Auto News 5

The Mercedes-Benz R-class was introduced in 2005 amid high expectations, but sales have been disappointing-particularly recently. In 2009 the Mercedes GL-class SUV outsold the R-class five-to-one, and the M-class outsold it by a factor of nine. Now coming up on the six-year mark, the R-class might be expected to undergo a full redesign, but instead the 2011 model is getting new sheetmetal only from the A-pillar forward, along with minor equipment revisions, and carryover powertrains.