To be honest, I had to think about that for a second. OK fair enough, that's not exactly small change, at least in my book it's not. However, when you consider that it's a Mercedes-Benz 7 passenger product, loaded with everything your heart could desire, which also features the brands famous 4MATIC AWD system, it sounds like a deal. Then add to that, the fact that it is powered by one of the company's world renowned diesel power plants, and it starts to sound quite reasonable, if not downright, dare I say it, "cheap" for what you actually get.

The R320 features the brands famous 4MATIC AWD system.

Let me expand on that a little.

Take a look and see what you'd expect to pay for any decent sized 7 passenger premium level gas-powered vehicle with full leather and an AWD system today. I'd be surprised if you're not floating up around the R320's price tag already.

Let's just for now say that you're still a tad shy. So we then add in the diesel element. With any vehicle today that offers Hybrid or diesel technology, you naturally expect to pay slightly more than for a gas-powered model. After all, the fuel savings should return that extra investment over the course of ownership.

So with that in mind, let's deduct a few thousand dollars off the price of the R320 to level up the playing field with the others.

Can you now see how the value starts to add up on the R320 CDI? Certainly I can.

Then of course, there's the hood ornament to take into consideration. When totting up perceived value, what journalist in his/her right mind could fail to mention the prestige behind the Mercedes-Benz nameplate? In fact, there used to be an old saying amongst Mercedes-Benz owners that, "You purchased the 3 pointed star and they threw in the rest of the vehicle for free".

There is no denying the fact that the company has the reputation, not only for producing well built automobiles, but also, products that people like to be seen in.

This, of course, brings us back to the exterior look of the R320. As I drove around, friends of mine kept making statements like "Nice car", and "Oh, I see that you've moved up in the world"!

I decided that maybe I'd got it wrong, and that I was possibly missing some of the vehicle's obvious charm. So, I pulled out my comfortable folding chair, and I sat and viewed the R320 from every conceivable angle, and you know what? The vehicle actually started to grow on me.

The front carries a nice wide stance, which makes it look firmly planted on the road. From the side, the streamlined effect becomes quite catching when you study it closely, and the long wheelbase, although somewhat strange at first, seems to carry the body work rather well.

The front carries a nice wide stance, which makes it look firmly planted on the road.