My mechanic friend has said Merc. makes the best cars in the world, and my bro-in-law says once Mercedes you never go back. My '06 R350 2wd has the panorama roof, nav, parktronic, and maple trim. That's about it. Oh - and two years old with only 6000 K on the clock! It doesn't require B service until 20K even though it thinks it does now after 2.5 years. I bought the STAR service manual (Model 251) and am amazed at the tech stuff and the extreme level of engineering in the car, such as how the rain sensing wipers work via infra-red sensors. Mainly though, I bought the car for versatility, (can throw my road bike and my wife's bike inside laying down - or 2 or 3 hockey bags), quality, prestige, performance, comfort, and general joy of driving. Ebay pricing is very good with most 06's coming off lease now - especially on the R500 if your wallet doesn't complain about gas, so baby boomers (and late forming affluent families) everywhere should take note. (Tech heads already know the US / Cdn speedometers don't need swapping - just resetting since the needle gauge and digital both read in MPH or KM/H. Someone sat down with a paper and they actually built what was drawn - beautiful design work and less pedestrian than the S-class - while sharing the 7-G tronic trans. and other features. You owe it to yourself to have a test drive. My only wish is for the larger wheels, and perhaps heated seats.

Congrats and welcome to GCZ. I love the R-Class, especially the R63 (one of a kind), but some here think it's ugly.

Enjoy your R350 to the fullest!

i own an 2008 R320 CDI, it's very good even thought a lot a people dont like it. it still deserves the three pointed star.

Welcome to GCZ mate, you will definitely have a great time here. I do agree with your in-laws, once you have a Merc you don't want to go back, I am guessing the R-class is your 1st MB? Thanks for sharing your impressions of your car, no doubt you will grow to appreciate it even more in time. It is true that the R-class isn't a favourite among the MB fans in here, but you can provide us a more balanced view of the car.

mind if you share some photos with us?

hi congrats i agree once a merc i doubt you will change i did see the r class its nice car but i prefered the gl bit rromier and felt more macho..

good luck seems you got your self a bargain please post pics

Welcome to GCZ!! Enjoy your stay - and although I am not a fan of the R-Class, but nice to have an owner of this car here!!

Congrats mate. There really is something special about a Benz. You really appreciate it when you live with one for a while.

Nice car mate and welcome to GCZ

You simply drives the best family car in the world

Welcome to Germancarzone.

Good to hear you're enjoying your R350. I've driven the R320 CDI 4Matic and came away very impressed with the car. And you're correct about its versatility. Most people fail to see the positive attributes of the R-Class. They see the design and that's where the story ends for them, even though design is subjective.

Congrats and once again welcome to GCZ.

Photos of my new ride. Incidentally if I could afford the 70K+ price tag for the R320, it's the only way to go. Great fuel mileage.