Minor Updates for Mercedes' R-Class People Mover

Everybody's talking about crossovers these days. If a manufacturer doesn't yethave one (or two), it's at least got one that's on the way. Though predictions for the various crossover markets are bullish, one car maker that hasn't been having the best of luck shifting all of its new creations out of its dealer showrooms is Mercedes-Benz. The brand launched the long-awaited R-Class touring vehicle in North America for model year 2006, but it never really caught on. In fact, comparing the sales progress of this year to last year, the R-Class is 38.4-percent or 2,591 units off the pace in the U.S.

Along the way, Mercedes-Benz tried to spice things up for potential buyers by adding two unique versions to the R family. First up, the R320 CDI sports a new entry level powertrain. Its clean diesel technology provides plenty of torque and fairly reasonable fuel consumption, so it only makes sense that it would be a hit, right? After all, it's the only vehicle of its type to be offered with a diesel engine in North America. The other R iteration is the borderline insane R63 AMG, which features Mercedes' high-revving 6.3-liter V8 boasting 503 manic horsepower, a sure fire way to make every family outing exciting. Via a mild facelift and an extension of the global powertrain range, Mercedes-Benz hopes to lure more than a few new faces into its R-Class.

A mainstay for the R-Class range in North America since inception has been the “500” model, which is powered by a 5.0-liter, 302-horsepower V8; it's one of the few remaining Mercedes vehicles to feature this engine. Like its platform-mates, the ML and GL, the R will also receive the new 388-horsepower, 5.5-liter V8 for much improved performance. It will, of course, be known as the R550 rather than the R500 when it does. In addition, Mercedes may consider bringing in a more powerful diesel variant, the R420 CDI, which packs a mighty 538 lb-ft of torque wallop and 310 horsepower from its large V8 turbodiesel engine. Mercedes also hopes that an entry-level V6 might assist sales in Europe; the R280 will debut with this update, featuring a 231-horsepower, 2.8-liter motor that enjoys a reasonable fuel consumption figure of 22 mpg in a mix of city and highway driving. Unfortunately it's not a very quick vehicle,taking 9.6 seconds to reach 60 mph from standstill. Therefore it's doubtful that the base V6 model will be sold on our continent.

Another new introduction to the global R-Class lineup is a rear-wheel drive model; currently all R-Class crossovers feature 4Matic all-wheel drive. We're not yet sure if North America will get a rear-drive R-Class, but it would be a good way to drop the price of the vehicle, as well as improve fuel consumption. Mercedes might want to take note that many brands offer two-wheel drive versions of their SUVs in the U.S., especially in warmer States; Jeep even sells a rear-drive Wrangler.

Finally, we get to the visual changes, which are quite minimal. The R-Class now receives a new front bumper that is stylized to mimic the look of the AMG performance models, thanks to a triple front intake. V6-powered models (diesel included) receive fog lamps and 18-inch alloy wheels. The R also offers a new seating layout; previously, it could only be purchased in the 2+2+2 seating configuration. The more conventional 2+3 layout, or optionally a 2+3+2 layout should improve its capabilities as a people carrier. Interestingly, this is the identical problem its Chrysler Pacifica cousin initially faced.

More information about available engines will surface as the updated 2008 R-Class gets closer to production, so stay tuned.