First Impressions
Honestly, we weren’t expecting much from the new 2010 Mercedes-Benz GLK350 (view photos). Equipped with a wide-eyed, rather surprised countenance, it’s almost as though the GLK is raising its eyebrows in response to Americans’ willingness to drop $50,000 on a German Honda CR-V wearing a giant three-pointed star on its nose. It also looks unnecessarily retro, with a hint of 1950s “pontoon” fenders evident in the sheet metal, a greenhouse resembling an old-school 1960s Jeep Wagoneer, and geometric interior design themes exhibiting more than a whiff of the 1980s.
Plus, the little crossover SUV has not received glowing reviews from the enthusiast media, and while it intrigues with a low base price, the cost climbs substantially when desirable features are added. Combine sticker creep with the GLK’s compact size, and our preconceived notions stacked the deck against the Benz soft-roader before we even punched the shiny aluminum start button on the dashboard and took our first test drive.
Maybe that’s why we wound up liking it in the end. Everyone wants to root for the underdog, right?
Pricing, Trims and Options
Mercedes makes it simple to choose a GLK by offering a single model equipped with a choice between rear-wheel drive and 4Matic all-wheel drive. The base price is $35,500 ($37,500 with 4Matic), but judicious application of option packages and available features can balloon the sticker to more than $50,000, and that’s before dipping into the dealer accessories bin, which includes pricey wheels, cargo management solutions, exterior décor items, and vehicle care features.
The GLK350 comes standard with many items that are expected on a luxury-brand vehicle, but buyers might be surprised to learn what is not included in the base price. Furthermore, extras are typically bundled into packages, each containing desirable items, which means that finding a GLK in dealer stock wearing a window sticker starting with the number “3” is highly improbable.
Expect any GLK to have the Premium package, which includes upgrades such as a panoramic sunroof and a power liftgate, along with a bunch of stuff you’d expect to be standard on a Benz like a compass display, auto-dimming mirrors, rain-sensing wipers, a Homelink programmable garage door opener, Sirius satellite radio, and a memory feature for the driver’s settings. Want real leather instead of the fake MB-Tex leatherette? That’s extra, packaged with real wood trim and ambient cabin lighting.
A Multimedia package includes a navigation system, a premium Harmon/Kardon surround sound audio system, a six-disc CD changer that can also play DVDs, a 6GB hard drive with Gracenotes media database, and voice control for the GLK’s technology features. A Lighting package has incredibly useful bi-Xenon headlights with Active Curve Illumination, corner illuminating lamps, LED taillights, and headlight washers, while an Appearance package includes 20-inch wheels and brushed aluminum roof rails. Add an iPod interface and a keyless ignition system, and you’re rapidly closing in on $50,000, like our test vehicle.
Want to spend even more? Get the AMG Styling package, which jazzes up the exterior. There’s also a rear video entertainment system, a Parktronic parking assist system, and a new Mbrace telematics feature that replaces the former Tele Aid system. Mbrace provides automatic collision notification, SOS emergency calling, stolen vehicle tracking, roadside assistance, local weather and traffic, a destination planning service, a concierge service, and a pretty cool mobile application that can help you find your GLK if you happen to forget where you left it (admit it: you’ve lost your car more than once in a full parking lot). Fully equipped, the GLK350 can run as high as $56,725 – and that’s before the dealer sells you any accessories.
Interior Features
Crack open the driver’s door, and the GLK presents a cabin that looks dated, even if it was just introduced. The chunky, blocky, geometric themes within are also inside the newest E-Class, and are potentially going to find homes in more future Benz products, so get used to them.
Settle in behind the thin-spoke steering wheel, prepare to adjust the driver’s seat to your liking, and you’ll discover something that has not changed. The pictogram mounted to the driver’s door panel controls the seat, but strangely, the front passenger’s seat uses conventional controls located on the outer edge of the seat base. Once adjusted, the front seats are comfortable enough, but lack lateral support and I had trouble dialing in the desired degree of bottom cushion thigh support, so I felt like I was sitting on a park bench most of the time. However, it should be noted that despite their imitation of a Nebraskan landscape, the seats are comfortable during periods of extended driving.
The rear seats aren’t adult friendly, at least not when tall people are sitting in the front chairs. Narrow rear door openings also make exits less than graceful. We would say the back seats are best left to children, but we’d need to qualify that. My toddler, sitting in a forward-facing child seat in the middle position of the back seat, kept kicking the air vents mounted to the back of the center console. Hard. We’d guess that prolonged exposure to the errant feet of a two-year-old would produce damage.
Folding the rear seats is simple, a task performed from the rear side doors. They whump! down with authority. The reason for that is because they are incredibly heavy, so lifting them back into position takes more effort than we’d prefer. When they’re down, though, the GLK is rated to swallow 54.7 cubic feet of cargo, which is on the small side for vehicles such as this.
Owner perceptions of unyielding quality may prove elusive when it comes to the GLK. Lots of bits and pieces inside the cabin creak when used, which does not impart a sense of solidity and craftsmanship. Prime examples include the window switches and the rearview mirror housing. Also, when the GLK is tossed around on a twisty road, the cabin creaks as it flexes, as well as the spots where the driver braces legs. Plus, the turn signal switch makes a wet-sounding snap when activated. The materials themselves look and feel good from an observational point of view; they just don’t always feel or sound good when used.
If it seems there’s more to complain about than praise, there are several positives to the GLK’s interior. For example, the optional panoramic sunroof lets lots of natural light into the cabin, even when the shade panel is closed. Open the forward section of the sunroof, and it doesn’t gulp air into the vehicle despite its generous size.
The GLK’s navigation and entertainment system, called COMAND, is simpler to use than previous Mercedes products. With a handy “Back” button and a “CLR” button that doesn’t seem to clear anything when you want it to, such as when canceling navigation, the system is simpler than ever. And the centrally located control knob is a hefty piece that looks and feels good.
Our test GLK also came equipped with the optional Harmon/Kardon surround sound audio system, which sounded incredibly good when we cranked up the volume. It’s got a 6-gigabyte hard drive, complete with Gracenotes technology, to which you can upload favorite music and play it like a jukebox.
Finally, despite our carping about the seats, the GLK’s front chairs are nevertheless comfortable, with an outstanding view out. From the driver’s perch, the GLK feels much larger than it really is, which likely lends the crossover a greater sense of security and safety than other vehicles of this ilk.
Safety, Quality and Reliability
Speaking of security and safety, neither the NHTSA nor the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has conducted crash tests on the 2010 Mercedes GLK (view photos), so at this writing it is unclear how the Benz’s impressive roster of safety equipment delivers occupant protection.
Starting with the basics, the GLK comes standard with dual front, dual side, and dual side curtain airbags. It also has a knee airbag for the driver, and dual front pelvic airbags, for a total of nine inflatable chambers to help preserve your health in an accident. If the accident involves a rear impact, the GLK’s Neck-Pro front seat headrests will automatically move up a bit and forward to “catch” your head and reduce injury. The GLK also has stability control, trailer stability assist, and hill-start assist. Brakes are of the anti-lock variety, equipped with electronic brake-force distribution, brake assist, brake drying, and predictive brake priming, which prepares the braking system to provide full stopping capability when the car detects that the driver has suddenly and rapidly removed a foot from the accelerator pedal.
That’s the list of standard safety features. Options include Mbrace telematics, which comes with automatic collision notification, SOS calling, and roadside assistance. The GLK can also be outfitted with Active Curve Illumination technology, which swivels the headlights to help see around dark curves at night.
When it comes to reliability, J.D. Power and Associates predicts the GLK will be about average. By contrast, Consumer Reports gives the GLK its top rating for predicted reliability, indicating that it will prove durable over time. Time will tell which set of experts are correct.