After having lunch with a friend of mine whose family owns multiple MB dealerships, the R class is history, at least for the USA market. There is no planned promotion or incentives (yet) to help sell the current inventories on hand.

I own 2 of these cars (2008 and 2011 diesels) and out of the 13 Mercedes that I have owned, they were the best of the bunch, in spite of what you might read on this forum.

In my opinion MB totally bungled the marketing of this car. The pre-production hype was that it was designed to be a "sport tourer".
Unfortunately, the styling was considered to be either downright weird or way ahead of its time.

I don't know where the "minivan" tag became attached to it; it does not look like or work like a minivan! The minivan tag certainly didn't help sales any, and as engine choices shrunk and prices dropped, the public and dealers perceived some desperation on MB's part to position this model in their SUV lineup.

 

Wow. Which models did you own before the w251? It was far and away the worst of the 9 we've owned.

I actually think the marketing mistake was in trying to avoid the minivan label. This is a family-hauler that both looks and works like a minivan. It doesn't make much sense as anything other than that, except maybe as a replacement for the standard NYC Town Car banker sleds. Had DBAG just accepted that and marketed it as a sport/luxury minivan, complete with 1 or 2 sliding doors, it would have sold better than it did.

 

2 out of 13 MB vehicles. At least, you are happy than others with your R than the rest of MB's that you have owned.

2006 and 2007 R class are the worst.

2008 and newer are better.
.
Owned 08 R350 and love it. No problem so far and riding is better than all minivans out there. It loves driving 80 mph all day long w/ 20" wheels. It is S class sedan carrying 7 passengers.

OLdMBGuy,

Sorry to hear that you had a lemon R (07 model) class and I understand for you why you talked down the R class.
My friend had 98 E320 and spend more times at the local MB dealer, he got mad and traded it in.

 

I would have understood if I had gotten the one lemon out of a barrel full of apples. The problem is that the R-class barrel is full of lemons with the occasional apple.

As, ...well, an old MB guy I feel as though DBAG has made the decision to monetize the brand equity and is doing so by cutting cost (and quality). A number of our R-class issues came down to cheap plastic parts or a lack of proper engineering and testing that never would have happened with the old DBAG.

I'm just trying to warn folks that the new MB is not what it used to be, as I wish I had been warned.

 

MBUSA failed to market the last MB I owned (C-Class Sportscoupe) and it suffered a similar fate. Imagine an MB starting at $25k that shared a platform with the $50k C32. I paid $30k (sticker) for mine and it had more features than our R350 (memory seats both sides, auto dimming mirrors, tilt down mirrors, etc) as was built in Germany. At first they tried to market it to 20-25 year olds, most of which have zero disposable income and buy Civics and Scions. Then they stopped marketing it altogether and deemed the car a failure. At least there was a TV commercial for that car. I've never seen any ads for the R-Class. Not even in print.

 

I had an 08 diesel that went for 100,000 miles and traded it in because I got in an accident with it & didn't like the thought of other than original car.

I now have an 11 with 30,000 miles and it's better than the last. 10,000 miles and doesn't burn a drop of oil.

Based on what I read here, I'm a lucky guy twice - or the cars are good.

BUT - I follow the service schedule and have it done at a MB dealer.

 

BUT - I follow the service schedule and have it done at a MB dealer.
Same here

 

So did we, until the failures started getting ridiculous and the dealers were proving less than perfectly competent, while charging as if they were geniuses.

I am not at all surprised that MB has built 3 or more R-classes that actually proved somewhat reliable. Heck, maybe even 50% of them have proven free of significant problems. Point is that 1 car, or 2 cars, or even 50% of them being problem free does not a good car make.

Both the empirical stats and the forum stories are horrendous. Unfortunately it's like that, and that's the way it is.

May yours remain trouble-free forever!

 

I find your constant generalizations of your R class experience to the entire production of every other R class to be tiring. We get it. Honestly, we do. But you continuously avoid the argument that the new ones are much better than yours. Your empirical stats are out dated and so are your arguments.

 

+1.Well said.

 

Thank you, thank you, thank you. LOL.
Can we put a cap on this already?

 

Well said. +2.

As to the statistics on this model, my impression was sample sizes were too small to be definitive. The Consumer Reports magazine I bought didn't seem to have tested a new model in a number of years. Given the paucity of real reliability data, I based my decision to buy one on what appears to be improved reliability on the ML and GL models coming out of the same plant with similar drive trains. I also noticed a lot of satisfied owners here, particularly of later cars.

As to the topic of the thread, I agree the car was let down somewhat in the marketing. We had no idea of the incredible room in this car until we took a close look. Two dog crates fit in the back without moving the mid row seat; I found this out by fluke talking to an owner at a dog show rather from any promotional material. When we bought our car, the dealer didn't even have a brochure we could look at, let alone take home. This with 10 or 12 R's in inventory; just seemed very strange. Advertising featuring the car full of family related stuff (like the mini-van ads) would be great. Why don't the NA MB sites have the informative dimensional drawings like on the UK MB site? After spending time with the car, my wife mentioned 'that's the best car ofr our needs you have shown me in five years!' If this vehicle type is what a consumer is looking for, the car really shows well and sells itself. But if you are not aware of the model it doesn't matter, you won't consider it.

I sure hope they retain this model for the Canadian market. I understand the US market is generally less friendly to wagons and hatchbacks than the Great White North, so this could be a factor. We also get the B Class here, so maybe the R will stay?

Cheers! Car should be here in about three weeks.

 

I am speaking neither for nor to you. I am simply trying to warn others who may be considering the purchase of an R-class in a public fashion by way of making my experience available to all who might be curious, and linking it to that of the myriad who shared similar disappointment with the R-class. If that's not you, skip my posts.

And if you have a different story/experience that you'd like to share, please post away!

 

I have posted away! You simply have ignored them and others who have anything positive to say about the R. I had an 09 and signed up again for a 2012. Many here have stated that theirs have been very good post the first two years which we all agree were not MB worthy. Like yours. It was not right of them to let that happen. The reality is, as it has been backed here, are that 08 and up they have been very good. You don't acknowledge that and continuously harp on your 07.

I think many have been patient here with that, but today, i guess my patience ran out. I guess I am saying that your warnings are irrelevant notably due to the fact that in 2011 that model had a significant makeover and you are coming in here still talking about the 2007 model.

One thing is for sure, based on your opinion and first hand experience I will heartily discourage anyone who is interested in the 2007 model!

 

I don't think the point of our posts should be to specifically refute each other's experience, but rather to share our experiences with a broader audience. That's all I'm doing.

Part of my experience was that the problems were mostly small, niggly initial build quality issues, until after we went out of warranty whereupon the car couldn't stay out of the shop for more serious issues. That being the case, my jury is still out on the 2009+ models, and what I've seen on the forums from 2008 owners and heard from the various mechanics that we've used seems to indicate that they're not a whole lot better than the 2006 & 2007 models.

So yes, maybe there were significant improvements in the 2009, 2010, & 2011 model years. We'll be finding out soon enough I expect. Until then I will continue to share my experience to help others decide whether or not they want to be DBAG Guinea Pigs. After all, when I bought mine, I was assured that the 2006 model year problems had been solved. And true enough, my 7Gtronic wasn't bad out of the gate like it had been on so many of the 2006 cars. It took a few more years to fail. If you had asked me two years into our R-class ownership we would have been (largely) satisfied owners too. Not so by the end of year four. I actually recommended the R to several of my friends and am now relieved that none of them actually ended up buying it. As I said earlier, time will tell. I lament the fact that Mercedes Benzes have become "lease & flip" cars, that takes a lot of the value away IMO, so I do hope that they have actually improved. It's just too early to tell.

My wife loved this car. She told me many times that it was one of her favorite things that I had ever bought her, and that prior to getting it she couldn't understand why people felt so strongly about their cars, but now did. The moment we become convinced that DBAG has really solved the problems, we might well buy another one. But that's going to take some convincing. Fool me once...

 

Well I have been following this forum for a while now and I am very encouraged by the responses and comments on this forum notably from those who have 2008 and up. No question it is a huge improvement over your experience and the dreadful 2006 models.

I am not sure there will be anything out there that will convince you with a small sample size of owners and the relative quiet on this forum. What exactly are you waiting for to verify if the R is more reliable? Consumer Reports? I have found from the moment I have followed the R, after my 09 that the R Class is not the disaster that some make it out to be.

I have found that in my lifetime that I will accept a flawed vehicle that makes me happy when I drive it over a perfectly boring vehicle, which is why I will not be driving a Honda Accord or any Acura model. Safe, boring cars. I'll risk it with my Benzes that put a smile on my face, a Jag one day, something that delivers what I want from a car. I am not looking for a toaster, but it has to touch my spirit, my soul (cue the Asian guitar music)....me...one...with...car...perfect...synerg y.

 

Just wanted to jump in I have a 2006 R and it has been the best. No problems, over 100,000 have changed fliuds myself except for Trans. that was done at the dealer. I guess I got one of the good ones.

 

I'm a happy guy with my 2nd of 2 R classes.

We probably don't hear from everyone - just the people with problems.

I try to balance it out by saying that I have ascended to the top of the car market and it's everything I was looking for + some more.

My 2 have been wonderful.

 

I have a 2007 R class 350 and it is a joy to drive and be driven with. I also get compliments from strangers on the parking lot saying how beautiful the style is. My car has 95K miles on it. I plan on keeping it for at least 15 years.

 

"I sure hope they retain this model for the Canadian market. I understand the US market is generally less friendly to wagons and hatchbacks than the Great White North, so this could be a factor. We also get the B Class here, so maybe the R will stay?"

I read an article today re: the 2012 R Class being the last for the U.S. It also noted the R class will continue to be offered in Canada after 2012.

On another note, i too have received compliments on my R500 and find it a joy to drive. Would buy another one in a second.

 

My sales manager says it will be business as usual in Canada for the R class.

 

I very much intend to buy the 2015 R from a Canadian (dealer) to replace my 2008 R then. Just keep it away from road salt, please! (-:

 

This why I posted in the other thread on 2/17:

 

Just throwing in my 2 cents... Just like any other line of cars, the MB may also have occasional issues. This doesn't mean all vehicles will have the problems one individual has. Personally, I owned my 2008 R350 for a year now, without any issues at all, and this is by far the BEST car I ever owned, from comfort, to features, to design both inside and out.

 

When can we expect incentives or promotions to start? The lease on my wife's Prius ends in December 2012. Will I have a hard time finding any 2012 R350's by that time?