2008 Mercedes-Benz R-Class User Reviews

Pros

Great Looks. Beautifully equipped, cool gadgets. Love the shifter. Panoramic roof is cool.

Cons

Center armrest catch button jams easily. Pano Roof too far back, only rear passengers can enjoy :(.

This is my 4th Mercedes, my others being a pair of S classes and a 64 SL. It is also my first SUV, having driven large sedans or sports cars all my life. It drives and rides like a car, which means it doesn't bounce you around all over the place, especially with the airmatic suspension set on comfort. Sport mode corners beautifully.
The shift change buttons on the steering wheel are kind of dumb, as I don't think I've used them once; the 7 speed is intelligent and that responsive.
The car is gorgeous. It looks like the big sister to the CLS, which is one of the best looking cars on the road. I get TONS of rubbernecking and compliments, and the car carries more panache than the low price (for a high end luxury car) would indicate, and the rarity of these models fairly guarantees a premium valet space. I also LOVE the push button electronic shifter stalk, once one is used to it then center console shifters seem clunky and outdated.
The Panoramic roof is a must have option, as is the airmatic suspension. The passenger compartment can comfortably seat 6 (the most comfortably of any car I've seen). The build quality is good, although it doesn't quite have the bank-vault solidity of some of the older and more premium (S class) models. With the rear seat folded down, interior volume is remarkable. With both rows folded, it is downright enormous. I simply don't understand why anyone would consider something as horrible as a minivan with this beautiful machine on the road....read morehide

Pros

Comfortable and roomy! Excellent family car!

Cons

Nothing!

Two days ago we were side-swiped in the passenger side tire while traveling at 50 miles per hour causing our R350 to flip. My whole family crawled out of the car with a couple of bumps and scratches! The roof line did not give one inch! The safety features are what I love about my Mercedes R350. After experiencing the R350's performance in a major accident it makes all the other complaints insignificant!...read morehide

Pros

Very nice ride, roomy, handles great, nice.

Cons

sluggish start, no leather major dissappointment.

Traded in 03 ML350 with 45000 miles. Sales man did not inform us of MBtex instead of leather, found out 3 days after purchase. Will have to live with vinyl.

Pros

fueleco.,ride,inside room & view,trans.w/smooth shift

Cons

high price ol diesel fuel in chicago

a supreb auto,works great in the city [downtown chicago]and the open highway. very quite on the highway.comes fully loaded as a off the car lotnew car.m.b. has excellent financing on this car.a lot more like a crossover car then the two suv's i own.fit & finish high quality. a great choice a city & county car....read morehide

Pros

Good fuel economy, Stylish

Cons

Navigation, Noise

I love this car - its my first Merc. it give me 20+ avg most of the time;


The problem I noticed are
1) makes noise when mrp is near to 2 after that its goes away
2) navigation is not friendly - should be touch screen

Rest all its excellent

Varun

Pros

Exterior Look, Interior Design, Flexible Seating

Cons

Premium Fuel, Navigation System

Traded the 2006 ML350 for 2008 R-350 4Matic with Package 2 Option. You pretty much got all the luxurious items included, such as Navigation, Panaroma Roof Windows, Backing Camera, Foldalbe Side Mirrors, Parktronic(front & back), Powered Front Seats with Memory, ..., etc.

With the 0% Financing and below invoice price, you cannot go wrong with this Mercedes.

7-speed automatic transmission has been improved a lot compare to my old ML350. The drive is very comfortable and very responsive. To my surprise, if you cruise the Interstate around 65 MPH, you get around 22 MPG. Local drvie will lower you down to around 16 MPG.

Interior space is huge. The 3rd row seats can actually sit 2 adults with enough space to move around. 2nd row seats are the most spacious ones that I have even seen in this car class. It is definitely the best family SUV Crossover available.

Only thing to complaint about is the Navigation system. No touch screen capability. This makes me wonder what's on German's mind when they designed it?...read morehide

Pros

safety, comfort,economy,passenger quantity,economical,will not catch fire, stall in flood water, all

Cons

none!!

why are people whining about this car. It is practical transportation for 6 adults, safe and fuel efficient. excuse me? it's not stylish because it looks like a van! so what? you can keep your sedans. what's the fascination withtrunk space? the van style makes so much more sense. it's no wonder we're in an energy crisis with critics not acknowledging the value and fuel economy that this type of transportation offers. As far as the other offerings from mercedes. who really needs an off road, combat ready looking vehicle like the m or g class? i'm so happy i bought one while they're still available....read morehide

Pros

Very good Cross over, It's a very good family SUV. You can feel it when you get in.

Cons

I feel 350 is smaller engine, it should have at least 5.0 with hybrid concept. No rear camera

As many people, I was inclined to SUV and my Wife for a mini Van. We did a test dirve, you can feel it when you hold the steering wheel, I flet 350 is smaller engine, So I went to 2006 R 500 model. Nice bucket seats... good leg room.
People who has driven mini vans(honda, Nissan...) will feel that they might have enogh room or options... How can you compare with benz.

Fuel: It is none other than an SUV, None of the SUV will get above 20 mpg. I am not greedy for 1 or 2 miles.

Performance: R 500 has lot of pickup, you can feel the muscle car. you can easly attach a boat or Trailer.

Cons: Laguage space is small, They should think about it in further models. they should come up with hybrid engine.
All base model should come with 90% of the premium options. (packtronic, DVD, Tele...)...read morehide

Pros

Solid Construction, Comfort of S-Class, Good Value when you consider the features

Cons

Fuel Consumption, Not very quick, limited luggage space, limited 3rd row leg room

We had been looking at R-Class for sometime and went as far as comparing it with the likes of Honda Odyssey, Nissan Quest etc.

Also, since in the past we had owned S, E & M Class Mercedeses, we had a sort of a basis for comparison and knew what we should expect. We had also owned a Honda Odyssey for 2 years so there was that experience as well. We also currently have a 2008 E-class which I drive on daily basis.


In terms of comfort and quality of construction, you are looking at a car which in my opinion is comparable to the S-Class (better than E-class, xx better than Honda Odyssey)

Fuel consumption is bad (like a ML350) and something to be concerned about at the current gas prices.

Lugguage space is limited and potentially problematic if you have a large family and want to go on a holiday somewhere.

The leg room for the 3rd row passengers is limited.

Everything considered, this is one of the best Mercedes deals around, specially if you are buying it using Mercedes's own finance which is 1.9% for 6 years....read morehide

Pros

UNIQUE LOOKS,SATISFYING INTERIOR,BIG,BEAUTIFUL M-B

Cons

A LITTLE NOISE FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT WHEN STARTED UP ,BUT GOES AWAY.

I OWN A O8 S550,WHICH MY WIFE DRIVES.IT IS A FINE AUTO TO GET AROUND IN,AND DRIVE HARD.

WHEN I SAW THE R MODEL,AND LOOKED AT IT FROM ALL ANGLES,AND FOUND ALL THE ROOM IN THIS VEHICLE,I HAD TO HAVE IT. I EVEN GOT RID OF MY CAR( NOT THE S550).

THIS IS A POOR MAN'S S CLASS.

I LOVE IT,AND CAN'T WAIT TO DRIVE IT EVERY DAY....read morehide