Cars Show Room

Not too long ago, there was a time when all of the vehicles in an automaker's portfolio weren't required to wear the same uniform. Each model could be its own unique expression of the brand's strengths without being forced to schedule an appointment with the corporate plastic surgeon. Granted, some marques lost a bit of identity with scads of mismatched children running around the lot, but the world's automotive variety pack was considerably more interesting. If you didn't like the face on one product, but wanted to stick with the brand, there were a plethora of options to choose from.

That's not the case anymore. We live in a world of increasingly unified automotive design, and while that's resulted in a few products missing the mark in a big way (we're looking at you, Acura), just as many manufacturers have created some real winners by spreading the corporate face among its progeny. Dodge's decision to share the Ram grille across its line was one of the best moves the company has made in recent history, and Ford and Chevrolet have similarly benefited from strong familial design cues.

Now Mercedes-Benz is looking to walk down the same path by spreading its upright grille to the 2011 R-Class. The move isn't so much of a shot in the arm as a shot of espresso for the Silver Arrow's awkward duckling, but it should help the luxury people mover blend in amongst its more beautiful brethren.

With all-new sheetmetal from the A-pillar forward, it would be easy to mistake the 2011 R-Class as a new generation instead of a warmed-over version of last year's crossover, but the truth is, not much else has changed, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Up front, the R-Class now wears a stand-up grille borrowed from the likes of the GLK and SLS AMG, and it looks pretty sharp on the high-riding long-roof. New LED daytime running lights are nestled low into the front fascia, and swept HID headlamps stick close to the fender line. A chrome accent strip along the lower bumper adds a touch of flash.

From the side, the new nose does wonders for the overall profile of the vehicle. Whereas the 2010 R-Class suffered from a terminally droopy face, the vertical look lends a little bit more pride to the R twins. Instead of borrowing from the Pontiac Trans Sport playbook, the R-Class now looks like it belongs with the rest of the Mercedes-Benz clan. Never underestimate the power of a nose job. The rest of the exterior remains largely untouched by the refresh pen, though a faux diffuser has cropped up on the rear bumper and trapezoidal exhaust tips have replaced the round bits of the 2010 model.

Likewise, those familiar with the interior from last year won't find too many shocking revelations. The dash has been mildly restyled with frosted silver air vents and a two-tone leather option has popped up as well. We're not complaining, though. The cabin is still a comfortable place to spend a road trip no matter where you're sitting. Mercedes-Benz is particularly proud of the fact that the vehicle's third row is actually functional, and it's true that full-grown adults who are less than five-foot-eleven can fit in the way back seats without suffering a cramped neck or bruised knees. The bottom line is that unlike many other three-row creations out there, the final thrones in the new R-Class are actually good for something other than child cruelty.

While everything is plenty comfortable from a passenger stand point, we did run into a few issues behind the wheel. Our biggest gripe is that the nav screen is still located low on the dash, meaning the driver has to spend too much time staring down and away from the road to get an idea of where he or she is headed. It's a distraction that would require a significant redesign of the dash to fix. Otherwise, our only qualm is an awkwardly placed cruise control lever that dangles over the turning indicator stalk. After accidentally decelerating five times instead of initiating the left turn signal, we just gave up on the cruise control all together.

Buyers hoping to find a host of new drivetrain options in the 2011 R-Class will be disappointed. M-B has made one big change to the lineup by making all-wheel drive standard on both available versions of the crossover, but engine choices will stay the same. That means a 3.5-liter gasoline V6 with 272 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque and a 3.0-liter diesel V6 with 211 horsepower will both find their way behind the headlights, but sadly, the bonkers R63 AMG version with its 6.2-liter V8 hasn't resurfaced. The diesel does have one big trick up its sleeves, though – Mercedes has managed to pull a beefy 400 lb-ft of twist from the sixer, and it makes a huge difference the crossover's driveability.

While Mercedes-Benz technically offers a total of nine variations on the R-Class formula around the world, Americans will only be able to get their hands on two – the R 350 4MATIC and the R 350 BlueTEC 4MATIC in long-wheelbase guise. Both vehicles put power to the all-wheel-drive system by a seven-speed automatic transmission, and the Silver Arrow claims to have (marginally) increased fuel economy in both vehicles. The gasoline R is expected to return around 15 mpg city and 19 mpg highway, while its diesel counterpart should deliver around 18 mpg city and 24 mpg highway. If those figures seem a little low for what's essentially a big, German minivan, keep in mind that R 350 BlueTEC 4MATIC hits the scales at a mind-boggling 5,145 pounds.……

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