GLK350 vs. RDX

[pet1700]

Guys, I am deciding on buying a car. We have narrowed it down to either the GLK or RDX. The GLK 4MATIC is a 2011 demo dealer car. It has never been titled, and is certified. 9K miles. It has premium package, leather and burl wood, navigation. It is a beatiful dark blue with beige interior. Dealer is asking 34K with 1.9% financing for 66months. On the other hand, I could buy a new 2012 RDX with 0 miles for 34.5K. It is fully loaded with SH-AWD and Tech package. It also comes with 1.9% for 60 months. Tough choice. We drove both, and I really did like the way the German car drove. Nice and solid. But, I want feedback from you guys. Thanks

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[pet1700]

Come on guys...please provide some input....I really could use some honest input...

[Oldengineer]

I vote you go for the GLK. I own both a GLK and a Honda CRV. The RDX is basically a CRV with more bling and a few more HP. As you noted, the GLK drives nice and solid. Accura's are OK - but, they have yet to match the chassis dynamics and engine sophistication of the European's IMHO. The GLK rides like a luxury car, corners like a sports sedan, and, has respectable get up and go. The Mercedes engine makes peak torque over a wide rpm range, and, is coupled to a 7 speed automatic. The RDX makes peak torque at high rpm with its turbo engine, and, it's coupled to a 5 speed automatic. After driving my GLK on trips, my Honda seems like driving a pop can powered by a sewing machine - even though it's supposed to have 180 HP and is 500 pounds lighter than the GLK. The 180 HP hides at the top end of the tach, and, the car has to frequently downshift and scream its guts out to maintain interstate speeds on the roads in my hilly state. In comparison, the GLK never has to downshift to maintain 70 on the same roads.

Regards:
Oldengineer

[pet1700]

Do you think a dealer demo (the manager supposedly drove it) will be reliable for the long term? The car drove great, and looks perfect. I hope to keep this car at least 7 to 10 years? Or should I go for the Honda long term reliability and give up the ride quality?

[N91K]

Are you seriously comparing acura to mercedes benz? Hands down i think you should go with the GLK!

[Rcadam]

Pet - I just sold my 2009 RDX Tech for my 2011 GLK. Owned the RDX for over 65000 miles ( bought new).

Comments:
Reliability
RDX - only replaced tires; no repairs..however the nav was getting dim/slow to turn on and the wiper delay was acting up. GLK only has 3k on it so far.
Comfort
GLK wins...never felt RDX seats fit me..RDX much noiser on the highway and the turbo was always making itself known...
Power train/brakes
GLK wins...transmission is smoothest I've ever experienced...engine power very linear...amount similar to RDX...real close in acceleration...brakes on GLK feel stronger but have an annoying dead spot in the initial travel
Practicality/mileage
RDX wins...great storage, more rear seat room, mileage identical at about 17 in town, 22 on hwy
Other miscellaneous
GLK wins...structure, doors, feel is much more solid..prefer the handling of the GLK, ride is much smoother, too. Nav / radio is better in GLK in my opinion..note I didn't have a hard drive nav or music storage or iPod interface on the RDX...oh...location of blinker and cruise stalk on GLK sucks. Double sun roof is nice on the GLK.

Overall, I'd say I prefer about 80% of the GLK attributes/features over my RDX. Price was similar as I got the 2wd GLK

[phil17]

Hi Pet, We have GLK and a 2010 TL in the household so i can speak a bit for Acura. If the prices close, GLK would win hands down if compared to the curent RDX and here's why:

RDX Cons:
1) RDX's motor is very peaky, it's gutless until the turbo kicks in.
2) RDX is very bouncy and noisy on the highway
3) RDX has very poor roof strengh test and i'm sure the GLK is safer in all aspects
4) last year of the Model with a much improved V6 version next year

RDX Pro:
1) very reliable, will never cause you any problems if you are keeping the car over 6 years
2) service cost is cheaper
3) ELS sound system blows the HK7 away
4) Acura' dealerships don't have the same "attitude" as MB here in Canada. I feel like they go beyond all the time to keep me happy
5) resale on Acura's are really good
6) roomier back seat

GLK Cons:
1) if anything breaks after warrentie (and they will), it's expensive to fix
2) it's small. too small for me to consider it a good family vehicle

GLK Pros:
1) it's really solid. Nothing comes close in this price range
2) pretty quiet for such a boxy car and it looks great.

I do want to warn you about "demo vehicles". they often say it's "manager driven" which is more or less BS as manager cars are often give out as loaners. If you go the GLK route, might want to consider extended warrentie, I would be lying if i told you it will be as reliable as an Acura. there's just no way. Good luck with your decision and the best thing about being a consumer today is that there are no "bad" cars.

[Spooner]

We drove the RDX when we were looking and we hated it honestly. There are more buttons on the dash than a keyboard and the motor had no bottom end power. Handling was not near as good either. Styling wise we thought was no contest either-the RDX is straight up ugly haha! We drove about everything in the class and nothing to us matched the GLK.

[Oldengineer]

My take on Honda long-term reliability: My daughter had a 2010 Pilot, and, just got rid of it because of recurring electrical problems, horrible fuel economy, and other problems. I've owned 4 Hondas - 2 of them were OK, the other 2 were far less than satisfactory.

Regards:
Oldengineer

[hyperion667]

okay: in one hand you have the keys for a Mercedes Benz.....in the other hand you have keys for a vehicle that ISN'T a Mercedes Benz......

there you go

[venchka]

Originally Posted by hyperion667

okay: in one hand you have the keys for a Mercedes Benz.....in the other hand you have keys for a vehicle that ISN'T a Mercedes Benz......

there you go

Love it.

Wayne

[Frank Zappa]

The RDX is a turbo 4 cylinder with low HP compared to the GLK. I don't have luck with turbo 4's, I guess I push them too hard to perform. Not to mention the RDX's looks suck IMO.

[jonnyrt]

At the end of the day, it all comes down to personal opinion. This is a Mercedes forum so of course the comments here will be biased to MB

For me, I have never been a fan of asian cars, always had a thing for German cars, I never even looked at an Acura RDX or Infinity FX35 or Lexus. My neighbor just purchased a brand new 2012 RDX turbo, when I looked inside a few weeks back, the interior was cheap and overall quality of the car was not in the same league as the GLK. Then again, it shouldn't be as up here in Canada, a new GLK fully loaded versus fully loaded RDX is $10K more expensive and that is a lot of money.

[venchka]

First of all, there are TURBOCHARGED 2.5 to 3.0 liter, 5 or 6 cylinder, engines and transmissions that suffer from none of faults mentioned earlier re: RDX. Quite the opposite. Full torque delivery and lots of it from 1,500 RPM to 4,500+ RPM.

Regardless of what I'm driving, and I drive two different vehichles, the Acura RDX will always be a CR-V in my mind.

Wayne

[MBNA109]

Was @ DC Autoshow today.
The 2013 RDX will be what is the new standard in the cute-ute market IMO!
http://www.automobilemag.com/auto_sh...rdx/index.html


Never have been a fan of Acura's entry but the new re-do is a true competitor & looks better in the flesh than pics above.
ALL the bavarian cuties better start working on some performance enhancers.

[jonnyrt]

Originally Posted by MBNA109

Was @ DC Autoshow today.
The 2013 RDX is what is the standard in the cute-ute market!
http://www.automobilemag.com/auto_sh...rdx/index.html

Yuk! Still not a fan of the 'snow-plough' front end Acura is putting on all their models, what are the designers thinking! Sure hope they do not butcher the new NSX revival!

[venchka]

Originally Posted by MBNA109

Was @ DC Autoshow today.
The 2013 RDX is what is the standard in the cute-ute market!
http://www.automobilemag.com/auto_sh...rdx/index.html


Never been a fan of Acura's entry but the new re-do is a true competitor & looks better in the flesh than pics above.
ALL the bavarian cuties better start working on some performance enhancers.

We sat in traffic next to one yesterday-2012 I guess. It was even painted in Honda's attempt at wannabe Palladium. Coulda been anything from the Pacific Rim. No doubt Average American will flock to buy them. Lisa and I are not fans. Sorry, these discussions are pure personal opinion. Don't believe a word you read here.
Following the link above I found this bit of marketingspeak doubletalk. In no way limited to Honda/Acura. They are all guilty.

Focus On The Customer
Will enthusiasts and lead-foot journalists miss SH-AWD? Perhaps, especially when diving into corners like there's no tomorrow - but there's a good chance many RDX shoppers won't. Poponi says this is the perfect illustration of Acura's "smart luxury" mantra. "We need to understand what customers' needs are so we can deliver the right product with the right technologies at the right price point. We don't need to simply take an engineering feature and put it on everything we build."

Is the 2013 RDX still a CUV that thinks it's a hot hatch? No. Will it light enthusiasts' hearts on fire? Perhaps not. But it is clearly a much more sophisticated product born from mature decision making - and that may pay dividends in an increasingly mature market segment. Seeing as production begins in East Liberty, Ohio, this spring, we'll find out soon enough.

Translation: The consumer is as dumb as a post and won't know the difference.

EDIT: Removed turbo information. The RDX doesn't have one now.

Wayne
ps: The good news about seeing the new RDX: We were in our GLK, on a deserted back road, on our way to eat the best fried shrimp this side of Abbeville, LA. Life is good.

[go1ndr]

Here's my 2 cents! Get the GLK and you will never be sorry! It is everything that is mentioned above. You will never know you are in a SUV as it drives like a luxury car, and the only issue is paying attention to keeping your speed below 75! This car/SUV goes to 80 in a blink of an eye, and after “5” E-Classes that aren’t that quick, it was unsettling at first as I constantly had to keep one eye on the speedometer and the other on my rear view mirror for a CHP! I use that cruise control a lot-LOL
BTW, I can tell you that a “demo” is just that-"a demo" and is fully certified as a new car. They are normally given to salespeople in most dealerships to drive for short periods of time, however in MB dealerships, MBCredit has a lease program for their salespeople (at least in the US) where MB picks up most of the payment and the salespeople can drive a new car every few years for a fraction of the actual lease payment. Most management do get "demos" that they drive for a period of time but demos are different than the "Loaner cars" that they give you when you are in for service. I used to be in the car business and I can tell you that this is true. My MB sales person gets a great deal on his 2012 E350 coupe he’s driving now, and pays a fraction of the normal lease payment for it. I would never have an issue with buying a demo and that sounds like a very good price for it. Go for it-you'll never look back-except for your local police-LOL.

[venchka]

Towing capacity.

GLK 350: 3,500 lbs. max. with trailer brakes.

RDX: 1,500 lbs. max.

RDX: Epic fail. For my needs. YMMV.

Wayne

[pet1700]

Originally Posted by pet1700

Guys,

I am deciding on buying a car. We have narrowed it down to either the GLK or RDX. The GLK 4MATIC is a 2011 demo dealer car. It has never been titled, and is certified. 9K miles. It has premium package, leather and burl wood, navigation. It is a beatiful dark blue with beige interior. Dealer is asking 34K with 1.9% financing for 66months.

On the other hand, I could buy a new 2012 RDX with 0 miles for 34.5K. It is fully loaded with SH-AWD and Tech package. It also comes with 1.9% for 60 months.

Tough choice. We drove both, and I really did like the way the German car drove. Nice and solid. But, I want feedback from you guys.

Thanks

To update: I did find out that the demo car was also used as a service loaner as well. Should I be worried, they are cerified, thus any thing that should go wrong, will probably with 4 years of owning? I mean, the people who service their MB, drive MBs themselves, thus would they really beat on these cars during the day or two they use them?

New options: $30.5K for 2011 with 10.9K miles with heated seats, and moonroof. (silver/black). Or 35K for 2011 with 4K miles with heated seats, premium package, multimedia, AMG package. (silver/black). Thoughts?

[MKenM]

Originally Posted by jonnyrt

At the end of the day, it all comes down to personal opinion. This is a Mercedes forum so of course the comments here will be biased to MB

For me, I have never been a fan of asian cars, always had a thing for German cars, I never even looked at an Acura RDX or Infinity FX35 or Lexus. My neighbor just purchased a brand new 2012 RDX turbo, when I looked inside a few weeks back, the interior was cheap and overall quality of the car was not in the same league as the GLK. Then again, it shouldn't be as up here in Canada, a new GLK fully loaded versus fully loaded RDX is $10K more expensive and that is a lot of money.

Originally Posted by pet1700

To update: I did find out that the demo car was also used as a service loaner as well. Should I be worried, they are cerified, thus any thing that should go wrong, will probably with 4 years of owning? I mean, the people who service their MB, drive MBs themselves, thus would they really beat on these cars during the day or two they use them?

New options: $30.5K for 2011 with 10.9K miles with heated seats, and moonroof. (silver/black). Or 35K for 2011 with 4K miles with heated seats, premium package, multimedia, AMG package. (silver/black). Thoughts?

As stated above this is a MB forum and you will always get biased (honest) answers. I have owned 4 different Lexus ES series over the years and they are a great vehicles very reliable and not terribly expensive to own. I looked at Acura's in the past but there is something about the style that turned me off. On the other hand prior to my GLK I owned an FX35. Hands down one of the best cars and most fun to drive (other than my Corvette). I was going to get another FX but decided that it was too big and I wanted something smaller. It was a toss up between a X3 and the GLK. The GLK has been one best cars for me in terms of price vs options. It has been very reliable. 36K miles just put a new set of Pirelli's on. Other than that normal maintenance which can be pricey from MB but many places can perform most of the work or you can DIY.

You will find that the GLK is a great vehicle but what it really comes down to is personal preference. If price is not a factor then spend a few more $$$'s and get a new one. It may not have all the bells and whistles but it is a MB. On the other hand most new cars are reliable and you need to consider what really turns your wheels.

In the end we should not be the ones that help you make up your mind. If you go to the Acura forum I'm sure they will have great things to say. Do what you think is best for you.

But if you do decide to buy a GLK the only way we will let you back on to the forum is if you post pictures. Good luck in whatever your decision is.

[MBRedux]

Go new... I'd NEVER buy a possibly abused dealer car... A new GLK is the answer... But if I had to choose between these two vehicles, the MDX is brand new, larger, and handles a little better IMO...

[pet1700]

Originally Posted by MBRedux

Go new... I'd NEVER buy a possibly abused dealer car... A new GLK is the answer... But if I had to choose between these two vehicles, the MDX is brand new, larger, and handles a little better IMO...

But a brand new GLK is at least 7K to 10K more. Thus, by saving this money and having the car certified...I will have those funds in the future in the event that 5 years from now when the warranty runs out....

Anyone else could chime in on dealer cars?

[pet1700]

BUMP....come one guys, please share your thoughts...I might close the deal today....

[ble2716]

Originally Posted by pet1700

BUMP....come one guys, please share your thoughts...I might close the deal today....

I think you're already know what you wanted.
Have a qualified mechanic come with you and inspect the car.
That way you'll be more comfortable.
Good luck with your choice.