After owning an R Class would you ever consider buying another?
 

Why or why not?

This R class has been just about perfect for my family needs. It can handle a run to home depot, take the kids and friend to sports practice or games, holds enough stuff for a family vacation and can even take 4 adults out for a nice dinner. It's just the right sized with out being to big for my wife and it feels safe and secure when driving in any weather.

All that being said i'm very concerned with it's ability to be a reliable family hauler for years to come given the engine/tranny problems that i have and all the little nagging issues that many seem to encounter.

I spent more when buying it than i wanted to but I couldn't find any other vehicle out there that could do what these R's do. I though being a Mercedes that in the long run the extra cost to own it would be balanced out by the quality and longevity figuring that I could own this thing for 10+ years as long as I did all the required maintenance. But even doing everything the dealer said it still needs thousands of dollars in repairs at 54K.

Now i'm considering dumping it but can't find anything better for our needs. Are the newer R's as problematic as the 2006 and if they are what other options come close to the R.

I have 08 R350 and no problem so far. I would buy it again.
I bought it brand new and & paid ~$41,000 before tax (listed over $51,000). I almost buy 08 Acura MDX at ~$50,000.
No regret here.

We bought a new R320 CDI in 2007 for all the reasons you mentioned. And being long time MB owners we intended on keeping it for at least 15 years, possibly longer. As it turned out, we kept it for less time than we've owned any of our other 8 MBs and ended up spending more on repairs in the brief time that we owned it out of warranty than we had on all our 8 other MBs combined (excluding regular maintenance and wear & tear items).

While comfortable and well designed to purpose, we never felt as though it was as well engineered as our other (older) MBs. Pretty much from the start we noticed little faults popping up here and there, mostly just annoying, but disappointing for the near $60k that we paid and given our past experience with Mercedes. Then, just after we went out of warranty on the miles the major failures started in earnest, and just didn't stop. And the repairs were horrendously expensive. Mercedes have never been cheap to maintain, we were used to fairly expensive regular maintenance and expensive but extremely INFREQUENT repairs. The R-class gave us fairly expensive regular maintenance and horrendously expensive regular repairs. Unacceptable under any circumstance, but particularly so from Mercedes-Benz which built it's reputation (with us at least) on reliable cars that last forever.

In the end, we got rid of it because it got so bad that my wife was afraid to ferry the children about for fear of breaking down and being stranded somewhere inconvenient.

So, no, we won't be buying another one, or any of the other "newer" MBs. It just doesn't feel as if DBAG (pun intended) is still in the business of making well engineered reliable cars that are designed to last forever. These days they're only selling the star's image, and not the quality for which it is supposed to stand. Unfortunately, there really aren't that many vehicles in the US that can fill the R-class shoes if you don't want a giant SUV or a minivan.

There most similar vehicle from layout perspective is the Ford Flex, but it's crude by comparison and the build quality is sketchy. Audi's Q7 is nice and has a diesel option too, but it doesn't have anywhere near the interior space. We ended up going with a Volvo XC90. It's not quite as nice or luxurious, and it doesn't drive quite as well, but it is safe, seats 7 slightly more flexibly though with less space, will hopefully be more reliable and last longer, and is certainly a heck of a lot cheaper if not.

Good luck with your choice.

I looking for a second one we love it so much, for other family members. It is no more or less reliable then any other product of this type out there-I wrenched on them all, they all have issues. The R is so nice to drive in all conditions and so capable...it is worth the expense of maintaining it vs buying a new minivan every 6 years and feeling unsafe all the time. I did not buy new, paid one third of what it was new. I don't believe in warranty, the dealers are incapable in my mind (have a smart from new, never fixed by dealer properly) and completely disrepectful. I would not use the R as a daily commuter though, too expensive. Use mine as family hauler/vacation vehicle.

Too bad about these experiences you all have mentioned.

I'm at the opposite end - my 2 have been perfect.

I bought an 2008 320 CDI, drove it for 100,000 and my worst issue had to do with replacing some bulbs every 3 months. Then the bad bulbs went away. I paid $50,000 for it & they gave me $28,000 on a trade in for a new 2011.

My new 2011 Diesel has 25,000 miles on it and it's been perfect. Maintenance at 10 & 20,000 miles. The DEF (diesel exhaust fluid) is no big deal at all and the "run flats" aren't all that bad. Past forums had people complaining about them & they've been fine so far for our Wisconsin weather.

The MB dealership is Madison is great. I've never been unhappy with service or price and they're the reason I'm still driving a MB. Zimbrick European has it down perfectly from the sales to the shop floor. It's almost enjoyable taking the car in - almost.

The 2011 is a little bit better than the 2008 & I'm glad I upgraded. I hope MB continues to build the R diesel. I would probably go to the Audi Q7 as the replacement.

Not to knock anybody else and their issues - but these are highly engineered cars that need to be maintained with MB parts on the MB schedule. Too many people take short cuts & then whine that they're car isn't absolutely perfect. I'm sorry if you maintained it perfectly and still had issues - that does happen to the best car companies after all.

I say stick with the Benz - when you got one, you don't look at anything else.

Good luck.

No car company is perfect. It does happen to the best cars from the best companies, but it's happening too much for the R-class and too much for MB. Unfortunately, your story appears to be the exception.

We've also had a positive experience with our 2008 R350. We previously leased a 2006 when they first came out and I do recall it had a couple of problems that needed to be repaired under warranty, the biggest one being the rack and pinion steering. However, our 2008 has been great, with only one repair to the rear latch that was fixed under warranty last year. In fact, we liked the car so much that when our lease was up in Nov. 2010, we turned it in to our dealer, had it certified and bought it back. So, when our factory warranty expires in February, we will have another three years of CPO warranty left (I bought an two additional years CPO coverage.)

I will admit that when I am no longer covered under warranty I will then consider whether I want to keep it. I sure hope we do but who knows. However, to answer your specific question, yes, I would definitely consider buying another one. It serves our family's needs very well. We've also had a great experience with our dealer's service department (MB of Larchmont). Maintenance is expensive but we have received excellent service. Loaner cars make it more convenient and ease the pain a bit.

Hope this helps.

I have 08 R350 and have no problem so far.(Currently odometer has only 19,400 miles on it and warranty runs out in 01/2013).

Note: I bought it new but the dealer gave me 5 years or 100.000 miles warranty & I paid $41,100 before tax.

Last year I checked with my MB dealer about extended warranty, they told me around $2000 and cover 2 extra years (total 7 years) or 100,000 miles.
I am considered to buy the extended warranty when my R is nearly out of warranty in 2013.

Happy R owner.

You do have a point, MB has quite a few failures out there in various areas.

On my experience with my R500 it has been pretty good, got about 60K miles on it. I bought it back March 2008 with only 11K miles on it for $35K flat. The only gripe I have with it, it is the airmatic. Pump replacement at 20K miles, and then a right front strut at 61K. I ordered a strut from Arnott a few days ago and will have an indy to install.

Love ours!
 

Have an 09 R320BT w 35k and have had no problems. I know the first couple years were not good food reliability but believe that was addressed in 08. On e other hand I also have a flawless 07 GL320CDI built on the same line...

For both, I purchased the MB extended warranty for 3 additional years. Figure if I do sell, it will only help the value.

I would absolutely buy another and hope DBAG doesn't abandon this model-a great niche vehicle especially when your wife doesnt really want an SUV-type. I'll probably upgrade as soon as the cabin is redesigned with the newer mouse comand controller. That's really my only gripe.

Absolutely! I like the updated body design. I'm just waiting for the COMAND control in this model to be updated to something similar to the E or C class.

I have an 08 R350 and it's still running like the way it was new. No problems whatsoever.

I would encourage you to check the stats on the R-class and the GL-class via True Delta and other similar services which track reliability and/or cost of ownership.

Be forewarned, they're not pretty. And they're certainly much worse than most of the other similar family hauler vehicles.

Yes I will buy it again. I have an 2007 R-350. We bought it brand new.
It has 90K right now. I had to fix quite a few things on it under warranty and without warranty. I am planning to keep it for at least 15 years.

My wife didn't want a van and an SUV is too big for her so we found the
R that could seat 6 people quite comfortably. The bucket seating for
everyone in the R-350 is really nice. Everyone sitting on the seat has an unobstructed view of the windshield because of the clear center isle (reduce dizziness from my passengers). The legroom is great also. We take it to 8 hour long drive up north and everyone is comfortable being in the car for those long drive.

The thing I like about the R-350 are comfort, luxury, safety, and styling.
I also have a Toyota(just turned 250K miles, bought it brand new also) sedan.

But I came to accept that at this moment,
my Mercedes Benz will never be as reliable as my Toyota,
and my Toyota will never be as beautiful, luxurious, or as safe as my Mercedes Benz.

Well said!

My 07 Acura RL has no problem whatsoever so far. Just oil change and routine maintenance as required.

Fell in love with MB after buying my first one - the R350 2006. Last weekend I managed to repair the passenger mirror I tore off it when backing out of the garage (by ordering a $300 part, consulting the DVD service manual, removing the inner door panel, reassembling the bracket, mirror glass, outer shell, connecting the wiring harness, and finding it all worked. Once again I was pleased with myself and happy about my car - more high tech. and well built than anything I've ever owned. (Previously replaced the pano-roof switch/garage opener unit which was $500 myself as well). In addition it's been the family tank for multi-purpose dual dog hauling and many highway trips and hockey tourneys. I still like looking at it in the driveway. I service it at the dealer although enjoy changing my oil myself in the summer (with the proper procedures/oils ofcourse). It has 95,000 kms. It has another set of 18" twin five spokes from an R500 which I really love (winter for the 17s). Perfect balance of power and performance as well. My next Merc. is going to be an AMG for the braking, handling, power, so maybe if I can find an E63 wagon? We shall see. I plan to keep the R350 for many more years - maybe give to kids.

Great car. Would buy it again, no question.

I tried to examine True Delta data on their web site, but it appears you have to sign up to see the results, so didn't follow up further. Not sure if it is a fee based deal or available free?

My current issue of Consumer Reports "Best & Worst New Cars" might be of interest. The last reliability data shown for the R-Class is MY 2006, and it is pretty bad, much worse than other vehicles in the general SUV class. I expect CR's sample size for this model is too small for them to report results after 2006. However, a scan of the GL, ML & GLK data (which is more current and goes up to MY 2011) shows impressive improvement after similar poor results in MY 2006.

Certainly not definitive on what to expect, but cheered us up enough to recently buy a new 2012 R-Class, which we will get from the dealer in a couple of months. :) This will be our first MB. My wife really liked the car on our test drive for all the reasons mentioned here. Our intension is to use it for some distance touring with up to four adults. The sale closer was comfortably fitting two 300 size dog crates in the way back without moving the mid-row seat. I figure this is the only car I have tried that I can put the driver's seat right back and get no complaints from the back. :)

After the test drive we were driving in our E150 Ford passenger van. Could not believe the contrast in ride quality and quiet. We do not consider the van uncomfortable or directly comparable, it is just interesting that the MB is sooo much better.

PS Thanks to all forum members for sharing your experiences, good and bad. You positively influenced our buying decision. Oh, and we are going with the extended warranty. :y

Signing up for TrueDelta is free, they just ask that you submit results for your own car (basically just reporting when you take it to the shop for repairs other than scheduled maintenance).

Hopefully, you'll be able to help the R-class out some over your ownership. It certainly needs all the help it can get.

We had an XC90 which was great but we wanted to get out of the SUVs, the high seating position for a vehicle that we never took off road. I loved our XC90, the space, the different seating variances, the adjustability of the seats , great seats actually, audio system etc...we had the I6 which was thrashy and it rolled in corners like a sailboat, would make me nauseoue. But it was, to me, the perfect family car.

Until our 2009 R 320 Bluetec. Perfect. The size, the lower ground clearance and the car like driving experience. the ability of this car to devour highway miles, the 5 of us in the car and sip diesel was astonishing. No problems, as tight as when we picked it up. There was no question we were getting another one and about a month ago, a Calcite White 2012 R350 Bluetec is now home. It picks up where the last one left off, just better styling, panoramic roof, Harman Kardon, two tone interior and lovely 20"AMG wheels makes it have quite a presence!

We are very happy with this one and still can't find something else that fits the bill better!

If your buying again need to do it soon before its too late in the U.S.

What did you hear?

Curious to hear about the future of the R-class here in the US. I would think that MB will at least do one last model year run (2013) and include the new 240hp diesel engine (in current W166 and S-class) and put it in the 2013 R350 bluetec. For 2014, I would imagine a complete redesign, where they would finally redesign the interior and make it inline with the rest of the MB lineup. (Currently, the R-class is the only vehicle with the 90s-like COMAND system.)

Nothing to worry about...Looks like the R-class will still be in production until at least 2015, according to an MB chief.

http://www.autocar.co.uk/News/NewsAr...llCars/261479/

Maybe, maybe not.
 

Love the vehicle, hate the reliability and the cost of ownership. have a 2008 320CDI. Very good mileage both around town and on the road. it cost more than the 2007 BMW X5 i had. The R doesn't come close in reliability or the features/technology that the BMW had. The R at least has a better backup camera than the X5 which also had those #$@% run flat tires. So thats it ----- a love hate relationship.

Near future US buyers need to start planning purchase.