Just want to share this bit of very unconfirmed rumor.

http://www.autoevolution.com/mercede...ing-70278.html

Personally, I'd rather MB focus on selling a version of the Viano in the US... I wish my R has sliding doors and 2nd row seats that can face backwards, but I am probably in the minority.

In any case, feels like something like the R is down the road. Hopefully just in time for when the warranty runs out.

 

So its official? 2013 is the last year of production? Sad.
The pic looks good.. hope it has 5-7 passenger seating. If its just a 5 seater crossover...forget it. I need more seats and more room! But I dont want a SUV!

 

I don't know about the new versions of the R's, but I would not consider the R class a quality vehicle. People don't buy it because today people search the internet to get information on their vehicle purchases. If you read the internet on an R class it's obvious this is a very expensive/unreliable vehicle (this site and others provide lots of info by design). People expect their vehicles to be trouble free for a minimum of 100K miles. If you are as old as me, 100K used to be considered time to dump a vehicle. There is no history yet for the new R's so people can only go by what is out there for older units.

The other problem MB has is market choice. Growing up MB was considered a high end vehicle. Now you can get one for $30K and the you see them all over the place. It will be interesting to see how their choice pans out when all these lower MB's start to need maintenance. The general population is not going to be happy taking their under warranty MB into the shop for a brake job and getting a $700-$1200 quote for brakes and rotor turning.

 

I bought my 2007 R500 one year ago because of this whole issue. Its not a desireable car. I was looking for a full size desireable SUV like an X5 or GL but didn't want to pay $30k-$40k for a 5 year old model. Then I saw an R350 and thought, "that's an expensive vehicle for a soccer mom." But curiously went to Auto Trader, Wikipedia and Edmonds and read about the R. Wiki described the cool features in the R. Edmonds stated the V8 in the R500 had the low end torque of the diesel and the horsepower of the V6. Reviewers on Edmonds raved about their R's. And all R500s loaded with Navi, Bluetooth and all sorts of goodies in premium condition were selling as a 5 year old model for under $25k. So I drove one locally and was very impressed. That was when I decided, I don't care if other people think its a soccer mom car, its an incredible ride. It's like an S class wagon on steroids. So I searched the U.S. for just the right one. When I found it, I flew there, paid $22k and drove it home.
This may not be a monster like the R63 AMG, but as a daily car, you can't beat it in quality for the buck. Mine has the AMG Appearance package and will give most anything a run for its money from stoplight to stoplight. Once the engine light came on, so tightened the gas cap, light went out.
I wonder if, in the future, the R63 AMG will become a collectors' model like early 70's muscle cars have become. Think about it! It's an exemely quality car with lots of power. And unlike MBs' other 63 AMG models, there were very few R63 AMG's made during one single model year. If you bought one today for $35k, you may get six figures for it in ten to fifteen years. That's a pretty good return.
My only wish is that they would have continued the V8 beyond 2007. In Canada they sold an R550 as a 2008 model. It would be nice to have another 80 horses. Hmmm, what's it cost to import?
If you read, thanks for reading and let me know if you agree.

 

Definitely a whole lotta car for the money. I love mine but its damn unreliable. I would love to get another CPO in a ear after this lease is up but I am seriouisly looking elswwhere. MDX or even Cadilac. My 2002 honda odyssey has 270K Km and the only breakdown apart from known wear items was an alternator last summer. Oh and a $30 blower resistor.. every other repair was either brakes, or front struts, battery, mandatory timing belt, stearing control arms and fluid changes. Even my 2005 C240 purchased in 2009 has gone 160Km without too much trouble. But the R is horrendous:
In 2 years
rear hatch latch
oxygen sensor and particle filter
Oil cooler leak
rear back up sensor sam module
rear hatch hydraulic pump and cylinder.
Rear hatch pneumatic struts *$500 not warranty
rear air bag suspension. rear shocks. Front struts and schocks.
over $10K of extended warranty repairs between 80K and 145K km...
As for importing....hmm sure it can be done but what do you do for repairs and parts? if MB does not have star system and import parts for post 2013 models. what will you do? Many repairs absolutely need starsystem.

it really is a shame.. because like I said. its the perfect blend between a car and a SUV.