The 2009 Mercedes-Benz R-Class is the Mercedes-Benz luxury Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) Crossover. Local competition includes the Cadillac SRX, GMC Acadia, Buick Enclave and Dodge Journey. Similar foreign cars include the Audi Q7, BMW X5, Infiniti FX and Lexus RX 350. As for looks, the sleek exterior of the R-Class (with no serious changes from 2008) is easy on the eyes and quite possibly the best-looking vehicle in its class.

The R-Class comes in two versions, depending on the engine. Most common is the R350 4MATIC, which sports a 3.5 liter 268 horsepower V6 gasoline engine. New for this year is the R320 BlueTEC, which has a 3.0 liter 210 horsepower V6 diesel engine. Either has a seven-speed automatic transmission with overdrive. Both versions are all wheel drive.

The R350 gets a ho-hum 15 miles per gallon city and 20 miles per gallon on the highway. The R320 does much better at 18 miles per gallon city and 24 miles per gallon on the road.

Both the R-Class vehicles get strong marks for headroom and warranty but lesser marks for legroom. The 320 also appears to be underpowered compared to other vehicles in its class, whether you look at the class as crossovers or luxury vehicles.

There are no NHTSA crash test figures for the Mercedes-Benz R-Class vehicles. Standard safety features include child safety locks, vehicle anti-theft device, automatic load leveling, antilock brakes with electronic brake assist, traction control and vehicle stability system, tire pressure monitor, first aid kit and airbags everywhere, with an optional electronic park assist.

The R-Class is a luxury vehicle and Mercedes is known for giving something extra. This year is no exception. The Mercedes PRE-SAFE system is newly standard for the R-Class. This system prepares the car for an imminent collision by tightening the seatbelts and automatically moving the front passenger seat to the safest position.

Unfortunately, Mercedes keeps the foreign car tradition of not installing adjustable foot pedals on their cars, which is difficult to understand on a luxury car, given the utility of the feature.

The 2009 Mercedes-Benz R-Class vehicles outprice more pedestrian vehicles such as Dodge and Buick by a great deal, as expected. However, they are about mid-range among the luxury crossovers (though with fewer standard features than the more expensive brands). The 350 starts out at $47,650. The diesel version 320 is slightly more expensive at $49,150. For that, you get the famous Mercedes longevity and probably the sharpest looking crossover on the road.