Mercedes-Benz R-Class
The Mercedes-Benz R-Class is a large luxury MPV introduced by Mercedes-Benz in 2005 for the 2006 model year. Following the success of the smaller A- and B-Class MPVs, Mercedes presented a concept vehicle, Vision GST, at the 2002 Detroit Auto Show, subsequently introducing the production version at 2005 New York International Auto Show. The R-Class was manufactured in Vance, Alabama until 2013 when production moved to Mishawaka, Indiana.
The R-Class shares its platform with the M-Class and GL-Class, and was available in two lengths, with either a or wheelbase. Marketed solely in North American market with the longer wheelbase, Mercedes discontinued the R-Class for North America and other markets in 2012 — continuing production for the Chinese market only until 2017.
Specifications
Powertrains
The entry with in parenthesis denotes availability in both standard and long wheelbases. Otherwise, the entry shows the standard wheelbase only. The Long without parenthesis denotes long-wheelbase version only. The asterick next to the figures denotes the long-wheelbase R-Class. The double asterick denotes the optional extra-cost AMG Driver's Package.Transmissions
All models except for R 350 4MATIC BlueEFFICIENCY, R 400 4MATIC Long, R 300 CDI BlueEfficiency, and R 350 BlueTEC 4MATIC use seven-speed 7G-TRONIC automatic transmissions. The latter four models use seven-speed 7G-TRONIC plus automatic transmission. Unusual for AMG model, R 63 AMG did not use AMG Speedshift transmission.Options
R Class in USA had many options to choose from in the sales brochure. Major options were Navigation, 7th seat between middle row center seats, panoramic sunroof, and premium sound system.Gallery
Safety and security
The R-Class scored "Good" in the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety front crash test but "Acceptable" in the side impact crash test due to the excessive load against the dummy's torso. After modifying the seatbelts and interior door trim for the 2009 model year, the IIHS rated the R-class "Good" overall in side impacts allowing the R-Class to receive the Top Safety Pick award.In the United Kingdom, Thatcham Research's New Car Whiplash Ratings tested the R-Class and awarded it the top "Good" rating overall for its ability to protect occupants against whiplash injuries. Thatcham Research's New Vehicle Security Ratings awarded R-Class with five out of five stars for vehicular theft deterrent and four out of five stars for breaking-in deterrent.
Updates
2007 changes
Mercedes-Benz announced in May 2007 that the R-Class model range would be expanded with more engine options and availability of rear-wheel-drive system for selected models in addition to 4MATIC all-wheel-drive system. A new smaller 3-litre V6 is available in both petrol and diesel versions. The seating options became more flexible, offering five, six, or seven seats. AMG styling option was added to the extensive list of standard and extra-cost options.2011 refresh
The R-Class received a facelift to the front and rear fascias, grille, side mirrors, and taillights for the model year 2011 to present. The revised model was unveiled at the 2010 New York International Auto Show.At the same time, the new 5.5-litre V8 motor was introduced to R-Class for the first time since the last R-Class with 5-litre V8 motor, R 500, was withdrawn from the market in 2007. The reintroduced R 500 was not offered in the North American market. The North American market retained R 350 4MATIC and R 350 BlueTEC 4MATIC, both in long wheelbase form, for 2011 and 2012.
R 63 AMG
The AMG version of the W251, R 63 AMG, was introduced at the 2006 North American International Auto Show as a 2007 model. It features a handbuilt 6.2-litre M156 V8 engine producing and of torque. Unusually, the R 63 AMG wasn't equipped with seven-speed AMG Speedshift 7G-TRONIC automatic transmission as found in ML 63 AMG despite both sharing the same engine and 4MATIC all-wheel-drive system. The driver can manually select the gears by pressing the upshift and downshift buttons placed behind the steering wheel spokes if desired. No rear-wheel-drive option was offered in R 63 AMG. The top speed is electronically restricted to or with optional extra-charge AMG Driver's Package. Despite its heavy weight, the acceleration is brisk with 0–100 km/h time of 4.6 seconds.A high performance version of R-Class wasn't well received due to the poor handling dynamics, especially with heavy V8 engine. Due to extremely low sales figures caused by lack of advertisement, R 63 AMG was withdrawn from the market in 2007, making it a single model year.
Chinese market
As of 2020, the long wheelbase R-Class is still produced and exported to China with two engine choices, both equipped with 7-speed 7G-TRONIC automatic gearboxes and 4MATIC drivetrain. The R-Class enjoys steady popularity in China with annual sales between 12,000 and 14,000 units per year. Due to the still rather low production numbers, the R-Class is assembled by contract manufacturer AM General in Indiana since 2015 to the present.Sales
Mercedes targeted 50,000 sales per year, half of those for the North American market. While the initial strong sales of first two model years, 2006 and 2007, the sales fell in 2008 following the recession, reaching less than ten percent of ML-Class sales. Sales continued downward, and R-Class was discontinued in 2012 for the North American market and in 2013 for Europe and other markets — with exception of China where R-Class enjoyed popularity. Mercedes-Benz Metris introduced in 2014 is considered a successor to the R-Class for the North American market.In Germany, the limited engine choices and lack of available rear-wheel-drive option at the launch led to slow sales with almost 4,500 units sold in 2006. The sales decline followed for a few years despite adding more engine choices and rear-wheel-drive option. The 2011 mid-cycle refresh increased the sales to almost 2,500 before dropping to less than 500 units for the final model year, 2013.
| Calendar year | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 |
| US sales | 4,959 | 18,168 | 13,031 | 7,733 | 2,825 | 2,937 | 2,385 | 1,636 | 30 | 8 | 4 | |
| Germany sales | 159 | 4,449 | 3,967 | 3,065 | 1,529 | 1,679 | 2,161 | 1,242 | 429 | |||
| Europe sales | 226 | 11,740 | 10,735 | 7,960 | 4,042 | 3,507 | 4,422 | 2,607 | 1,133 | 29 | 8 | 3 |
The cause of poor sales performance is hard to attribute, considering multitude of possible reasons. One is the confusing marketing of what R-Class is: Mercedes-Benz tried to persuade the customers that R-Class represented a new category of luxury passenger vehicle with the attribution of station wagon/estate, crossover, SUV, and van rolled into one. Additionally, Mercedes-Benz initially marketed R-Class as R-Class as a "Sports Cruiser" and later as a "Family Tourer". It also suffered the "image problem" caused by ill-fated Chrysler Pacifica that looked too similar to R-Class and was similarly sized despite R-Class having more luxury features and better managed launch. Chrysler Division of parent company, DaimlerChrysler, had introduced Pacifica a few years prior to the R-Class introduction, and Pacifica was plagued with production and quality issues as well as poor marketing and severe lack of engine choices. Secondly, the customer preference had shifted away from MPV minivans and vans to CUV and SUV during the late 2000s and most of the 2010s. Thirdly, the Great Recession of 2008-2009 greatly impacted the automotive sales and consumer's confidence along with strong increase in fuel price, making R-Class less desirable due to its higher fuel consumption.
The mid-cycle refresh didn't help with sales at all despite improved fascia appearance more in line with ML-Class and GL-Class and better interior.