Mercedes R-Class

Mercedes is clearly showing a defiant attitude to its critics, as these prototype pictures shows the facelifted R-Class on the streets of Germany.

Their slow-selling MPV is the latest car to be given a much needed update, but from the looks of it, this car won't change much. The original R-Class sold 75% fewer vehicles than the 50,000 Mercedes-Benz had expected.

While the heavily-padded front end is massively disguised, we reckon it'll take the more attractive face of the B-class MPV, which will be a welcome addition. Towing a trailer, we doubt whether Mercedes was really trying to hide, or wanted to show off the functional capabilities of the R-Class.

Even though the changes are steps in the right direction, Mercedes don't seem to have addressed the car's main failings, such as the abundance of size and distinct lack of elegance. We believe that the current model is too thirsty, and in times of rising petrol costs, a bigger R-Class estate isn't really the answer.

Originally, a new version was scheduled to arrive for 2013, but an updated version of the current car will hit the market before that date, sometime next year.