Buying, Owning & Improving Mercedes-Benz R-Class

Ian Cushway searches out new and used parts prices

If the Audi Q7’s ostentatious, the BMW X5 a bit brash and the Volvo XC90 a tad clichéd for your liking, there’s always the Mercedes R-Class. As a classy 4x4 that’s got room for all the family, it’s now an absolute steal on the secondhand market. Indeed, despite entry models being £38,000 new, you can pick up an early one for as little as £3000 in the classifieds.

Don’t let the fact that it was essentially a vehicle aimed at our friends across the Pond put you off because the posh Mercedes offers limo-like luxury, flexible seating with room for seven on some models, and is far more car-like to drive than other MPVs with 4x4 capability like the Discovery, for example.

Sharing the same platform with the M- and GL-Class, the swish people carrier was available from 2006 in two