Mercedes R Class and alternatives

Cleisthenes · 30 Jan 2017 at 11:37

You can have all 7 seats filled and still have room to go shopping ;p

mjt · 30 Jan 2017 at 13:09

Doing it right with the rear-facing BeSafes :cool:

I see now why you needed so much space. The dash is just so terribly dated and I can't understand why MB insist on putting everything onto one stalk!
Anyway, it looks lovely. Enjoy the bus!

Scuzi · 30 Jan 2017 at 22:13

mjt said:
Doing it right with the rear-facing BeSafes

I see now why you needed so much space. The dash is just so terribly dated and I can't understand why MB insist on putting everything onto one stalk!
Anyway, it looks lovely. Enjoy the bus!

The stalk has caught me out a couple of times. The gear selector is where the wipers were in the Volvo. It has been raining for the past few days. Thankfully the car is clever enough to not go into reverse at 70mph

I'm getting used to it now though.

Extended rear-facing is a must for us. We know someone who unfortunately found out the hard way about the pitfalls of forward facing too early. My eldest is 4 and I reckon his Axkid will last him at least another year before he has to go forward facing.

George Hincapie · 30 Jan 2017 at 22:23

Scuzi said:
Current car is a 2012 Volvo XC70 D5 which I've had for almost 4 years and about 60k miles. For a family of 4 it has served us fairly well and has generally been reliable bar an alternator failure. The only gripe is that with the kids car seats installed in the rear, the middle seat is unusable.

Given our internationally sporadic families, we are having visitors come more frequently and staying for longer periods, hence it would be ideal to have 6 or 7 seats. Despite the best efforts of my wife, I want nothing to do with the likes of an Espace, Picasso, Zafira or Galaxy.

With a budget of max £17k, I did my research which generally resulted in older and high mileage premium SUVs, e.g. Q7, X5. It also brought up the R class, a car I've never really considered.

Seems a 2011/2012, ~80k miles, R350 CDI long wheel base is within budget. From what I have seen it has 6/7 full size seats, huge rear legroom, and high levels of refinement and spec. Beyond that I know very little about them.

What is the propensity for eye watering bills? Are there any credible alternatives within budget that are not minivans? I'm interested to hear your thoughts and experiences.

Why don't you just spend £17K on a used XC90? Tons of space - 3 full sized child car seats easily fit across the middle row and two seats in the rear for emergencies.

No brainer IMHO.

mjt · 30 Jan 2017 at 22:43

Scuzi said:
Extended rear-facing is a must for us. We know someone who unfortunately found out the hard way about the pitfalls of forward facing too early. My eldest is 4 and I reckon his Axkid will last him at least another year before he has to go forward facing.

My GF is Scandinavian and insisted that we go rear-facing. It's such a shame that it's not publicised more. Outside of Scandinavia the rear-facing seats are unfortunately the exception rather than the rule

Thx for the heads up on Axkid; not a brand I had come across before.

[TW]Fox · 30 Jan 2017 at 23:05

George Hincapie said:
Why don't you just spend £17K on a used XC90? Tons of space - 3 full sized child car seats easily fit across the middle row and two seats in the rear for emergencies.

No brainer IMHO.

17k is a really bad budget for an XC90, it's not nearly enough for the stunning new model but way way too much to be spending on a car that came out 15 years ago, which is the model you'd get for this money.

acemastr · 30 Jan 2017 at 23:39

Should have just rented a second car when family comes over

swain90 · 31 Jan 2017 at 09:55

Do people walk around with their eyes closed?

I've seen plenty of these on the roads. Granted it's not every day, but I seem them quite often.

Glad you found something OP, shame it wasn't the R63 thought

Scuzi · 31 Jan 2017 at 11:47

George Hincapie said:
Why don't you just spend £17K on a used XC90? Tons of space - 3 full sized child car seats easily fit across the middle row and two seats in the rear for emergencies.

No brainer IMHO.

As Fox says, at this budget it would be a very expensive way to get into an old XC90. The new XC90 (which I love) is at least double the budget.

acemastr said:
Should have just rented a second car when family comes over

We have someone with us for about 3-4 months of the year. That would get expensive!

mbmbmb · 5 Feb 2017 at 18:24

Are these really bigger than an SMax?

Scuzi · 5 Feb 2017 at 18:37

mbmbmb said:
Are these really bigger than an SMax?

S-Max:
4,796mm L x 1,916mm W x 1,655mm H

R Class (LWB):
5,156mm L x 1,958mm W x 1,661mm H

mjt · 5 Feb 2017 at 19:08

How are you enjoying it Scuzi?
Merc's insistence on using half-leather seats is really annoying. Whenever I search for used Mercs, they more often than not have this stuff than full leather. What's it like with the kids?

Akagi · 5 Feb 2017 at 20:16

I can see the alcantara middle bits of the seats being less than ideal for food and drink spillages.

Django x2 · 5 Feb 2017 at 23:17

Last of the grand voyagers? Woeful car but probably fits the bill?. I have a disco 4 which I could not live without. Apart from when it gets chopped in for the D5 at the end of this year

andybird123 · 6 Feb 2017 at 06:05

We spent ages looking at 7 seaters and had all the same problems (didnt want a van type one). We ended up with a Kia Sorento.

Scuzi · 6 Feb 2017 at 07:12

mjt said:
How are you enjoying it Scuzi?
Merc's insistence on using half-leather seats is really annoying. Whenever I search for used Mercs, they more often than not have this stuff than full leather. What's it like with the kids?

Very pleased with it. Enjoying the refinement it offers. It's great with the kids, big doors, plenty of room in the back etc. All the benefits of an MPV but still more like a car.

Acme said:
I can see the alcantara middle bits of the seats being less than ideal for food and drink spillages.

Fortunatey we haven't yet found out but that would be difficult! We typically don't eat in the car and the kids only drink water so hopefully it won't pose too much of a problem.

Django x2 said:
Last of the grand voyagers? Woeful car but probably fits the bill?. I have a disco 4 which I could not live without. Apart from when it gets chopped in for the D5 at the end of this year

Woeful? Certainly not. Cavernous interior, plenty of kit, 261bhp/457lbft from a very refined (for a diesel) motor. I think it's great!

andybird123 said:
We spent ages looking at 7 seaters and had all the same problems (didnt want a van type one). We ended up with a Kia Sorento.

I did look at the Sorento but the budget would have only got an older model. The new Sorento looks like a good package.

Django x2 · 6 Feb 2017 at 08:55

Scuzi said:
Very pleased with it. Enjoying the refinement it offers. It's great with the kids, big doors, plenty of room in the back etc. All the benefits of an MPV but still more like a car.

Fortunatey we haven't yet found out but that would be difficult! We typically don't eat in the car and the kids only drink water so hopefully it won't pose too much of a problem.

Woeful? Certainly not. Cavernous interior, plenty of kit, 261bhp/457lbft from a very refined (for a diesel) motor. I think it's great!

I did look at the Sorento but the budget would have only got an older model. The new Sorento looks like a good package.

No, I meant the last of the grand voyagers are woeful (well, all of the GVs are....)