skip to main content
  1. Five cars that seemed like a good idea at the time
  2. Renault Avantime, Too far ahead of its time
  3. Mercedes-Benz R-Class, R you joking?
  4. Volkswagen Phaeton, Stranded flagship
  5. Jaguar X-Type, X-Factor? It's a no from us.
  6. DeLorean DMC-12, Time travail

Mercedes-Benz R-Class, R you joking?

Detroit 2001 saw the debut of the concept Mercedes R-Class, but the production version didn't hit the shelves until 2005. What Merc was doing in those four years is unclear, but we imagine it must have spent three and a half of them looking for the biggest ugly stick it could find, then the next six months mercilessly beating the R-Class with it.

The luxury people carrier, which is still on sale now - tucked away behind the smoking sheds of selected quiet Merc dealerships - is marketed as a family touring cruiser (or something like that) and comes in short and long wheelbase versions as well as, unbelievably, full AMG state of tune: the R 63 hits 60mph in five seconds flat. Imagine that face hurtling towards you that quickly.

But that's not the most surprising thing about the R-Class. Nope, the most surprising thing is that Mercedes honestly thought 50,000 people per year would buy one. It struggled to get a fifth of that number. Next year's facelift will have to me more a full body transplant if the R-Class is to get back on track.

Mark Nichol