NYCGLK

So 2k miles later, I thought I’d write another update.

After the car went through the break-in period and I got used to it and I was able to push it a bit more.

This weekend I did 600 mile trip which included about 100 miles through mountains in upstate NY.

Mileage:
On 600 mile round trip. I was averaging a little under 21 mpg going there and 23-24 back, this is due to going up/down the mountains. So thankfully I was able to do 300 mile one way trip on one fill up before fuel light came up, not bad.

Seating:
I don’t know what it was, but I kept adjusting my seat, I used to feel more comfortable in old solara than this thing. Maybe it’s just I wasn’t pushing GLK as much and was trying to find more relaxed position. No backpains or anything, just need to find the right setting I guess. 3 friends found back seats pretty comfortable for quick trips, no complaints at all.

Handling/Ride:
Finally had a chance to drive this thing on more challenging roads. Now I know what they mean by boring car. The car definitely felt disconnected, and steering is light. You can go fast if you want, I pushed through the turns and heard the tires, but the road feel was pretty much absent. I haven’t driven “real” SUV to compare, but both Toyotas and Mazda 3 I’ve driven were more fun on that road. This might be in part due to how transmission behaved (see bellow). On the highway that was a different story, this car is made for highways. It picks up speed very well and feels extremely stable. I wish speed limits were higher. Acceleration of GLK is also really good even at high speeds, so passing is a breez.

Transmission:
It’s great around town, but it’s not for spirited driving. I have no idea how C350 can be a sport sedan if transmission works the same way. Even in S, it rushes to upshift. So when you want to accelerate out of the corner you have to wait for right gear to engage. The only way to drive through twisty roads is to use manual mode. Then you can keep it in lower gear and up/down shift one gear as needed.

Features:
Turning xenons on dark twisty roads worked great. They always shined on the road and not the forest when going in and out of turns. Navigation worked great. The feature that shows exits/ service areas that are coming up is a nice touch. Memory seats were also nice. As I was trying to get comfy, I set M3 for “comfy” more relaxed position while M1 is normal driving position.

Problems:
None so far *knock on wood*. No noises, squeaks or rattles in rather cool 50 degree weather either.


I’m still very happy with the car choice as these mountain trips happen once or twice a year and most of the driving happens on highways and in local towns, where this car shines.

yualfred

nice feedback, thx

zelko

Awesome feedback and post, thanks for sharing!

Yeah, the steering has me just a little worried..it felt really light when I took the GLK out on 2 separate test drives. So it appears it wasn't just me. If the steering wasn't as light it would make it so much more fun to drive. How's the wind noise in the cabin?

Get a lot of looks at the car?

NYCGLK

No wind noise if everything is closed. Very quite at any speed. Open sunroof or window creates a hurricane inside even at 40-50 mph.

Not sure about the looks, while I do like how it looks, let's not get carried away, it's an entry level compact SUV that many consider pretty ugly. It's not SL63 AMG or 911 which I see on daily basis around here.

supercrv

Nice feedback. Thanks!

Baby G

Thanks for the review

NYCGLK

came out a bit lenghty...oh well

Baby G

It shows you took the effort to write a good detailed review. I would say thats a good thing

MB_Owner

I had a test vehicle for a weekend where I put ~300 miles of combined autobahn, urban and hilly rural driving on it and a general sense of steering lightness, even numbness, was the first thing I noticed, especially pronounced anytime the GLK was pushed a bit.

So we knew exactly what we were getting...a great looking small awd luxury ute with plenty of power to get us to the ski slopes in the winter months...not to be confused with a sports car for spirited driving. We have two Porsches for that.