WITH the crossover craze in full swing Mercedes is playing a trump card in the shape of a new version of its American-built R-Class super estate.

This is a car where luxury tourer meets seven seat SUV and at more than £40,000 it's aimed at an upmarket niche.

On sale in October, the new R-Class will be available only with diesel engines and either in short or long wheelbase bodies.

But even in its smaller guise it's a big car with enormous cargo space of 1,950 litres. The larger model takes that to near van proportions with a luggage capacity of 2,385 litres.

Prices start at £40,525 for the R300 CDI and £44,675 for the all-wheel-drive R350.

Both use three-litre V6 engines but with different power outputs of 190 and 265bhp.

The R300 can average 37.2mpg with CO2 emissions of 199g/km while the bigger engine returns a claimed 33.2mpg and has a CO2 rating of 223g/km.

Compared to the previous R-Class the engines are significantly more economical and deliver more performance.

Top speed of the R300 is 135mph while the R350 can make a claimed 146mph and with a 0 to 60 acceleration time of 7.6 seconds is some two seconds quicker off the mark.

Those are impressive figures for a car which is some 17ft long and weighs in at 2.3 tons.

Seven speed auto gearboxes are fitted to both and on the road they drive in a luxurious manner.

While they feel refined, there's no escaping that the R-Class is a very big car.

With its underpinnings shared with the M-Class and GL off-road models which are also built at the Mercedes works in Alabama it is no surprise that there is an overt American feel to the R-Class.

Its proportions are such that it cannot be considered mainstream for the UK market.

In the four years since the original R-Class was launched just over 3,000 have been sold in Britain and Mercedes expects the new model to follow a similar vein.

It is a car aimed at the prestige zone where exclusivity is possibly more important than function but nevertheless the latest R-Class has much more presence than before.

Stylish and trendy coupe-like lines are emphasised with darkened privacy glass in the rear windows and from the front it is quite similar to the latest E-Class models.

LED running lights are an option which really set off the head on view with its upright grille embellished by the Mercedes star in the centre.

The R-Class comes highly kitted with sat nav, Artico synthetic leather upholstery, ultra-bright xenon headlamps and parking sensors all fitted as standard.

Inside it can be configured either as a four, five or six seater as opposed to the regular seven seat set up.

In standard seven seat form the rear seats can be folded flat in seconds and the load bay is usefully flat and wide.

The rear seats are above average size and can fit adults although legroom remains tight which realistically means they are more suited for youngsters.

The four-wheel-drive set up of the long wheelbase models delivers enough traction to tow well and handle modest off-road conditions such as rutted tracks or pulling a horsebox across a field.

Compared to the E-Class estate, which is not far off the same price, the R-Class offers more comfort and room and fits the bill for those who want something a little bit different from a premier marque.

Crossover alternatives such as the Ford S-Max and the Peugeot 4007 can deliver seven seat flexibility for less money but realistically the R-Class with its sturdiness and high feel of refinement is all about the prestige of the Mercedes name.