality (the number of problems found when a vehicle is brand-new) and long-term quality.

Forbes article

But sagging quality and reliability have damaged Mercedes' reputation in recent years. The 2000 and 2002 models of the S-Class, for instance, have been rated as worse-than-average in J.D. Power's Vehicle Dependability Study, which is based on three years of ownership. Consumer Reports rates the S-Class as having far-below-average reliability on 2000 through 2003 models, with electrical components and power equipment as Achilles' heels.

Part of the problem is that Mercedes' strategy has been to infuse its vehicles — especially the flagship S-Class — with newfangled high-tech features — not because the market demands them, but in order to stay ahead of the curve and to be known as a technological innovator. The electronic braking system found in the latest generation E-Class is an example.

This is not something I'm making up.

[LotusGT1]

JD Powers probably.

[Shinigami]

Mercedes' is attacked by many because they once were the epitome of automotive engineering. They were among the best in quality. And they lost that lead and became one of the under-performers...
But why the need to "attack" them? Of course they've realised that this has hurt them, and any automaker only wants to produce the best they're able to make. But still, I find it weird how many actually rub their hands in glee at the whole thought of it...

But then again, there are people out there who don't like Microsoft or Bill Gates (even for all the hundreds of millions that he gives to charities), and well... the list goes on :\

Eh, we will never live in peace anyway ;)

[LotusGT1]

Hey, just could find a better word for it.

You perfectly explained why Mercedes was commented so hard on. In Holland we say "The highest trees catch the most wind" :P

I couldn't care for Mercedes as their offerings in general are too classic for my taste, and I would like my performance car with a manual transmission, but IMO they remain to be an impressive force within the industry...

[Shinigami]

Hey, if the SLK came with a manual tranny, I'd be the first in line, and I might actually let go of the idea of getting a Modena :shock:

But yes, I see what you mean by the highest trees catching the most wind. Another similar saying goes "how the mighty have fallen"... ;)

Oh well... I personally hope all bugs are kept to a minimum, and I'd much rather accept an electrical bug, then say... my brakes or seat belt failing on me :(

[Ghostbat]

Hey, if the SLK came with a manual tranny, I'd be the first in line, and I might actually let go of the idea of getting a Modena :shock:

But yes, I see what you mean by the highest trees catching the most wind. Another similar saying goes "how the mighty have fallen"... ;)

Oh well... I personally hope all bugs are kept to a minimum, and I'd much rather accept an electrical bug, then say... my brakes or seat belt failing on me :(

I'm not sure if you only speak of the 55 but the SLK comes with a six speed manual tranny as standrad in the 350. Hopefully Mercedes will have their own version of a DSG in the not so far future.

[ae86_16v]

As much as the G - Klasse (Wagen) is cool even Sub-Zero, this is all the way on the other side of the spectrum.

Seriously Uncool.

[Shinigami]

Hey, if the SLK came with a manual tranny, I'd be the first in line, and I might actually let go of the idea of getting a Modena :shock:

But yes, I see what you mean by the highest trees catching the most wind. Another similar saying goes "how the mighty have fallen"... ;)

Oh well... I personally hope all bugs are kept to a minimum, and I'd much rather accept an electrical bug, then say... my brakes or seat belt failing on me :(

I'm not sure if you only speak of the 55 but the SLK comes with a six speed manual tranny as standrad in the 350. Hopefully Mercedes will have their own version of a DSG in the not so far future.
In this case, I was only speaking of the 55... the 350 is nice, but lacks serious punch.

I already drove the manual SLK, and whilst it was quite good, it was not the BEST tranny in the world. I think I'll leave that to something like the S2000 (a really great shifting experience).

According to AMG, they're working on a DSG... perhaps it will come out in 2 years time. I guess it's just a case of lets wait and see...

[emmepower]

UNCOOL!!! ... :!:

[TransAm]

Not my cup of tea...

[black_magician]

I saw one of these things the other day. While it did look different than the other cars around it, I was kinda laughing at it. It just looks wierd.

[Global Warming]

The poll should have had only one choice, seriously uncool!!