joshg

Well, I've been reasonably active here and was really excited about the R-Class. We had an order in and have been awaiting it... it was scheduled for November 15 delivery. But we had been pondering and questioning the decision quite a bit since we now have been to see these and try them out.

We just cancelled our R500 order.

In short, we're gunshy and want to see if the looks and features and compromises in this vehicle "wear" better on us as it ages a little. We're also still smarting from getting one of the very first ML320s back in '97 and finding it to be a horrid experience... we vowed never NEVER to get a first-year production vehicle again when we ditched it after 2 years for our beloved E320 wagon. We remain loyal to MB, now having that E320 and a CLK500 cabrio, but new vehicles have problems and we haven't fallen in love enough with this vehicle to overcome our fears.

Will the R be a trendsetter to be copied by other makers? Will it be a dog that Mercedes (and early owners) will regret? I have no idea... but I believe it could very well be either. I feel quite certain it will have kinks and quality problems in these first units. I was disappointed my rear-seat DVD option got delayed. I think that may well mean other problems will occur. I also have been disappointed that COMAND is now starting to look so outdated compared to other Nav systems. The inside materials were good... but not great, and at the price they should be great. All of this contributed to our decision today to cancel, at least for now. It's a $71k vehicle (the way we ordered ours) and for that money we will be able to get many fine vehicles with likely higher quality and fit and finish, fewer problems, and some if not all of the things we liked about this vehicle.

It's a good vehicle, but in my opinion may be very good or even great in a few years. I hear the ML got quite good (finally) recently.

To those pioneers who get one, best of wishes and congratulations... it's a head-turner and does a lot of things well and I hope you love your vehicles and will keep us up-to-date.

--josh

MBFanatic4Life

That's a wise decision...especially after what I guess you went through with the R-class! It seems that a first year car is the worst to buy and makes it better to wait. I say be patient. You have an impressive selection of MB's now, so maybe wait til' next year to get an R-class with the options you want and hopfully the bugs will be worked out. BTW...as far as I know BMW is working on a similar to compete with the R-class...Good Luck!

-Brad-

ruykava

a wise decision, joshg. i think it quite possible COMAND2 may be introduced in the R class sometime in the future, and also any first year kinks will be worked out (although i don't expect many since most of the running gear has been doing work in other models already). well, that puts, erm, NOBODY on this forum getting an R-class this year? after nevada_jack pulled out too. kind of sad, really =)

it's highly unlikely i'll ever see an R in Malaysia, but Singapore, perhaps at the end of next year. i can hardly wait :p

joshg

thanks for the replies. I'm such an early adopter of everything that i've taken my lumps plenty... consumer electronics, cars, etc. So it's odd to finally succumb to the "wait a while" advice that a tiny portion of my brain sometimes gives. guess i'm getting older.

I must admit, though, when I see these on the road I'll be a bit envious of the drivers... but for now, it's the right decision for me.

EKaru

You have no reason to feel envious of someone who drives an overpriced minivan....
Eric....