My wife and I went looking at all of the smaller luxury SUVs yesterday (Audi, BMW, Acura, Lexus, etc) and we are hoping the GLK will be great for us. I currently drive a 2009 C350 and as much as I would like something different from my car, my wife who is upgrading from her Mini Cooper, really likes the GLK and is pretty much set on getting it. With that being said, we have a child on the way (first one) and my major concern is that since I don't know much crap you really have to tote around with a child, is there going to be enough cargo room for pack 'n plays, strollers, etc? I've been reading some of the posts regarding the lack of rear leg room and my wife will be the primary drive (5'1) and I'll (6'2) be driving occasionally as well as riding and it sounds like we may have some issues with the car seat facing the rear in the back seat. Overall, the GLK is very nice and since she likes smaller vehicles, there is no talking her into a mid-size SUV (Lexus, ML, X5, etc) and I'm just worried that there won't be ample room. Thoughts?

 

Also, I wanted to provide the quote I received from the dealership and wanted to see what you all thought about it:

2011 GLK 350 - MBrace ($660), rear multimedia package pre-wiring ($170), Heated seats ($750), Passenger Memory Seat ($365), Lighting Pkg ($985), Multimedia ($3,000), Premium 1 ($3,200), Appearance Pkg ($990) - Total Quote: $48,495, but with discounts, taxes, tags, title, etc. $45,950 out the door.

 

I'm 6'1" and if I slide the seat slightly beyond what's comfortable, I can fit an adult behind me comfortably, but then again I value my passengers' comfort more than my own, so you technically could fit an adult behind your normal seat position. As for cargo room, there is a decent amount of room. The only stuff I really put back there is dog stuff, like a medium sized crate plus 40 pound bags of food, etc. You could always fold down a seat...it should be enough though.

As for the vehicle itself, I'm sure I'm going to upset some people with this, but I would suggest that if you're not going fully loaded, then get something else. I have a pretty much baseline model, and overall, the car feels pretty cheap. To be totally honest, I've been pretty disappointed with it. The materials feel cheap, the doors make cringing noises over every bump, it's just unimpressive. Maybe if it was fully loaded, I would feel differently about it, but I don't know. I had a 110% fully loaded A5 before this, and sitting in that felt like you were sitting in something truly special. When I get in the GLK, I don't have nearly the same feeling.

 

I would not recommend the GLK as a kiddie car if you plan on having more than one. It's impossible to fit a kid into the rear seat with ease IMO. Two would simply be too tight, especially if you need to put the stroller in the small cargo area.

Get the 2011 ML350. You can get one right now fairly cheap because they're coming out with a new design for the 2012 MY.

If not, go for the GL350 then. That's the best SUV MB has ever made in my opinion.

 

I have a 8 and 5 year old. 2 child seats in the back and take it camping all the time and load it with gear.

No issues. Sometimes it's tight, but rarely.

Buy the cargo net if needed so you can pack the back to the top. And even buy your stroller now and test it in the back.

Otherwise, no issues here. We have a Toyota Sienna and find we take the GLK most places as it's more fun to drive.

 

Thanks for all the input. Have another question: does anyone have the rear seat entertainment package? We don't necessarily need it right now, but will definitely want it later, so I'm looking at having the pre-wiring done now and then installing it later when needed. Was just wondering what people thought about the quality of the LCD screens and headsets. Would you purchase it again? Thanks.

 

We have 2 kids, 5 and 9, with the rear seat DVDs from the factory, they love the vehicle. When I drive, with my 5 year old in his booster seat behind me, his boots do touch my seat. My 9 year old has enough room on the other side behind my wife. She is 5'3" and I am 6'. We have had the GLK for jet over a year now, almost 30000 km, and 2 trips to palm springs, and we love it.

 

I have two kids, one in a booster the other in a front facing car seat. I think it's a bit tight to be honest. If you want to haul a stroller and pack and play then you might be pushing it. I mean it can be done but then it's really crammed in there. The two kids back there do tend to find leg space a bit tight as they end up kicking the back of the front seats often. A rear facing infant seat might be a bit tighter. It would work but I wouldn't want to try putting it in and taking it out often due to the shape of the rear door cutouts.

If you were asking about an older child that'd probably be fine. But the thought of putting in and removing an infant seat sounds like a pain to me. Try it out and see if it works for you on a test drive. No way to know unless you try it out.

 

We have the rear facing monster baby seat in the middle with the anchors and it fits well, my wife does not have any trouble taking the baby out or putting her in she just sits down and slides her in the seat.

We also have a large collapsible stroller that fits fine in the back with all the baby gear too. I think you will be fine.

 

I would look at the ML if I were you. Cargo and back seat space on the GLK is pretty limited. We love ours, but would have picked the ML if we needed to haul a bunch of kids and stuff.

You could put a pod on the roof rack....

 

This is exactly our question also- we have one on the way, and were wondering if we do the big rear facing baby seat in the center, will this interfere in any way with the ability of the front seats to recline or slide all the way back?

 

Of course it will. The seats move back and forth about a foot. With a car seat in the back you maybe have normal legroom depending on your height. Take your seat and go down to the dealer and try it out.

The GLK wouldn't be my first choice for a kid hauler. Then again, a honda accord wouldn't either. They's why god invented mini-vans.

 

I guess since I own a C350, I could just put the car seat in the back of that and see how it works. I'll post an update when we actually get a car seat and test it out.

 

I borrowed a friend's Chicco keyfit with base today and went over the dealer and test fit it in the center, rear facing, using the latch anchors. We were able to get it to fit with one seat all the way back and even reclined a good amount(where I would be sitting), and the other front seat up 3-4 inches, in a perfectly comfortable position for her. There is no way that it will work directly behind either seat, which is fine, since we will just need the one spot for the seat. I think we are set. Now if we can just find someone to swap us a GLK for our 335i, life will be good.