Mercedes re-aims R-Class at young families, lowers pricing
#16
Originally Posted by rominl
i have seen quite a few of them on the road. seriously, i still don't know what the car is for. anyone who's smart enough when buying a minivan would look to get the odyssey or the seinna. if they want to make this car sportier then why not just make an suv?
i don't know, i am still lost. every time i see it on the road i wonder what it's for... so far i have only seen people from 30s to 40s with it
i don't know, i am still lost. every time i see it on the road i wonder what it's for... so far i have only seen people from 30s to 40s with it
#19
We just bought one in February. My wife just fell in love with it when she first saw it. I can't argue with those who don't like the styling because it is a matter of taste. Some will say a black one looks like a hearse and I may agree with that (we avoided black). I personally like the styling.
But the rest of the car, you should not knock until you have actually taken a ride in one. It is exceptionally smooth, comfy and quiet and it has so many creature comforts and goodies that it is hard to resist once you are in one. It is the ultimate family roadtrip car. What sold it to us was the panoramic sunroof, which is huge due to the size of the car. It feels like a convertible, minus the wind and noise. And the entertainment system in the headrests sealed the deal. I know you can get third party products like these but then you lose the safety features of the MB headrest built into it. The entertainment system allows the kids to do seperate things like one can play PS for example while the other watches a DVD. Much nicer than the Acura one we also have.
It is more like a minivan than a truck. We were tired of the truck handling of the MDX and the RX (or lack of handling). It may be me but I won't buy an SUV or truck again unless it is my second vehicle for snow, off-roading etc. This thing handles much better than expected, more like a large sedan or wagon. Has a 7 speed automanual adaptive tranny and AWD. I think you would have a hard time finding any minivan or SUV handling like a car with AWD, this tranny and the smooth LS like ride.
Those of you who say it is a rebadged Pacifica, MB denies that but there is probably some truth in that. Having been in both, you won't mistake the build or ride quality between the two. It is no more a Pacifica than an LS is an Avalon or an ES is a Camry. You notice the difference inside out very clearly and it is worth every penny of the difference IMHO.
By the way, the original article noted the BMW coming out with something similar in 2008. It is very similar and will be called the V5. Lexus will likely introduce a very similar vehicle in 2008 called the VX. This is a hot segment that I think will grow. The day we took delivery, there were 4 others being delivered on the same day. Only other car being delivered was a 2007 S-class. I think this segment will grow and more manufacturers will jump on this in the future.
But the rest of the car, you should not knock until you have actually taken a ride in one. It is exceptionally smooth, comfy and quiet and it has so many creature comforts and goodies that it is hard to resist once you are in one. It is the ultimate family roadtrip car. What sold it to us was the panoramic sunroof, which is huge due to the size of the car. It feels like a convertible, minus the wind and noise. And the entertainment system in the headrests sealed the deal. I know you can get third party products like these but then you lose the safety features of the MB headrest built into it. The entertainment system allows the kids to do seperate things like one can play PS for example while the other watches a DVD. Much nicer than the Acura one we also have.
It is more like a minivan than a truck. We were tired of the truck handling of the MDX and the RX (or lack of handling). It may be me but I won't buy an SUV or truck again unless it is my second vehicle for snow, off-roading etc. This thing handles much better than expected, more like a large sedan or wagon. Has a 7 speed automanual adaptive tranny and AWD. I think you would have a hard time finding any minivan or SUV handling like a car with AWD, this tranny and the smooth LS like ride.
Those of you who say it is a rebadged Pacifica, MB denies that but there is probably some truth in that. Having been in both, you won't mistake the build or ride quality between the two. It is no more a Pacifica than an LS is an Avalon or an ES is a Camry. You notice the difference inside out very clearly and it is worth every penny of the difference IMHO.
By the way, the original article noted the BMW coming out with something similar in 2008. It is very similar and will be called the V5. Lexus will likely introduce a very similar vehicle in 2008 called the VX. This is a hot segment that I think will grow. The day we took delivery, there were 4 others being delivered on the same day. Only other car being delivered was a 2007 S-class. I think this segment will grow and more manufacturers will jump on this in the future.
Last edited by Turkoman; 04-14-06 at 01:49 PM.
#20
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Hats off to MB. The R Class, while controverisal in styling is definitely here to stay and is the begining of a new Luxury Minivan/SUV hybrid trend. Think MPV but on a whole 'nother level. And yeah the Pacifica jumped out immediately when I first saw the R-Class.
#21
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i was just telling my wife last night that i noticed the soccer moms in the OC are starting to sport these around town. Considering there are two high volume benz dealers in the OC near me its not surprising to see this result from the price drop. We did look into this car initially but the pricing was a bit high considering it was a minivan. We ended up selling our 05 odyssey to get an 06 odyssey touring...fits the bill for our family of 5
#22
Lexus Fanatic
Originally Posted by 1SICKLEX
I.
Its NOT related to the Pacifica but it DOES look like it
Its NOT related to the Pacifica but it DOES look like it
#23
Lexus Test Driver
Originally Posted by rominl
i don't know, i am still lost. every time i see it on the road i wonder what it's for... so far i have only seen people from 30s to 40s with it
I agree with above posters that value-wise, the Odyssey and Sienna are totally the way to go though.
#24
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Originally Posted by Faraaz23
I guess if people want some of the practical qualities of a minivan, but luxury along with it... or simply the status of the 3-point star... this is the vehicle for them. Just seeing many of our family aquintances and my dad's colleagues... they seem to play follow the leader a lot. They are so concerned with competing for material posessions within the cultural community, that back in the 90's... when one person got a Chrysler T&C, everyone else followed suit. Pretty soon the ML320 came... and it still offered practicality along with a 3-point star, so most of them dumped the minivans for the ML, and then the RX300 as well later on (I can think of 25-30 people I know off the top of my head). This however, I predict, as serving as the new status car for people wanting the space of the minivan. I'm not saying there aren't other types of buyers out there who may buy this for completey different reasons, I'm just saying this is going to perfectly suit a certain niche I can think of.
I agree with above posters that value-wise, the Odyssey and Sienna are totally the way to go though.
I agree with above posters that value-wise, the Odyssey and Sienna are totally the way to go though.
#25
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Originally Posted by 1SICKLEX
I am a little confused, I thought it was selling well. It sells better than the M class!
#26
Lexus Fanatic
Originally Posted by rominl
yup, it's true, i am not surprised people are getting this car for its brand name. sad, but true.
#27
Originally Posted by 1SICKLEX
I am a little confused, I thought it was selling well. It sells better than the M class!
Well I guess I was right again. Dumb move, no one wants a 50-75k van.
Its NOT related to the Pacifica but it DOES look like it
Well I guess I was right again. Dumb move, no one wants a 50-75k van.
Its NOT related to the Pacifica but it DOES look like it
No one wants a Pacifica in the first place so who thinks one that cost's 2x is a good idea?
I have a Sienna awd which costs as much as $40K with everything (less after discounts). I can't see another $35K even for a V8 MB van.
vans are great, but they are not the hottest segment. Lets say there are 1 million sales/year toal. Now most of these will be chrysler/Honda/Toyota so why fight over the crumbs? You know these are overpriced to begin with, It's not a Pacifica but IMO they probably cost similar amounts to build, yes the MB has better materials etc. but IMO MB is not what it used to be. Since it's gone down market basically it's no more superior to Toyota/Lexus if you had them both in the same dealership.
#28
Originally Posted by Turkoman
We just bought one in February. .
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