DerekACS

Having just placed an order for February production, I am still undecided on exterior/interior combo. The only GLK that I have seen @ my dealer was silver metallic with black interior; IMO, OK, but not too exciting.

Has anyone seen either tenorite grey metallic (called steel grey in the US) or calcite white ? Is white the only color that US dealers have for a demo ?

Also, has anyone seen a GLK with aluminum running boards ? Do they help or hinder the car's appearance ?

Any feedback would be appreciated.

chilledbenz

I'm leaning toward the Metallic Jade Green. I fell in love with that color on an ML in the show room awhile back. I was quite surprised to see the color made it to the GLK seeing how its built along side the C class and it doesn't offer the color choice.

Metallic Jade Green with Almond/Black interior is my first choice, but I would love to see the Diamond White show up on the lower models. As for the running boards, they are a must for me. Not that they will actually help, for the most part they will probably just get my pants leg wet every time it rains. But the real reason for me wanting them is to cut down on door dings, my C class has no bump strips and I've gotten two door dings already and it seems to be a common problem. The running boards will stick out just far enough to become the first object a door will hit saving me from door dings and maybe just getting some scrapes on the running board. Plus I've seen them on the ML's and they look great, almost giving that lowered look without effecting ride height.

http://www.mbusa.com/mercedes/#/expl...K350W4&yr=2010

Scroll through the pictures, there is a Steel Gray with the running boards.

crestonave

The demo we test drove at our dealer was white, and it was a brilliant, clean, pure white. My wife likes it a lot.

MtnMachine

All dealers near me in SoCal have the white, with black/aluminum interior. Not big on aluminum interior, even though quality a excellent, but the white car, with privacy black glass and exterior sport/trim looks GREAT.

I will order the Obsidian Black or Steel Gray with the Black/Almond and wood trim interior. Saw the Black/almond interior, in a red GLK at LA Auto show and interior looked outstanding. You sill get an aluminum accent on doors, even with the wood and combo looks much more refined and attractive than the all aluminum, IMHO.

Not getting aluminum running boards, even though they are nice looking. They just make it harder for ladies with dresses and harder in weather to keep pants from getting wet getting in and out. Car is low enough and roof is low enough, that running board really is not needed.

I am still debating between MB-Tex or Leather.

DerekACS

Thanks all for your feedback.
The color combo that I have ordered is Tenorite (Steel) Grey metallic with Ash/Black leather interior with aluminum trim. As far as trim goes, GLKs bound for Canada will all have aluminum trim; no wood available until 2nd quarter production.
White GLKs certainly look impressive in the photos. However, the downside for me is that white is a high maintenance color in our wet Northwest climate.

The comments on the running boards make sense to me. The GLK is no Nissan X Terra, which due to its height really needs running boards.

W210

DerekACS, I guess for us, the disadvantage ordering now is the lack of keyless go?

I'm leaning towards the Tenorite (Steel) Grey too. Does it have a hint of blue in it?

AsianML

Here are some pictures of a white on black w/ aluminum trim GLK350. Has the running boards too.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Cars-...3A1|240%3A1308

MtnMachine

Yes, to my eye, the steel gray has a gook hint of blue. Lighting really makes the steel gray change from dull gray to blue gray to very dark gray/black.

Lower maintenance than white or black, and a classic MB color.

In SoCal, my dealer has changed his tune and now tells me he has wood trim cars in route. IMHO, wood really adds warmth to this car, but I comming out of a aluminum/carbonfiber BMW and want a warmer, richer feel this time around.

DerekACS

Keyless in a nice feature, but I do not wish to wait several more months given the attractive, introductory pricing in Canada. I do not think this situation will last for too long. (See below). The GLK that I have ordered with all options (PP, Command, Bi-zenon, HK sound, Sat Radio, metallic paint & Ash leather) comes out to $52,965. The same car in Germany is priced @ approx 55,000 Euros or CD$88,000 !! Also, when you factor in the Canadian / US exchange, the GLK is $5000-$6000 less in Canadian dollar terms. The GLK is perhaps the only model offered by MB Canada that is less expensive than its US equivalent.

I doubt that this extreme pricing discrepancy can last for long. Either the US/CD dollars drop relative to other currencies or the Euro crashes. I would bet on the former, not the latter given the current economic situation in the US.

As far as Tenorite (Steel) Grey Metallic is concerned, yes, it does have a very slight bluish tinge to it when seen in bright sunlight. I find it to be a very attractive colour that has the added advantage of not showing road dirt and dust too easily. That's why I have decided to stick with my original colour choice, rather than switch to white.

DerekACS

Agreed, very handsome combo. But, in our wet NW climate, it would be a high maintenance choice. Thanks for posting the photo link !

W210

I agree with your comments.

In fact, I just drove it in deep snow the salesman brought it to my house. Quite amazed even the 20 inch all seasons could handle the snow.

Great car I like the Tenorite (Steel) Grey. It has a slight bluish touch but acceptable.

I'm happy even with the MB Tex.

The car looks much better in real life than from the pictures.

The only few things I wish it had:

keyless go
heated steering wheel
rear heated seats

of course, I can go on:

ventilated seats & self-closing doors too..

But the whole package is very attractive right now, I think I'm getting one.

DerekACS

Agreed !!! However, keep in mind the attractive price and incredible value for the $ ( at least for an MB !).

Sounds like you were really impressed with your test drive in snow. Are you in the Vancouver area where we have had an endless supply of the white stuff ? I passed on the 20" wheels, thinking that they might compromise ride and off-road performance. I also would rather spend those extra $$ toward proper snows for next winter.

One other factor you should keep in mind; there is a relatively small volume of GLKs coming to Canada, so the first months of allocation will likely be sold out in the not too distant future.

W210

Yes, Vancouver, westside, so lots of snow. The 255 is definitely floating on deep snow a little, but we never got stuck.

Good, we'll shop for snows together, although I was hoping to find something this season.

DerekACS

You are obviously live close by; I'm in Mackenzie Heights.

Had to leave my Bluetec up on the Sunshine Coast a week ago; the snow was just too deep to get up a steep hill back to the highway. When the snow isn't too deep, I have found that my car performs reasonably well with 225/55 x 16" Pilot Alpins. Even though my car has 400 lbs.ft. of torque, these tires handle it without any problem. So, I would not be concerned about having 235s on the GLK which has much less torque than my Bluetec.

In most cases, it's definitely cheaper to buy snows from a place like Tirerack than any tire retailer in Canada. But since the GLK is only about to be introduced, getting the right alloy wheels might be a problem for awhile. Try contacting local MB's Parts Department; they should have a listing and prices for the 17" wheels. There are two types available in Germany, the 5 spoke design is the more attractive one, IMO.

chilledbenz

Keyless Go will most likely show up on the second year cars. Same thing happened with the new C class, many owners complained about a lack of options and Benz fixed it for the second year run. As for the other options, those are just wishful thinking. Those options are only available on S and CL models.

Quick thoughts on the Obsidian Black, I have it on my C and now that I've had it for over a year and have come to the conclusion I threw away $800 bucks. When its dirty (which is all the time) it just appears to be Standard Black, only when its spotless can one tell it has flakes in it.

W210

I'm only hoping June 2009 keyless go based on the following:

https://mbworld.org/forums/3206658-post17.html

DMW2

I saw the Black at SEMA, it looked REALLY sharp. Just food for thought.

MtnMachine

Good thought Chillibenz,
I thought the Obsidian might not show swirl marks as much, but I think you are right about the difference being "0" to ".01".

So, I am going Steel Gray or Black, whichever dealer can provide first, equiped the way I want. Not waiting for paddle shifters or blueTec. If I like the car as much as expect, I will upgrade to proven systems and enhancements at first refresh, three years down stream.

After two test drives, (street and Freeway), the only think I am a bit concerned about is the "light feel" of steering at high speed. Around town, is a pleasure. Took the GLK through a set of serious bad dips that are scared by deep marks from other cars. GLK did not even come close to a scrape in direct entry to dips. And suspension handled situation very quietly. That being said, the "relatively" short wheel base does create a bit more see/saw motion than a full size SUV. Not a problem.

chilledbenz

[QUOTE=MtnMachine;3241817]Good thought Chillibenz,
I thought the Obsidian might not show swirl marks as much, but I think you are right about the difference being "0" to ".01".
/QUOTE]

I had the same thought about the swirls having owned a 040 Black ML and seeing swirl marks, but nope the Obsidian Black shows them as well. I was sold on the Obsidian Black after seeing one in the showroom, too bad it never looks that good again ha ha.

Just wondering...are all the GLK's at the dealerships now rwd? In the past its been a Benz thing to make people wait six months for the 4matics to arrive. Can't really figure out why, because usually the new models have been on sale in other countries months in advance of a U.S. launch.

MTI

100% of the intitial GLKs sold in North America are 4-matic 350. The RWD model will be released after the inital launch. Aside from a lower base price, the RWD only system gets about 1 MPG hwy more than the 4-matic.

oknish

Is Steel Grey available on any other MB? I really want to take a look at that color. My GL is Black which shows scratches and swirls like there is no tomorrow. Of course, the day after it is cleaned it does shine like no other color

DerekACS

Yes, Steel (or Tenorite) Grey is a C Class color, very popular and "classic" as another poster described it. It has a very slight bluish tone in full sunlight.

emesap43

I kind of like the Carneol (Barolo) Red as in these shots provided by akbro93704:

https://mbworld.org/forums/glk-class...ealership.html

oknish

That makes two of us We are going to decide between Red or Grey for GLK.