thegeneraltso

I know this is a Benz forum but I thought I'd ask anyway. I am sure some of you wrestled with similar question.

Here goes. I have to have a 7-seat option. One kid is still in a full car seat, 2 are in booster seats and 2 are semi-teenagers.

I am coming off a 2004 E-class wagon. Already owned a minivan but in need of another car to replace the E-class.

tfm819

I had the XC90 - traded it after a year. Too small - the third row faced backwards (at least 5 years ago it did) - it did not seem too safe.

I am looking at the R because I want the room of the SUV, but I want to drive something more like a car (I am tired of the SUV drive - I have a Yukon).

AMGTTV8

Is that a serious question?? GL over an XC?? I say go diesel, you wont regret moving to the Bluetec! Just my 2 cents

jmf003

Our family hauler is a 2003 XC90. We've logged 115,000 miles in it and it's been a good vehicle but if I was buying today I would choose the GL or the R over the XC90 in a heartbeat.

With the XC90, the front seat comfort is great but the second seat is a little tight and the third seat is very tight. The third seat does face forward, though. (You are probably thinking of the XC70, tfm819, which does face the rear.)

The XC90's suspension is very soft, both for ordinary driving (at least for me) and especially for trailering. I wound up swapping it out for a Heico Sportiv sport suspension which does a much better job.

AsianR350

+1 .Good call.

Carrerax

If you decide you want an R class I will make you a deal on an R500! It only has a slight problem that it wont start from time to time. It is under warranty so Im sure MB can fix it! If I were you I would seriously consider BMW/Volvo (anything) before buying a Mercedes product. Just my .02 cent.

aggst1

Have you had a bad experience with other MB vehicles or only your R500? Personally, I ve driven MBs for about 15 years and never had major problems. I too have a 2006 R500 and have not had problems with it.

aggst1

Never mind, I just read the other thread where you explain your frustrations. I think your advise to the above poster to buy anything other than an MB is not a good advise. It is based on a single issue you had with the car that obviously has not been repaired. Why don't you take it to the dealer and ask them to test drive it until they experience the problem? In my opinion you are a BMW enthusiast and for whatever reason bought a Benz and now because of a problem you are taking it out on the entire brand. That's my 2 cents.

Carrerax

The dealer already had it for 3 weeks! All their tests showed it was fixed. They replaced several parts and have done everything in their power to fix it. When they gave it back it seemed to be fixed. The car ran great for 3 weeks until now and now it had a problem and it seems ok (until it leaves my family stranded) and it may be weeks before it does it again. I will give it back as soon as it does it again or we can see if it is a key issue. I am a car enthusiast and not just BMW. I had a 1999 ML430 5 years ago. Im not new to MB I just swore them off after the ML. BMW's have their problems also. Im sure many of the people with new ones are dealing with issues just like I am with the R500. Im not saying BMW's are perfect Im just saying my experiences have been good. I bet there are a ton of MB guys that have had great experiences and swear by them. I think the real problem is that with all the new electronic stuff on all of the new cars they can be problematic (except hondas always seem to run forever and I am NOT a fan of them). How can anyone expect for me to endorse a car that doesnt start on a consistant basis? Im not a fan of many new BMW's and if this was a BMW I promise you I would feel the same way. As far as taking it out on the entire MB brand, please understand that Im pissed right now. I have an R500 in the garage that wont run consistantly. I would be pissed if it was a BMW, Honda MB whatever. I really like the looks of the new benzes. In fact they look better than the new BMW's. Based on looks etc I would rather have the benz but it would need to start. And the reason that I bought the MB (as I said earlier) is because it is the coolest minivan/crossover that is out there and it fits the needs of my family (wife and 2 daughters) and is Awd and again, it is cool to look at........when it starts.

aggst1

Your frustration is totally understandable, especially after the car was at the dealer for 3 weeks. Do you have the Keyless-Go option? Do you press a button to start the ignition or do you do it with a key?

Carrerax

I wanted keyless go but it was hard enough finding one with sport (and that was a priority) and low miles that it would have taken forever to find a keyless go one. Not to mention I had the cars history checked out etc. Please understand that I am really not trying to be a jerk here, I just want a car my family can enjoy. We are driving from Ohio to Florida in a month for vacation and it sucks that we have to take my X5 that is too small for 2 kids and all our stuff but it has proven to start. What really sucks is that I want to drop a 911 motor off in florida to be rebuilt and I think it will fit in the R500 (with the 3rd row down) with our bags on top of it but we cant take the car because it might not start. Oh well, at least I can tell people I have a mercedes......I just didnt drive it.

aggst1

No problem, the reason I am asking about the keyless-go is so that you can consider if the problem occurs when you are using the push button feature. Since that is not the case, the problem could be with one of the keys. If it occurs with both keys (meaning you can't isolate the problem to one key) then tell the dealer to start throwing parts at it until it is fixed. I agree, it is a major inconvinience not to have the piece of mind you expect from a new car (I consider a car with such low mileage as being new). Years ago I was driving a TOYOTA that was experiencing similar starting problems like yours. Intermittently, the ignition would do nothing when you would turn the key, even though there was sufficient battery power. After 2-3 trips to the dealer, they replaced the starter and the car ran fine after that. I am not saying that this is your problem since the R500 is a much more complicated car than my old 1984 Toyota (college car) but it could be.

good luck and please keep us posted.

Carrerax

Thanks, i will keep everyone posted. The dealer did put a new module of some sort on it (on the steering column I think) and they really went out of there way to try to fix it. Even the tech called us on Friday after the service advisor and I decided to keep it through the weekend and see if it is the key. It had to be something stupid. Battery, starter, key or just a short. The problem is that with all these electronics it is hard to diagnose. im sure it will all work out. I just hope it doesnt take too long. I really am not a MB hater I just hate having this problem. Ok, I will stop whining already

chilledbenz

I've had less problems with my R than I have had with my German built C class, or my old 3 Series for that matter. But anyone can log onto any of the forums and see people with problems from every make and model, nothings perfect.

BallJack

I got news for you. My worst experience in car reliability ever is with the Honda Odyssey and don't even get me started on that because I could write a long essay about it. Your experience is not even close to my frustation with the most 'reliable' Honda brand. However, not everybody shares the same bad experience that I had. I'm sure it's true with the R class.

I could live with the frustration that you had than what I had with my Odyssey. I finally got rid of it and switched to the R class without even worrying about reliability issues.

tfm819

I had terrible luck with a Ford Expedition, a Jeep Cherokee and a GM.

R. Reyes

I understand your frustration completely. While I have had my R for almost 2 years and have put over 35,000 miles on it with no real problems, I would be seriously pissed if it were to not start and leave my family stranded.

I would explain to the dealer and the area/district mgr. for MBUSA that you understand and appreciate their efforts, but it's getting a little ridiculous and I would start looking into your states lemon laws. Or put it out there that they start considering replacing your vehicle with another R.

I love mine and plan to keep until the wheels fall off, but your problem would have me seriously pissed and camping out at the dealership general mgr.'s office.

nanoera

i agree that xc90 has too cramp a 3rd row and too soft a suspension. nose dive is very obvious during normal break.
i tried GL's interior and just feel cramp for the 3rd row. R has ample 3rd row even for an adult.
if cargo space is a concern, you can put in a Thule base carrier (don't use the OEM one, too tall) and a decent roof box. You should still be able to get into your garage. There's another thread for the roof box.
I would also suggest adjustable air suspension, navigation, and parking sensors as MUST. Sometimes my R (without adj. air suspension) feels too soft. And for such a full size van you have a lot of blind spots to tackle with doing parallel. The navi gives very good guidance, telling you which road you are on and what you will be turning onto.

autojava

Hi, Guys:
Compared with other MB models, such as C-class and E-class, it looks that R-class and ML have more issues. I believe these two model are built at USA, not at Germany. My friend's ML give him a lot of problem while two C280s of my other friends has no issue at all. That is why I get a C280, but my C280 baby gives me some trouble.

jbernat

I also considered the volvo when picking my R. One article that steered me away from the xc90 was it was on consumer reports least likley cars to make it to 200k along with the ML500. At least thats one more excuse for my R350 purchase over the R500 since they are based on the same platform.

http://money.cnn.com/2007/08/30/auto...200k/index.htm

bzliteyear

with all due respect, consumer report and CNN auto articles are written by idiots who don't know much about cars. when i was in sales during college, i always laughed at people who went shopping based on the consumer reports ratings - especially when they decided they knew what was "best". initially i tried to "educate" these ignorant people, but after a while, i realized that they deserve to have what they want...and it was easier than trying to educate them.
bottom line, this board (and other similar auto boards) are much better for obtaining quality information than consumer report.
good luck.
Patrick

jmf003

Well, FWIW, CR panned the V6 XC90 specifically. It used a GM 4T65E transmission that had a lot of problems. The I5 and V8 XC90s used different transmissions that were much more reliable.

But I concur with your decision to go with the R-Class. If it was available in 2003 my wife and I would have bought one instead of the XC90.

aggst1

I have read a lot of posts that question the reliability of Rs and MLs and connect their problems with the fact that they are built in Alabama. Let's get one thing straight. It makes no difference whatsoever where a vehicle is assembled. The workers in the US plants follow directives and quality control processes established from headquarters in Germany. Just because the assembler is named "Joe" and not "Hans" does not mean the vehicle is of lesser quality.

thegeneraltso

I am heading to the Washington DC autoshow this weekend and will definitely compare all three vehicles. Of course price is a big factor in all of these decisions.

thegeneraltso

I went to the auto show today and I can truly say that I am really disappointed with the R and GL class. I have owned the W124, W210 and W211 E-classes for the last 20 years so I have some expectation.

The GL is a huge vehicle but then it didn't have enough 'trunk' space with the third row in use. The material is nice but I cannot justify buying a brand new one for around $63k! Even the used one can be had for around $47k in my area.

The most disappointed one was the R-class. I had so much hope since I love the look of it when I saw it on the streets. The 7th seat was really a joke! They could have make the outer seats a little smaller to accommodate a bigger middle seat. I had my 9 years old sitting there and we had a hard time finding the buckle because it was behind her. The DVD screens were another joke. They seem to be lifted right out of a Walmart catalog. I don't mean the quality of the product but just the way they were mounted. It was not well integrated at all. Again the price is too high for that car. It was listed for $57k!

The Volvo was tidy. The middle row seats were of the same size and the middle one even had the built-in booster. I was unable to adjust any of the seats because the battery was unplugged and the front seats were push all the way back. Its price seems to be the most reasonable... $45k.

Will have to go down and drive them to see how they drive ... but I am leaning away from the R- and GL-class for now. Sorry folks but thanks for all your inputs.