One thing is clear: The world needs another luxury crossover vehicle. Okay, maybe not – but there’s always room for another ‘Benz, even if it is an SUV-, wagon-, car-like thing. At least that’s what the DaimlerChrysler folks are thinking and hoping and plotting, which is why they’ve built the new 2006 Mercedes-Benz R-Class…which looks kinda like that Grand Sports Tourer they trotted out in Detroit a few years ago.

Gulp. That is what it is. Originally introduced at the 2001 North American International Auto Show as the Vision Grand Sports Tourer, DaimlerChrysler has brought it full circle and will now produce an actual vehicle, similar to the concept, for the U.S. and Europe. Pricing has not been announced at this writing, but unconfirmed reports predict prices in the low $70,000 range. Dealerships should start seeing the R sometime in the fall of 2005.

The 2006 Mercedes-Benz R-Class is a luxury crossover vehicle offered in two trims, the R350 and the R500. Built in Alabama on the same platform as the new M-Class, the R-Class will offer three rows of seats inside an interior designed to be spacious for six adults. As yet another luxury crossover option in a crowded field, the 2006 Mercedes-Benz R-Class is one that will either go a long way toward improving Mercedes’ fading reputation for quality (see: Consumer Reports) or fall by the wayside, just another forgettable crossover compromise. It matters because of its styling and Mercedes-Benz technology, such as a seven-speed transmission, matched to three rows of seats and what officials tout as a spacious, well-designed interior.