R Class Mercedes are they any good?

[BelfastBill]

Hi looking at changing my W220 2005 320CDI as I really would like and Estate or 4X4 as I do a lot of fishing and have a couple of dogs,someone has told me the R Class are trouble anyone had one or know how reliable they are please.

Cheers' Bill.

 

[m80]

The V6 engine has some gremlins, but no more than the other MB's that use it.
I haven't heard of any other inherent issues with them.
You get a lot of car for the money as you can pick them up very cheap.

If it were more economical I would be happy to buy one, and even then I could be persuaded easily enough if the right deal came along

 

[BTB 500]

Quite a few similar threads here in the past - worth doing a search. The R is essentially an ML with a lower body on it ... same floorpan and mechanicals. An E Class estate has similar (more?) space and uses less fuel, if you don't actually need 4WD.

 

[SteveASmith]

I had mine, a 2008, for 1 year. Bought it with about 59k on the clock.
Fuel? Lucky to get 32mpg on a long run.
Comfort? Very, very smooth drive and good amount of power.
Parking can be an issue due to its size, can be tricky in some underground carparks.
It's going to cost you money whatever you buy, I paid £1k for new brakes and a set of glow plugs. Then £650 for a set of tyres, then just before Christmas, £700 for a front spring and rear caliper, due to it sticking.

It's not the sportiest of drives, but it's not designed for that.
It's very big in the back, my kids loved it.

I had worries that the suspension was going to be an issue, due to the age and wear.

Would've liked to have kept it, but I felt that I wanted something newer. It's still a vehicle with presence though.

 

[BelfastBill]

Thanks all,give's me something to think about.

 

[BlackC55]

I wouldn't. Most I see are absolute sheds.

 

[MD5]

I wouldn't. Most I see are absolute sheds.

Like to elaborate a bit Olly? By design or neglect?

@BelfastBill
I've had mine, a 57 R320L CDI, about 2.5 years, and apart from servicing, I've had a minor oil leak fixed, a couple of speed sensors and two rear shock absorbers. The previous owner had the electro plate issue sorted in the gearbox, which is a common drive train with the 7G box amongst other models, and it has clearly been looked after. All in all, a very tidy sub 80k motorway muncher.

It doesn't necessarily give you all the space you might hope for. It's a cavernous and comfortable cargo carrier, but not the best estate car for anything over four/five passengers if you need luggage space. My model has six seats which are comfy and spacious for all without luggage, but there's very little storage space between the third row of seats and back door. You can get a dog guard which separates good space behind the second row of either two or three seats, depending on which model you have, and the back door. The 7 seater will give you three seats, two large and one small, in the middle row. You would need the third row of seat space laid flat to accommodate passengers' luggage if needed. In the six seater, you can configure the rear seating to any up or down combo, and I'm sure the seven seater would be the same, but I'm not sure how the middle seat is installed, ie attached to the n/s seat or fitted independently.

Not the easiest of cars to park, and my car doesn't work well for five plus my father in law's wheelchair, which a seven seater no doubt would. I get typically 31 mpg on a run, mid 20s urban, which I don't do much of. They have been painted with the ugly brush, but the looks have grown on me, and I'm always pleased to see another.

 

[h17n dj]

whats the spec on the W220? LWB? SWB? Mileage? Service History? Optional extras?

THanks

 

[SL300-24]

The £500 tax would kill it for me. I use my W124 estate for fishing, not found anything better

 

[saff]

The £500 tax would kill it for me. I use my W124 estate for fishing, not found anything better

Have you tried a rod and line?

 

[clk208]

I wouldn't. Most I see are absolute sheds.

There is one I see locally occasionally that has uneven suspension- leans to one side. It’s filthy, has some rust and smokey. Looks pretty neglected.

In theory they should be quite a good practical car but the looks don’t do it for me.

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

Count the number on the road.

Then look up the production numbers.

Should give some indication of how successful they were. Before they were discontinued.

.

 

[simon1966]

Hi looking at changing my W220 2005 320CDI as I really would like and Estate or 4X4 as I do a lot of fishing and have a couple of dogs,someone has told me the R Class are trouble anyone had one or know how reliable they are please.

Cheers' Bill.

Bill - look at E class estates.
I, like you do a lot of fishing (not as much as I'd like but...) and it was the main reason for me changing car and looking for good space in the back. E classes are great load luggers, especially with supercharged V8's

 

[BelfastBill]

Sorry all that I haven't gotten back to you sooner, I was thinking about the E class but wanted a four wheel drive if possible so having a look at the GL models not sure if the ML are any good either but not in a hurry at the moment due to this emergency.

Thank's for all your help. Stay safe everyone.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Sorry all that I haven't gotten back to you sooner, I was thinking about the E class but wanted a four wheel drive if possible so having a look at the GL models not sure if the ML are any good either but not in a hurry at the moment due to this emergency.

Thank's for all your help. Stay safe everyone.

The R, GL, and ML are all on the same platform and share the same drivetrain. I rather like them. I have a rather wonderful ML which is for sale but I don”5 look forward to seeing it go, as it’s been an amazing car.

 

[ChipChop]

I have often pondered R class ownership, fine looking cars as long as they are in LWB form. Really cheap on ebay.

Asked the same question you did on another mb forum and basically came to the conclusion an E class estate was a far better car.

This was due to the cost of replacing air suspension (although r280cdi is coil sprung i think) and high tax bands (with the exception of early 56 and 06 reg cars and facelift 350cdi's & grand editions)

You can quite often find 10 or 11 plate facelift R350 cdi's for around the £8000 mark with a few miles on them which i have to admit is very tempting.

 

[BTB 500]

My in-laws ran a petrol R350 (LWB) for about 7 years with no significant issues other than being a bit thirsty and only having 6 seats (later ones got 7). It was about 12 months old when they bought it. Didn't think it had air suspension, but I could be wrong.

 

[Dunhamkid]

I have often pondered R class ownership, fine looking cars as long as they are in LWB form. Really cheap on ebay.

Asked the same question you did on another mb forum and basically came to the conclusion an E class estate was a far better car.

This was due to the cost of replacing air suspension (although r280cdi is coil sprung i think) and high tax bands (with the exception of early 56 and 06 reg cars and facelift 350cdi's & grand editions)

You can quite often find 10 or 11 plate facelift R350 cdi's for around the £8000 mark with a few miles on them which i have to admit is very tempting.

My R class has coil springs on the front and airbags on the rear. Airbags are relatively simple to replace

 

[219]

Quite a few similar threads here in the past - worth doing a search. The R is essentially an ML with a lower body on it ... same floorpan and mechanicals. An E Class estate has similar (more?) space and uses less fuel, if you don't actually need 4WD.

And you can actually get some E Class Estates with 4-Matic 4WD , although not the ground clearance of the actual off road 4WDs , but useful for towing with .

After thought - with no agenda at all - just curious .

What happened to Bruce Millar's rather lovely 300TE 4-Matic ? Does anyone know ? Did the family keep it , or did someone on here buy it ?

 

[simon1966]

Actually ground clearance was one of the other reasons I ended up with my E55K wagon. The ability to raise the suspension is a great bonus if you’re a fisherman as often have to go down poor tracks or whatever to get to rivers and lakes.