When I first drove a Mercedes-Benz R-Class, I just did not get the point of it. Seems like I was not the only one. It was a big, powerful, striking six-seater, packed full of gizmos, with four-wheel-drive to boot, but apart from someone running an executive taxi service, I could not get my head round who would buy it. It was too posh to jam full of children, did not have enough luggage space for most family use and was too quirky to occupy the MD's parking place.

Eighteen months on, Mercedes-Benz has had a rethink and come up with a revised range - and now things are looking a lot more appealing.

Now you can have a choice of five or seven seats; equipment has been given a boost across the range and there is a choice of standard or long wheelbase for some models.

I tried the new two-wheel-drive R 280 five-seater, which suddenly starts to make a lot more sense.

It is still a pricey choice, but the combination of five seats and a huge luggage space makes it an altogether more practical package.

Power came from a 190 horsepower, 3.0-litre V6 diesel engine, which delivers buckets of usable power through a silky smooth, seven-speed automatic gearbox, while still keeping fuel consumption well under control.

The R-Class comes into its own as a long-distance touring machine effortlessly soaking up the mileage. It is still a big beast of a car and the assistance of front and rear parking sensors, and powered folding wing mirrors, is very welcome around town, when it comes to squeezing into tight parking spaces.

Sitting on larger, 19-inch, five-spoke alloy wheels, its more assertive looks come courtesy of the AMG bodystyling package, which was formerly an option, with front and rear aprons giving a leaner, more athletic appearance.

Inside, the new centre rear seat can be folded flat to provide an armrest and in the loadspace, there is an additional stowage compartment with a capacity of about 75 litres under the load compartment floor. Its cover is held open by a gas-pressure strut.

While all this sounds far more sensible, madness continues to lurk at the top of the range, where the R 500 L has been fitted with a new 5.5-litre V8 engine first introduced in the latest S-Class range and one of the most powerful engines in its class.

It develops 388 horsepower, which can accelerate the R 500 L from 0 to 62mph in 6.3 seconds and on to an electronically-limited top speed of 155mph, with fuel consumption of 21.6mpg and a price tag topping £53,000. Now that's a vehicle I still don't get.

Auto facts Mercedes-Benz R 280 CDI Sport

  • Price: £37,920
  • Ins group: 18
  • Fuel consumption (Combined): 31.4mpg
  • Top speed: 130mph
  • Length: 493.8cm/194.4in
  • Width: 192.2cm/75.7in
  • Luggage capacity: 33 cu ft
  • Fuel tank capacity: 17.6 gallons/80 litres
  • CO2 emissions: 242g/km
  • Warranty: 3 years/unlimited mileage