Pros:
* solid, compact and sealed barrel at the same time,
* very good image quality in the frame centre,
* good image quality on the edge of the frame,
* appropriate correction of the chromatic aberration,
* slight distortion,
* low coma,
* well-corrected astigmatism,
* decent work against bright light,
* silent and relatively accurate autofocus,
* efficient image stabilization.
Cons:
* significant vignetting at the maximum relative aperture,
* lack of focus limiter, which would speed up the autofocus.
If you compare the number of pros and cons and realize it is one of the cheaper macro lenses with the focal lengths ranging from 60 to 105 mm, the Nikkor 3.5/85 VR can be a very interesting option for potential customers.
If only the producer decided to use the focus limiter there would be simply nothing to complain about. Well, you could always include a f/2.8 aperture instead of that of f/3.5 among your wishes – with such increased fastness the lens would be a real hit - I doubt any owner of Nikon DX format reflex cameras would even look at the rival products.
On the day of the launch of the Nikkor 3.5/85 VR I was very skeptical about it. After testing it thoroughly my skepticism decreased to almost nothing and now I would recommend this lens without scruple. Such a remark is perhaps a good summary of this test.