2009 Mercedes-Benz R-Class R350 4MATIC

Pros

Good value compared to minivans if you can find a deal

Cons

7 seats should be standard

Purchased As New

We bought one of these this week brand new. I'll be honest, we got about $17k off sticker for a brand new '09. We got the base model + appearance package, so no NAV, but standard bluetooth and almost everything else (including pano roof which is awesome!). Nice looking wheels with appearance package, but had to get rear tinted today for $180 as there's too much glass in that car to not be tinted. We had shopped around and were primarily looking at the Odyssey and Sienna vans. Then, we happened to go to the MB dealer, and wife fell in love with this car after test drive! At the price we negotiated, it was several thousand cheaper than an Odyssey touring so we pulled the trigger!
I drove it also and was impressed. This car is leaps and bounds ahead of the Honda or Toyota vans, although the Odyssey Touring edition (at about $40k) is nice. This vehicle had more standard features than any of those other vehicles, and felt a lot more solid. Plus, the 4matic standard puts it over the top. Have had a decent history with MB products over the last 10-15 years and found them to be good and reliable, albeit a little expensive to service. So I am basing my reliability expectations on that history. The dealer said that all we need to worry about is Service A/B every 10k miles or year at about $200 or less, so that wasn't horrible. Sounded like a glorified oil change, but whatever.
So far the car drives very well and feels very solid. It happened to rain a couple days after buying it and have to admit felt planted and very nimble with the inclement weather, almost was built for it. Am looking forward to taking it up the mountains this winter. I really like the styling and look of this car, much more so than the boxy Odyssey. Very sleek and well proportioned, with nice chrome accents and classic MB looks in the front. Car has very comfortable interior including middle seats (captain chair configuration unless you get P1 package) and rear seats comfortable enough for teenagers even on a long haul (out of state), or adults on short to medium drives. I plan to purchase an aftermarket rear entertainment system at some point with a budget of $1500, which will probably be far superior to anything the factory would provide. All in all, if you can get this thing for a deal and stick with base model, you will be far ahead of the competition. Add as you go, aftermarket tom-toms and rear entertainment etc can be had for cheap now days don't pay $10k + for factory options! I do, however, highly recommend the $1200 panoramic roof option, as it really makes the car funner and cannot be retrofitted like other options....read morehide

Pros

ex. ride, comfort, feel, and v.good interiors

Cons

not enough torque going up hill, no memory seats, and pricey

Purchased As New

Recently leased the car 09 model, very happy with specs I got Pkg 1 Plus AMG kit. I shopped around for family car and was looking for a car with two features SUV / Wagon option, Mercedes R350 is the only legit one in the market. I highly recommend it if your looking for and SUV/Wagon/Mini Van type of a car....read morehide

Pros

Nice looking car in and out. More comfortable in back than up front!

Cons

Expensive repairs and too many for the age of the vehicle

Purchased As Used

I love this vehicle in almost every way. It has the best ride, I have ever experienced, and is great for family trips. It has some small problems that I am surprised about, but nothing big...the only problem is...lots of little problems add up to a lot of cost. Luckily we are still under warranty.
Buy the extended warranty....read morehide

Pros

great handling for large car, seats are very comfortable, good gadgets and pano roof

Cons

bad mileage, center of 2nd row not removeable for captain's chair config

a pleasant surprise. leased it in August, got a pretty good deal (probably even better now!). Was expecting a clunker but it actually drove fast (over 260hp V6), handles better than expected, corners well, great interior with very comfortable seats. Wife and I are used to performance, I have an SL and she has an E550. This is for the trips with newborn baby. the auto lift gate and low stance are great, very ample cargo space without the 3rd row seats. 3rd row seats are the most comfortable of any SUV/Crossovers. Even more comfortable than vans but are not as easy to get into as vans. Can fit 6footers comfortablely in all three rows at once.
Only gripe is the crummy mileage. Averaged 20mpg on drive to Vegas from LA. normal driving yields only 14-17mpg.
Back up camera in the 09's are great and the built in bluetooth is great add on's for the new model. Pano roof is beautiful, baby loves to see up into the sky. Keyless go is very important if you have babies, mine didn't come with one because they didn't have any available at the time. If you can order it, get it. All in all, great family crossover/SUV, great for those of us not wanting to be caught dead in a Sienna or Odysse, and great for those who like to drive...read morehide

Pros

Nice quiet car, good cargo (low and flat) space. Nice pick up 40 to-70mph for overtaking, 7 seater

Cons

Muddled console/info controls. Needs reverse warning as standard. Minimum 91 octane??

Pleasing design, good long legged cruiser, averaging 23 mpg.
Don't like the premium fuel requirement. If Lincoln can get their V6's on 87 octane, so can MBenz! Great for loading the dogs in the back the wide, low and flat platform is ideal for long awkward loads
Love the automatic's "paddle" gear change.

For safety such a Long and wide car should have u/s reversing assists as standard....read morehide

Pros

comfortable not common on road design grows on you

Cons

none

sometimes trans. doesn,t know when to shift hauls six people with lots of room great on long trips