ashtray

iTrader: (12)

Cant wait to see one of these in whatever new Jurassic Park comes out in the near future. Nice looking machine. I'd opt for a Rover though Does this thing roll in the corners?

mmarshall

If my memory is right, it was the larger Mercedes ML used in the Jurassic Park movie, not the GLK.

No doubt, a Range Rover would be more of a mountain goat, much better off-road (and probably more comfortable to boot). But they are unreliable, expensive (much more expensive than a GLK), have a relatively sparse dealer network, and tend to have electrical and hardware problems. The GLK, by contrast, in the meantime, seems (at least for now, in its first couple of years) to be reversing the decade-long Mercedes record of poor reliability.


I didn't try it out in extreme conditions on a track, but I did give it some aggressive handling inputs on the street. Though steering response was a little on the slow side, it showed little if any body roll. This shows the competence of M-B chassis engineers.......like BMW, they are one of the very few companies than can combine good handling with good ride comfort (GM, believe it or not, has also done an excellent job with the new Buick Lacrosse).

IS-SV

fyi - If I remember correctly, the GLK was exposed on Sex in the City tv show.

LexFather

Correct during the movie. Samantha was drained and went shopping to cheer herself up. She used the automatic rear door opener and hopped in the GLK.

Don't ask how i know that so well

My review of the GLK here. DO NOT WANT

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/car...ht=1sickreview

mmarshall

Thanks.

(Since your call-sign is BMWdrvr, you apparantly know good steering/chassis/suspension when you see it)



The Mercedes and BMW Bluetec diesels, being larger powerplants in heavier vehicles than the small VW TDIs, obviously won't get the same high TDI mileage (and, unlike the TDIs, will need periodic urea-refills). But the Bluetec does an excellent job of combining high torque, at low RPMs, with better-then-gasoline mileage. It also, like the TDI, does away with the old diesel bugaboos of black-soot exhaust, loud idle-clatter, water accumulating in the fuel, Granny-Grade acceleration, run-on after ignition-off, and hard-starting in cold temperatures.




There is much controversy over just what caused the big M-B quality-drop in the 1990s...which has carried on until just recently. I've read numerous theories on it...and watched TV documentaries. Some say that increasing competition from Lexus and Infiniti forced Mercedes to cut costs....and since they couldn't get the extremely high-paid German labor unions (arguably the highest-paid auto workers in the industry, even more so than the American UAW) to make any significant concessions or give up any job security, cost-cutting instead had to be done in the materials that actually went into the vehicles themselves. Others say that it was the fault of M-B management.....they looked at the tank-like solidness of the vehicles they built in the 1970s and 80s, decided that those were needlessly overbuilt and didn't need that kind of strength/quality, and deliberately set out to cheapen the materials/cost of producing their vehicles. I suspect that it was probably a little of both.


The only "Dwarf" feature in the GLK is the rather tight rear legroom. Otherwise, this is clearly a vehicle built not only for big Americans, but with a fairly roomy cargo bed as well.

mmarshall

To be honest, Mike, as I see it, it would be hard to pick from among those four (SRX, X5, GLK, RX) as a daily-driver. The SRX is a looker, with a nice CTS-type styling/interior; the X5 has a superb chassis/steering system; the GLK is handsome, space-efficient, well-built, and a nice chassis, and the RX, of course, leads in paint job, luxury/smoothness/refinement, and reliability. Pressed for a choice, I'd probably take the RX350.

I would, however, probably take the GLK, as a DD, over any other current M-B- product.

The GLK interior you posted, of course, has the metallic-trim instead of the wood. I personally think the wood looks better.

LexFather

We usually agree but not here. Unless something changed with the current model I still remember how small and cheap feeling the GLK felt. It was startling to think "this is a Mercedes Benz"? I agree it looks nice with the 19s and sport kit, with the bigger V-6 it has more than ample power but outside of that, it does nothing for me.

However that badge is strong, the GLK was the best selling cute-ute until the Q5 and now the Q5 seems to be tops in class and I do think it is the better vehicle.

To be honest I like the exterior styling of the Benz SUVs but the GLK, ML, GL interiors leave me cold.

IS-SV

Realizing that interior impressions are so subjective, I find all mid-level German premium car/SUV interiors to be a bit cold (including Benz, BMW, Porsche and to only to slightly lesser extent Audi) when compared to equivalent Lexus products.

I'm used to it now and kind of expect somewhat cold/functional/business-like interiors from the German automakers mentioned. I think many of the regular customers of the premium German brands have similar expectations about the interiors too.

LexFather

Very good point. The German interiors i many cases are dark and stark and that is something very different than in a Lexus. Over time I have gotten more accustomed to them and i think BMW has done a great job of updating traditional German cues while Benz/Audi seem to continue to do the same things over and over for the most part.

Very good observation and its amazing to see the differences between brands. Seems the Lexus CT is going for this more stark and businesslike look oddly enough.

mmarshall

Did you mean GL or GLK? I agree that the GL interior leaves a bit to be desired. I was actually more impressed with the GLK.

BMWdrvr

Both current generation GL and ML have a pretty (IMO) lousy interiors which look and feel very simplistic (in a bad way) and "cheap". Hopefully the next generation will have a much better interior design and materials.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

great review mike. have you looked at the audi q5? maybe you reviewed it and i missed it.

mmarshall

Yes I did, Paul, when it first debuted last year. I didn't get quite as long of a test-drive in it as I wanted, but enough to evaluate it.

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/car...9-audi-q5.html

It was about what you'd expect from a smallish Audi SUV, but, on my sample, I distinctly remember the throttle being jumpy starting off from rest. At the time, some of the newly-available Google-images were not the best, either.

Normally, I prefer Audi interior to those of Mercedes, but, in this case, I think both companies did a good job inside.

superchan7

As with any recent-generation Mercedes-Benz model (ML, C, GLK, new E, etc.), your interiors will be fine as long as you don't get them in black.

Black C-class or GLK interior is depressing and some users may feel it looks cheaper. 1SICK, maybe that's why you don't like it!

CDNROCKIES

+100

Terrible vehicle inside and out, imo....and yes, I did consider it, drive it and pass on it.