More random thoughts on the R500 vs the Pacifica after a month of ownership.

Fuel mileage : Commuting back and forth to work 34 miles each way I'm seeing about 16 - 18 mpg in a rotten highway environment. Not bad and not really different from the Pacifica's 3.5L engine. I'm giving credit to Mercedes much more advanced 7 speed automatic. I'm happily surprised.

The R500 has also been on two ski trips of about 90 miles each way. In this sort of steady state cruising mixed between highway and ~50 mph secondary roads, I consistently got 20 mpg in one direction and a little over 22 mpg on the return leg. Again, not bad and almost identical to the Pacifica with its smaller engine. Here, I think the Mercedes 7 speed is playing a role but the more slippery 0.31 Cd probably also helps.

Power : Finally! The R500 feels like it has adequate power for passing and merging with traffic. I always felt at risk in the Pacifica. Between the 7 speed transmission and the higher V8 torque curve, my R500 always feels up to the task at hand. Not a sports car by any means but perfectly adequate.

Bluetooth : Much more seamless. The Chrysler voice controlled bluetooth would lead you through an annoying Q&A for every call that could last about a minute before it actually dialed the number you wanted. That's too long to be distracted talking to your car. The voice control in the Comand system is much more succinct. It takes only a few seconds to get the car to dial a number. A big improvement. The Chrysler microphone was in the mirror up near the windshield. It could easily become confused in a heavy rain. Haven't had the R500 in a heavy rainstorm yet. Can't wait to see if that's better as well.

Noise : Surprisingly, I'd rate the Pacifica and R500 about equal. I was expecting the R500 to be even better than the Pacifica. The Pacifica had a center viscous coupling rather than a center differential. As a result it was dead silent. The R500 has a center differential hiding under the floor between the front seats. I can hear some differential noise leaking into the cabin. No, nothing wrong. I just listen for stuff like that being a gear head. With three differentials at work, you're bound to get a little noise. Not a big deal. Most people wouldn't even notice. On the other hand, the Chrysler 3.5 L engine was positively harsh at high rpm. The 5.0 L Mercedes is much more refined and smooth. Both cars have laminated side glass and as a result, both are pretty well isolated from road noise and a joy at highway speeds. And both cars do very well with a Thule box on top. Virtually no noise from the box or racks when a wind fairing is used on the cross bar up front.

Parktronic : The Pacifica had sensors but only in the rear. I personally like sensors and an LED display + audible warning much better than a rear view camera. So I was happy to see that's what Mercedes was using in 2007. At first I wasn't sold on the value of having the sensors up front. But, after driving the R Class for a while, I still have trouble judging the front corners due to the steeply sloping snout on this thing. So, I'm thankful for the front sensors now. And they seem to work really well. At work the other day, I was able to park in a short spot within an inch of a barrier. Good enough.

Information Center : Lot's more information available to the driver. Maybe too much. Love the trip computer. Miss having a temp gauge and oil pressure. But really, what good are they if the engine is protected electronically? Love the white on black instruments and text. High visibility in any lighting and allows me to keep the backlighting low at night so it doesn't interfere with night vision.

Navigation : I loved having the Nav screen under the arc of the speedometer right in front of the driver on the Pacifica. It was great when driving solo. But it also meant you couldn't get any help from a co-pilot. As a result, Chrysler had most of the functionality locked down when the car was moving. The Comand system in my R500 allows much more interaction for a copilot. Both are easy to use and have simple, easy to comprehend maps. I'm not a fan of overly complex maps and gimmicks like 3D. Give me simple and easy to understand at a glance. Both systems have very good, natural sounding electronic voices. Much better than a Garmin or my wife's Infiniti. I didn't have to crack the manual to use the Mercedes nav system. That says it all for me when it comes to interface design. Also the Comand Nav automatically switches back and forth to day/night display of maps. The Pacifica simply dimmed the display when the headlights were on.

Oh well, that's it for now. Like I said, just some random thoughts going from one car to another.

 

You do have an oil temp gauge (I assume that's what you're talking about) in the info screen in the speedo area. You have to hunt for it though with the steering wheel buttons.

Also, MB did have the backup camera in 2007 as part of the P2 package (which also works in conjunction with the parktronic system).

 

Nah, the temp gauge is probably engine temp which is generally using a sensor tapped into the coolant, not the crankcase. And many sports cars have (or used to have) an oil pressure gauge. They are sort of an anachronism with today's engine monitoring electronics. But I'm used to having analog gauges up in front of me all the time. If you have to search through a menu to find them, they are pretty much useless. The Pacifica had the temp gauge but not oil pressure. If you're not racing they are of limited value anyway.

 

I agree it's very annoying to thumb through the menus just to find the temp gauge. I want to make sure it's at 80C (warmed up) before stomping on the gas too hard.

 

Yeah, that's my main reason for wanting a temp gauge. The first ten minutes or so, I'm easy on the throttle until the engine is fully warmed up and the oil is flowing normally. Of course 0W-40 synthetic probably helps a cold engine considerably.

 

I can't help it, I'm a car nut. I just went through about 100 old R500 listings on YouTube as well as everything currently on Cars.com and AutoTrader.

It seems that very few R500's were ordered with the "319" Bi-Xenon headlight package. I find that surprising as it's listed as a $900 option on my window sticker and everyone seemed to be crazy for HID headlights back in 07. The price doesn't seem ridiculous for Bi-Xenons, fog lights, headlamp washers, and corner illumination.

I'm even happier I jumped on the car I bought quickly. I guess it's relatively loaded compared to a lot of the R500's that were sold. Sort of expected the V8's to be loaded in general.

 

And here's another question. Generic should know the answer to this one. My car has the "396" Voice Recognition package which oddly includes a 6 CD changer in the glove box. Not sure how that's connected to voice recognition. But no Apple connection.

Is adding an iPod / iPhone as simple as buying the over priced cord from Mercedes? Is the car already prewired with a connector?

 

Yup you just need the cable. Then you select iPod from the AUX screen under the Audio menu.

I went through some Cars.com listings a few months back and I ran across one R500 with literally every option. I was so happy to find that car as it's so hard to find a full option car. There's way too many packages to expect that a used car has all of them. Luckily most R63s are full option so it's not as hard.

Might not be the person ordering that chooses not to get xenons but the dealers that spec the cars. Agreed it's dumb (should really be standard). A board member here has an R63 with no xenons- looks weird without the fogs down there too. Who wants a base price $88,000 car without xenons in 2007 is beyond me.

 

Wow, that's ridiculous. The Bi-Xenon light package was an option on the R63? I just assumed that would have been standard equipment on a limited production AMG variant. That's a performance item to me. Not like the video option.

On another note, where does the cable plug into the Comand unit? Inside the glove box?

 

You have to take the Command out and plug it in back there. The factory location for the iPod cable to come out is in the glove box. I routed mine into the center console for easier access (you can look at the bottom of the first page of my build thread for more details on the extension cable I use should you choose that route). IMO it's dumb to have the iPod cable in the glove box and makes so much more sense in the center console.

Yep R63 without xenons, like all other Rs without xenons, will lack the headlamp washers and fog lamps. Looks/is ridiculous.

 

LOL yeah, I was wondering how I was gonna stretch from the driver's seat all the way over to the glove box to plug / unplug my iPhone every time I get in the car. I'm afraid my body did not come with the Orangutan arm option. And walking around to the passenger side to plug in my phone and then walking back to the driver's side means I wouldn't be using the thing unless I had a passenger.

The Germans make some weird design decisions once in a while. In this case they already have the semi-useless little compartment in the top of the center console for the bluetooth module. That space is the perfect size for a phone and accessible for the driver or passenger. The glove box must have been the path of least resistance.

And then they have flashes of brilliance like the rear seat access in the R.

 

may I ask which extension cable you have chosen?
I have read many reviews on these supposedly straightfwd extension cables, just to find out many people complain the phone stop charging or music wont play or control won't work...

 

Even charges my iPhone 4! As you know Apple changed the charging pins around the time that MB made the OEM iPod connector. So if you plug your newer (2008+) iDevices with the 30 pin dock connector it won't charge. This cable is not only an extension, but also an adapter so it will charge all of the newer Apple devices.

I also have an iPhone 5 and bought Apple's Lightning to 30 pin adapter and it'll charge my phone as well.

 

So, with only the cable do the steering wheel controls and the Comand screen work?

 

Nonono, you need the OEM MB iPod cable. I then purchased that Amazon extension cable so I had enough wire to route it to the armrest.

 

(sorry for kinda hijacking the thread)
Thanks for the info, and I will now go figure out how to route the extension to the armrest (Why is a good idea to access your phone from the glovebox??!)

 

But you've got a 2012 R with a completely different Command system than on the 06-08 cars. I think your connector is built into the trim piece in the glove box right? So you've got to route the whole wire from the armrest down to the center console instead of moving the glove box cable.

The only reason I had it routed that way is because I removed all the trim to convert to carbon. This required the whole center console to be taken out and then you can access the armrest. It'll be much more difficult if you don't plan on taking too many things apart! (basically it may be more trouble than it's worth)

 

You are so right... upon further inspection, I have to agree it is not worth the trouble. I will stick with a dangling extension cable coming out of the glove box (at least the glove box can still be closed). Still better than having the phone in the glove box
Thanks again for the feedback.

 

Here's another question that just occurred to me. I've never had a car with a sunroof anywhere near this large. With that acre of glass on the roof of the R Class is it hot in the summer? I have no doubt the A/C has been sized to deal with it. But, do you think you're running the A/C more than in other cars to compensate for added heat from the glass? Does the car get unusually hot sitting in the sun? Having bought my car in late December, I won't see any serious sun until probably June.

Mine's white with the macadamia interior and tinted windows which should help. But 75% of that horizontal roof is black glass.

 

Just close the pano shade when you park the car and leave the 3rd row window vents open and it should be pretty decent. When I took it to Nor Cal I did this, put up my OEM front sunshade and raised all of my rear shades and it was fairly cool when I got back to the car. And my car is dark/dark as well!

 

I find the R class has the best air conditioning I have ever had, even with modern refrigerant it is cold and works very fast. I have the full pan roof and burgandy paint, so yes warm enough but wow the a/c works amazing and yes it is like a nuclear submarine when it is running full blast the heat coming from the engine bay is astonishing coming out from under the floor outside. I open my hood after hot drives to let things cool down and run without the engine cover in summer.
I have a rare one, fully loaded to Canadian specs with one exception, no leather.

 

How's the MB Tex to live with. I've never had a car with it but I can't really distinguish between the MB Tex and leather by look or feel based on the R's I looked at. Vinyl got a bad rap here in the 60's & 70's when leather was the luxury option everyone lusted after. But vinyl is tough and easy to clean. Does the MB Tex absorb heat like the vinyl of old or have they overcome that issue?

 

I find the MBTex wonderful, very easy to clean and strong, it doesn't show wear like leather does after a couple years (no wrinkles or creases). I have light grey, it was not my choice (I wanted black inside) but the condition of the vehicle made us buy it (3 years old) and stop looking at beat up ones.
It is warm in summer when in the sun, but no worse then leather. You can always sit on a towel or something similar as it will not damage the material or cause wear like on leather (most modern leather car seats are extremely thin and need constant maintenace to stay nice, even expensive Ferraris!)
I clean mine often due to it being grey, but a damp cloth with some cleaner wipes it away quick, or a thorough brushing dipped in a solution followed by a vinyl/leather treatment and as new. It is very easy to clean out the grain vs trying to get leather clean is misery. For example the steering wheel is impossible to keep clean in the grain without removing the dye.

 

Actually, the leather on cars I've owned over the past 10 years has held up really well across several brands. It's not so much the "character lines" that leather develops which bother me. I actually like that about leather. But, especially with kids, leather is very susceptible to stains from dirt, cola, juice, mustard, skin oil, etc. etc. etc. You can't simply take a wet cloth and scrub away on leather. And even if you do use a proper cleaner, sometimes the stain will set permanently. With vinyl, you can spill a coke, leave it to bake in the sun for a couple of days, clean up with soap and water, and it's like nothing ever happened.

And it is possible to scratch through the dye on leather but it's also pretty easy to touch it up too.

The only downsides for a high quality vinyl that might bother me are heat retention because it's generally a denser material than leather and so, holds more thermal energy. Not good for the back of legs when you're in shorts. And the breathe-ability or lack thereof again in hot, humid conditions. I sweat like Secretariat. On the other hand I supposed I'd never have to worry about sweat stains on vinyl.

 

what he said. After an hour my shirt-back is soaked. Big beach towel on the seat back and bottom cures that, and really looks ... nice. Try to find a macadamia beach towel.
Down here in FL the big black pano glass really heats it up inside. The roll-up screen actually radiates some of the sun through onto you. I'd rather have just a sunroof, or nothing. Screw the passenger's claustrophobia, that's their problem if I'm playing bus for them. I never open it.