So, after I get into a new car to replace my 212k TL, it'll be time for the wife to start looking. Her '04 Civic has 120k on it right now & is still running great, but she wants a little more room & an SUV.

At the moment she has her sights set on a GLK (now that I've talked her out of a Range Rover). Told her I'd post on here & see what the collective opinion(s) are on them. Good/bad/ugly.

I've always been a MB fan, had 2 '82 diesels (240D & 300SD) in high school & my grandmother is on her 5th S-Class, but I don't know much about the MB SUVs aside from the ML & G. I figure the GLK has been out for a while, so most of the major bugs ought to be worked out & they look better now than they did when they first came out.

Thanks in advance!

 

I think Shoofin' either has one or was looking at one recently. He does a lot of MB leasing for his customers so I bet he's got some good insight.

 

Get an X3

 

Get a G-wagen

 

Right, maybe suggest he gets a Veyron while you're at it because clearly you haven't read what he is looking for both in size and price.

I don't see many for some reason and personally think they are a bit ugly. I do however know one girl that has one and it has been trouble free. That being said, I would go with the Moog's suggestion of the X3.

 

I don't really like the GLK and I think there are way better options. & I think I read that the GLK is going to be discontinued but IDK when though but I could be mistaken. It could have been a rumor but IDR.

 

I don't have any experience with the GLK and have not driven. I've attended a number of MB events and always pass on the GLK as it's such an ugly looking Benz.

I also tend to agree that the BMW F25 is the preferred route in this segment.

Hopefully, someone with GLK experience will chime in though.

 

GLK's are nice man, hope everything goes well with the dec.

 

I like the GLK's interior because I love wood and I think this fat slab across the dash puts it among the most luxurious of the small SUV class. And it's real wood veneer, not the fake Acura stuff.

 

I hate the look, but everyone's different. Remember maintenance costs, I mean duh you most likely thought about it, but I always say, unless you can afford to service a brand new whatever(in the case, a Merc), you can't afford a used one. Idk what to tell you, besides, good luck.

 

I like their look but i thought i had haerd early ones had issues. I don't know how they are as they age.

 

The only one I would consider is the new one... 2013+. We have an E350 and when our car was in for scheduled maintenance, we got the GLK as a loaner a few times. The old one sucked. Ugly inside and out. The new one... well, the outside is better, but the inside is just beautiful. Not to mention the drive... it's a completely different vehicle then the previous reiterations of the GLK. They really got it right (finally) with the new model, so that is the only GLK I would purchase...

 

If she HAS to have a GLK, 2013 is by far the best one out there.

To be honest, if it was me, I'd just save my money and get a Forester. Granted, the interior isn't as nice as the MB, but better reliability and lower maintenence costs make up for it. Plus you'll have more money left over for saving/putting towards other things.
*disclaimer, my wife and I are on a strict budget and trying to pay off high student loans asap. Value/reliability > Status/high maint

 

Thanks for the responses. Wife hates the current Forester, but there's a new one coming out soon. She might like the X3.

It'll be a little while before this decision is made, I get a new car first

 

no rdx? It now has the v6 which will give you better mileage over the 4 cylinder turbo. You'll also get the honda reliability.

 

I was going to say the same.............

 

I also like the RDX as well. It's a very capable entry in this segment and it'll definitely be a low maintenance vehicle.

Probably the main caveat is that it lacks the bling factor (be it styling or brand) of the GLK and X3 not to mention, it could really benefit from an SH-AWD setup. A 2G RDX w/SH-AWD would be a no brainer.....too bad there's no such thing. Shame on Acura for not offering it.

 

I like the look of the GLK, but have never driven one. The new '13 looks quite nice though.

 

:ahem:

 

I personally prefer the RDX to the GLK & maybe even over the X3.
Built for me, without going completely crazy:

RDX: $39k
GLK: $55k
X3: $53k

And for kicks, the '14 Forester XT Touring comes in at $38k

Just on that basis alone the RDX looks better to me. Though the new Forester does look nice.
I think the wife will think the RDX looks a little too 'soft'.

What's the difference between the SH-AWD & the AWD in the RDX?

 

SH-AWD sends power to each wheel, so the handling of the car is better. It is also heavier than AWD, which is the reason why Acura switched to regular AWD for the 2013 model.

 

Indeed torque vectoring is the difference. It is a heavier system but makes up for it in spirited driving. Although generally not necessary in SUVs, it goes a long way towards making the MDX feel more like an Accord than a Pilot.

 

You chose a terrible picture to prove a point. MDX interior looks so dated now... big slab of shiny silver plastic looks so out of place in that picture.

 

That's the Acura RL.

 

Derp.

my point still stands... ouch. Perhaps it's my bias against tan/brown interiors.

 

RDX:

 

Silver "alumatone" plastic trim FTL.

 

Wood > Plood > silver plastic trim.

 

...maybe we should tell Acura it's ok to bump the base price of the RDX by $2,770 in exchange for Burl Walnut trim.

 

The only point of the picture was the real wood. All of the wood in that picture is real except for the steering wheel. So much for the "Acura fake stuff".

 

People, well most of the people who are looking at BMW or MBZ are not interested in Acura... Maybe Lexus or Audi but not Acura.

 

He said he likes the old MB's. And the GLK is

 

Give me a G63 AMG 6x6

 

I'm not sure if you have already made up your mind, but I can vouch for the Infiniti JX. My mom was looking between the MDX, RDX '13, GLK, and the FX. She almost jumped the gun on the GLK, but my parents chose to wait a day to think things over and on the way home they stopped at the Infiniti dealer to look at the FX. We didn't even know the JX existed until we saw them pulling it into the showroom (the car just came out) and she fell in love instantly.

Directed toward the GLK, the JX was cheaper, had more cargo room, and got way better mileage. My mom gets close to 28 on the highway and 23 in the city which is astounding.

Give the JX a look if you haven't already. Good luck!

 

CVT FTL.....particularly when demanding that 248 lb-ft has to lug around 4,300 lbs.

 

Why would you not use Benzworld? http://www.benzworld.org/forums/x204-glk-class/

I've done research on the GLK before, overall it's a great car and it handles like the W204 (Present C-Class).

 

In all honestly, I never loved the look of the GLK. The refresh makes it a little easier on the eyes, and I mean a little easier. I still don't think it will win any beauty contests, either.

This is what my wife has had so far, after getting out of cars:
2006 X3 - She loved this car
2008 RDX - She liked this car, but not as much as the BMW
2011 SRX - She liked the features it had, but it was a bit bigger than she wanted, and a little underpowered for her tastes. (Un)fortunately, the car was submerged/totaled during Hurricane Sandy, which led us to shop once again. Before choosing the SRX, I did almost pull the trigger on a loaded '11 GLK (pre-refresh) because I was getting a killer deal.

Being in the car business and having access to any car possible, makes a easy and frustrating at the same time, also enabling me to have the knowledge of all prices to get the best possible deals. The cars we cross shopped this time around included once again, the RDX, X3, even X1, Infiniti EX35, Lexus RX350 and Audi Q5. I was once again offered the '13 GLK for an awesome deal, and pulled the trigger on it. My wife HATES the new MB shifter being a stick on the column, and she almost backed out when I told her the GLK would have it. After discussing it with her and realizing it's the best deal for us, she said she would be willing to accept the change in shifter location (she likes resting her hand on the shifter when driving, she says), and once she got the GLK, she liked it. Fast forward about 6 months, and has gotten used to the new shifter location, and likes the GLK - a LOT. I don't drive it all that much, but when I do, I also enjoy driving it. The only thing I'm a little disappointed with is the sound system. At the time I had the choice of getting a car w/o the lighting package or Keyless Go, but it had the harmon/kardon premium sound, or to get a car with the lighting package and keyless go, but without h/k, which I wanted the lighting package, and the wife wanted keyless go. I didn't expect there to be that much of a difference, but there's definitely a big difference between the two audio systems. It's only a 2 year lease, we leased it with low miles (7,500/yr), and are paying a little under $400 for a well equipped SUV ($55k Sticker!) with every option except the AMG wheel package and h/k sound. At this point, even though I would have preferred the other SUV's we cross shopped, the price was important, which is why we ultimately went with the GLK.

I don't know how the market it in your area, but the problem we have here is the ML programs suck, people walk into dealerships looking for a good lease, and when they realize it's about $200/month more expensive than it should be, get into a GLK instead, so there's plenty of ML's out there, but few GLK's. As a result, the GLK pricing has went up quite a bit since I got mine, but it's still way less than the ML.

My ultimate verdict: It's dynamically a good little SUV. It's quiet, it's powerful, it's comfortable, it's the perfect size for our needs. It does everything right for us, and the Start/Stop function doesn't bother me one bit! This is coming from me, who in my mind, said I would never get a Benz because I don't like the brand as much as I do the other Germans.

 

Thanks again for the comments. It'll be a while before we jump on anything & she'll for sure want to test drive everything under the sun.
But, I get a new car first.

I'd prefer to get her into an RDX (which we'll be testing as well), but in the end, it'll be her car. I just have veto power on the basis of poor reliability & such.