Mercedes-Benz R-Class: First look

As Germany's two biggest automotive players, BMW and Mercedes-Benz have been setting trends and pioneering new ideas for decades.

But what happens when these two vehicular juggernauts enter unexplored territory - will they come crashing to the ground with an almighty aluminium-alloy thud?

Mercedes is currently working on its new R-Class, a range of people movers or mini vans that will add power and prestige to what is at present a largely utilitarian genre, and BMW is also working on a luxury people mover.

The people mover or MPV market is currently dominated by Asian and American car makers, but Europe is now getting in on the act.

At present, Mercedes sells the Viano and Vaneo people movers in some countries, but Merc's new R-Class will be the first of the super-luxury MPVs.

By 'super-luxury' we mean that the new minivan will be offered with features like a glass roof, climate control, three DVD screens, pneumatic suspension, ESP and plenty of leather, wood and aluminium, while at the same time offering sedan-like ride, handling and power levels.

Internally the new Mercedes people mover is still referred to as the GST, or Grand Sports Tourer, but the chance of the car adhering to the marque's naming convention of 'classes' is extremely high.

The new six-seater from Mercedes made its debut at the 2002 Detroit Motor Show - one of the biggest events on the auto show calendar - and for obvious reasons.

While the show car made use of a hybrid diesel-electric engine, production versions will most likely use non-hybrid engines.

The advanced engine seen in the pre-production R-Class models consists of a V8 diesel engine borrowed from the S-Class and an electric motor producing 184kW and 50kW respectively.

That amounts to a total of 234kW, but just take a look at the torque figures: when the two drive systems combine, 860Nm of torque is accessible via the throttle.

The end result of such high torque levels gift the GST, which is expected to weigh more than 2.0 tonnes, with a limited top speed of 250km/h, and the 0-100km/h sprint takes just 6.6 seconds.

Mercedes will begin manufacturing the R-Class range at the marque's Tuscaloosa, Alabama assembly plant in the US towards the end of 2004, and the new people mover will be sold in mid-to-late 2005 after making its official production debut at the 2005 Detroit Motor Show in early January.

It will arrive with a range of bent 6- and 8-cylinder petrol and diesel engines, and is being built on the same floorpan of the next generation M-Class, which will see the light of day in late in 2005, after R-Class sales begin.

The R-Class is expected to cost more than the current M-Class, but Mercedes will be releasing a stack of new engines to offset this, including the 3.5-litre V6 and possibly even the new 4.6-litre V8.

Mercedes new family-friendly wagon is an evolution on the current Merc design, one that manages to be stylish and up-to-date, integrating traditional visual features with some new ones.

By using large headlights placed far to the sides, the designers were consciously emphasising the car's high-tech features, with visible cylinders projecting forward behind the oval lenses, turning the headlights into true eye-catchers.

In the rear, the R-Class body's rising waistline meets a three-section rear-lamp cluster, which appears as a striking red LED panel and creates a visual connection between the rear and the sides.

Three glossy sections of aluminium form the rear lights and accommodate the light-emitting diodes for the turn-signal and reversing lights.

In addition to its contemporary exterior design, the R-Class will be available with Mercedes' AirMatic DC system, that can raise and lower ride height and change damping rates on the go for uncompromising levels of ride quality.

The suicide or barn-style rear doors of the 2002 concept car appear to have been scrapped in favour of four normal doors (as seen in the photos), and there is also talk of smaller, shortened version of the R-Class in the works, and the rumour mill has been furiously pumping out news of an AMG version as well.

Insiders hint that an R 55 AMG or R 63 AMG will arrive in 2006, packing more heat than most parents taking their kids to soccer practice will ever need.

Either a 5.5-litre supercharged V8 outputting 276kW (370hp) or a new 6.5-litre V12 generating 373kW (500hp) will drive all four of the R-Class's wheels, and thanks to the 4ETS electronically controlled traction system, loss of traction will be a thing of the past.

Other additions to the AMG-tuned R-Class include a 7-speed automatic transmission, exaggerated bodywork, fatter wheels and special badging. And until BMW's multi-seat people mover makes itself known, which should be very soon, Mercedes will have little in the way of competition.

In relation to the earlier question of "what happens when these two vehicular juggernauts enter unexplored territory - will they come crashing to the ground?" consider that both BMW and Mercedes proved that they could turn a profit in the luxury SUV markets, and looking to consolidate more power, they have a good chance of doing the same for the luxury MPV genre.

Even though the R-Class fills a very small gap between the marque's E-Class Estates and the M-Class 4WDs, it is still a new design for Mercedes, and one that will no doubt find grace with many buyers. Mercedes spends huge money on identifying demographics and car buyer's wishes, and it's obviously found that there are buyers out there who need a multi-seater people mover with plenty of badge cachet, a glass roof a great big V8.