Mercedes-Benz R280 CDI Car Review

Facts At A Glance
Car: Mercedes-Benz R280 CDI range
Prices: £36,420 - £37,920
Insurance Group: 19
Emissions: 246g/km
Performance: 0-60 9.8s Max Speed 130mph
Fuel Consumption: (urban) 24.4 (extra urban) 37.7 (combined) 31.4 mpg
Safety:
Safety: Eight airbags / ABS / ESP
Dimensions: Length/Width/Heightmm 4922/1922/1656 November 16th 2007

OPEN WIDE AND SAY ‘R’

Our Rating: 7.4 / 10

The Mercedes-Benz R Class offers Club Class refinement and still provides a sharp drive but does the R280 CDI model do itself justice? Andy Enright reports

When asked what buyers of 4x4s like best about their cars, it’s usually the feeling of security that being seated high up engenders. The actual all-wheel drive mechanicals often count for very little in the buying decision, hence the rise of many vehicles that look like rugged 4x4s but have normal front-wheel-drive mechanicals beneath them. Mercedes is well set for proper 4x4s with the excellent M-Class and the leviathan GL-Class covering its luxury bases so it was with some surprise that the world greeted the all-wheel-drive R-Class on its debut back in 2001 at the Detroit Auto Show as the Vision GST (Grand Sports Tourer). The American link is apposite as this is where the overwhelming majority of R-Class models are sold. Can the R280 CDI, offered in standard instead of the more useful long wheelbase body, make an impact on the rather more cost conscious UK customer?

As with many Mercedes models, the badge on the back of the R280 CDI only give a vague clue as to the engine capacity. In this case it’s powered by a 3.0-litre common rail diesel engine that’s rated at 190bhp and which is quick enough to punt this Club Class lounge to 60mph from standstill in 9.8 seconds on the way to a top speed of 130mph. Rather surprisingly for a vehicle of these dimensions, the R Class feels nimble through the corners.

All R-Class engines are mated as standard to the 7G-TRONIC seven-speed automatic transmission, equipped with DIRECT SELECT. A column-mounted shifter is backed up by wheel-mounted shift buttons that allow the driver to change gears ‘manually’. Although not as sharp as a proper sequential manual box, it’s a very good substitute and far superior to any SMG when left to its own devices in ‘drive’ mode. Unlike the rest of the R Class range, the R280 CDI isn’t fitted with permanent all-wheel-drive, the chassis being a conventional rear-wheel-drive platform. ESP stability control ensures the R280 stays on the straight and narrow, even under severe weather and road conditions. AIRMATIC all-round air suspension is not available as an option for the R280. If there’s such thing as a poor man’s R-Class, this may well be it.

So, you’ve done without air suspension and four-wheel drive, plus you’re missing the additional 31bhp shove of the R320 CDI that’s generally perceived to be the pick of the range but is that the end of the caveats? In short, no. The biggest drawback to the R280 CDI is that it’s just not big enough. The R Class chassis makes all sorts of sense in long wheelbase guise. There it’s long enough to offer a seven-seat variant which has enjoyed a lot of take up else there’s an ostentatiously spacious five-seat version. In standard wheelbase, the R Class isn’t so clever, coming equipped with just five seats and space in the rear that is surprisingly compromised. If you’re going to buy a rear-wheel-drive, five-seat Mercedes with no off-road ability, it all makes you wonder if your money wouldn’t be better spent on an E-Class estate with a bigger and better engine.

Perhaps the styling will sway it for some, the R280 CDI having none of the E-Class Estate’s rather fogeyish image. The R-Class is imposing with curving hips and voluptuously swaged flanks that are redolent of the CLS model, topped with a gently tapered glasshouse. It’s no shrinking violet, measuring fully 4,922mm from tip to tail although the wheel at each corner stance does much from preventing a bulky appearance.

Two R280 CDI variants are on offer. The entry level SE model retails at £36,420 and includes features such as an eight-speaker CD stereo, automatic air conditioning, a trip computer, cruise control, 18-inch alloy wheels and a whole suite of safety gear including stability control, ISOFIX child seat mounts, six airbags, anti-lock brakes and traction control. You’ll need to tack £1,500 onto that price to get hold of an R280 CDI in Sport trim but you do get 19-inch alloys, leather trim for the steering wheel and gear knob, leather and Artico fabric sports seats, metallic paint and aluminium fascia inserts.

Prices for the R280 CDI have recently been massaged a little lower, although the £2,700 gap between