It’s very unlikely that Mercedes-Benz plans to revive the R-Class, given the current demand for crossovers and SUVs and the fact that the first generation bombed, but what if they did?
Rendering artist Aksyonov Nikita has imagined the luxury people carrier with a more modern design inspired by the latest CLS. Its front end is dominated by a huge grille, with a large 3-pointed star in the middle, and a pair of headlights, with integrated LED DRLs, that mimic those of the new CLS.
Its profile looks like a combination between the discontinued CLS Shooting Brake, the E-Class Estate and the B-Class compact MPV, and while the front end does look appealing, we’re not quite sure about the rest of the car, especially in profile.
If we had to guess, we’d say that the rendering is supposed to depict an AMG version sans the soon-to-be-ubiquitous Panamericana grille. In that case, it would be powered by the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 that, in its most potent form (in the AMG E63 S) puts out 612PS (604hp) and 850Nm (627lb-ft) of torque.
Anyway, minivans are out, SUVs and pickup trucks are in, and the first, and in all likelihood last, R-Class was a failure despite being a competent, and quite practical, car, so Mercedes isn’t going to bring it back – period.
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