ticondo46

If I can contribute my two bits, here goes. Mine is a 2010 GLK 4-cylinder (2.2 liter) automatic, bought new, now 45,000 km on the clock. Where I live in Europe, just about 100% of GLK's are Diesels. You would have to place a special order to get a gas model (80% of all new cars sold in France are Diesels anyway, regardless of make). Engine-wise, it's pretty well close to perfection. It may just be a tiny bit louder than a gas engine, but beyond idle speed, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference. The engine actually has not one, but two Lanchester-type internal balancing shafts. Smooth as silk. I haven't had any problem with this car (apart from a faulty electric thermostat, which was changed under warranty). The car was however caught up in the Delphi fuel injector recall. Mine hadn't given any problems, but they changed them under warranty all the same. A lot of MB 4 and 6-cylinder Diesels (2008 and 09 models) limped home because au faulty piezo-electric Delphi injectors. These injectors are state-of-the-art, but new technology has its limitations, I guess. Each injector contains about 400 tiny ceramic beads crammed into a tube. If you subject them to an electric current, they dilate a tiny bit and come straight back to their original size when the current stops, all this in less than nano-seconds. Which means that you can actually program the injection process in such a way that on each compression stroke, the piston gets not one straight squirt, but four or five tiny ones. This in turn means that there is no pre-combustion chamber, and also that instead of having a typical 21:1 compression ratio, this motor runs on 16:1, which is barely more than a high-powered gas engine. I am told that the Delphi recall nearly bankrupted Delphi, and I'm sure it's true! In all other aspects, this is a very refined engine. Two overhead cams of course, but with only a very short chain to drive them (and mounted at the back of the motor, not in front). I personally hate belt-driven camshafts. Neoprene belts do break, and cost an arm and a leg to change. A chain can last forever. The only state-of-the-art thing this car doesn't have is variable valve timing, but you don't really need it. At 130 km/h (80 MPH) which is the authorised maximum speed limit on most European turnpikes, the engine is barely ticking over at 2450 RPM. So it would be pointless to go for variable gizmos, they wouldn't even have a chance to bring any noticeable benefit. Last thing: this motor has a very special twin-stage turbo. It picks up from low speeds, and there isn't the slightest hint of cutting in or out. All smooth. Fuel economy is absolutely great for a big SUV with permanent 4X4 traction. Over a distance of 20,000 km, I averaged 7.5 liters/100 km (better than 30 miles per US Gal.). In truth, we probably get better Diesel fuel in Europe than in most other countries, because the stuff is so widely spread that it is highly regulated for cleanliness, low sulfur, cold-weather pour point, water content, particulate creation etc.

One last thing for those who wonder how long an MB Diesel will run: I was in Singapore a couple of weeks ago, and rode in an MB 230 E Diesel. It was in good overall condition (except for a rather loudly-humming differential gear). Bodywork, doors, leather seats, all that was very, very neat. I looked over the driver's shoulder to see what was the mileage: 850,000 km, ie 500,000 miles+. I engaged in conversation with the driver. The car was 6 years old (it was used more or less on a 24-hour daily basis and a couple of drivers shared it). The engine was still the original one, and apparently had never been cracked open. It ran very smoothly.

I'm therefore making plans to keep my GLK until I'm 90!

dgiturbo

Hopefully the US model does as well and is as smooth. They tend to change a few things and program software differently once they decide to sell the vehicle in the US.
Once a diesel is actually at a dealers lot, I will drive one to see if I should be kicking myself or happy I waited the 2 more weeks from now to pick mine up.

ticondo46

Oh, just to show that I'm not just blindly enthusiastic: there is one thing I definitely can't stand on this car. There is a stupid hill-holder feature, whereby when you stop on even the slightest incline (like a garage lane), the car keeps the brakes on for a second after you let go of the pedal. This is meant to prevent you from crawling back when transitioning from brake to accelerator. I would like to hang and quarter the idiot engineers who have concocted this absolutely useless gimmick. They simply overlooked the fact that on an automatic, the car is not going to crawl back, it will actually creep forward upon lifting off the brakes. You can actually feel the brakes letting go upon acceleration. It's a pain. The lunatics who devised this thing were probably under the impression that this 4X4 was going to be used extensively on off-road 45-degree mountain slopes or something. Ha! Whereas 99.99% of the people who buy modern-day SUV's want that traction either because the live in the snow-belt, or, like me, go to ski resorts where 4X4's save you the shovelling and pushing.

dgiturbo

Yeah, that feature annoys me when I am slowly creeping into my driveway. The incline is slight enough to trigger the feature, but the engine at idle makes enough power to creep the car forward. Yet another thing they needed to reprogram.

ticondo46

Maybe somebody on this forum could tell us which fuse we should be pulling to get this stuipd feature out of the way?
And for MB, if anybody at the company is reading this thread, let him know that there are a whole lot of optionals that I didn't take, and frankly shouldn't exist. Who needs a radar beeper to park? Who needs a front-looking radar that slows down the car when you are coming up on somebody's tail? Who needs some sort of steering wheel vibration plus synthetic voice to tell you that you are dozing off and driving off the road? It's high time that the emphasis is put back where it should be. Some people know how to drive, some should stay off the road. No point making cars more and more expensive just for those who would be better off taking a train or plane ticket! I'm all for secure cars, but there is a limit.

ble2716

Wow... you're owning a MB and you actually complaint all these little extras features.
I would complaint if MB does not offer these extras.

If I want a car with out all these extras features, I would definitely not looking at a MB.

MBNA109

On the GLK, the Hill-Start Assist helps prevent unwanted rollback because the GLK DOES roll back on steep enough hills! Physics.

See here for other comments about this.

However, it only holds like for 1 sec unlike BMW's version which will hold indefinitely.

The programming could be improved since 1 sec isn't really enough time on steeper hills.

As for traction in snow, I highly doubt a full mashing of your pedal from a standing start is wise. & 4 Matic is there to help

ticondo46

I bought a Merc for its quality of manufacture, not for a mile-long option list of gizmos. I'm not complaining, because I had the time to order my car to my specs and didn't have to buy some super-loaded model available at the dealer's lot. I just feel sorry for those of you who have to pay massively for stuff that you may not really need. In the end, it's only a car!

MBNA109

In this part of the world, MB isn't consider quality.
It's consider brand & technology & engineering.
Most people in North America don't say they buy a MB for quality build.
Have you seen the list of complaints for GL which costs 25K more than the GLK?

If Audi & BMW are offering radar & sonar - MB will have it too because their customers want it.

& No - no1 asked you to feel sorry for any1 over here about anything. Seriously.

jryan11518

Confirmed by who? Auto news, I have discussed this with 2 different dealers and they say MB has not sent them anything on this Diesel for 2013.
Someone is misinformed or someone reporting this is fabricating stories.

ticondo46

Yeah, agree! MB may have had their share of problems, but the fact remains that it remains one of the best and most desirable makes in the world. And frankly, product support at MB is very good. Yes, their cars may have had problems, but MB take them seriously, act upon them and don't let you down. The only reason I am not going to buy another GLK Diesel is because I love mine so much that I will keep it for the next 20 years! And I'm sure it will still work fine.

dgiturbo

When I ordered my GLK late December, the sales guy said he just finished the MB sales presentation class on the GLK diesels. He knew I was a diesel guy, as I bought my ML CDI from him, so he wanted to see if I wanted to wait or order now.
Later that week I spoke with a MB tech after picking up my ML from service, and he also said he just had a class from a Service Rep out of NJ, and the class was about the GLK 220 diesel.
2 different dealers, 2 different positions, all within a week told me the same. Guess time will tell.

e90diesel

Ticondo46, please describe your driving conditions for the mentioned 7.5l/100km ie city, hwy mixed? I see that you have the 220 model, are folks with the 250 getting about the same mpg.

I currently have a 2011 VW Touareg with the 3.0L TDI, 8 speed trans and 4motion (4xmotion not available in the US) I get about 25 mpg in mixed driving including a daily trip up a twisty 1000' elevation climb. It is capable of 35 mpg at 60 mph on the interstate. This makes me believe that a diesel GLK should be capable of at least 40 mpg (hwy) under the same conditions. Do you happen to know the differential gear ratio?

I wish there was a spot on fuelly.com for the GLK. I have posted all of my fuel ups there.

I am very curious about the GLK diesel. The GLK is built like a tank, the diesel version was to be released in the US last year, I gave up and went with the Treg. Can't wait to test drive one. Also thank you for describing the Delphi injector mess, I learned more form your post than I did from several hours on Google.

GLKKa2H

, ctnd:
I do believe the “injectordisaster” with regard to the GLKs came into awareness September 2009, is related to the 4 cylinder OM651 only and last case of failure I have seen is reported December 2011.

The MB “quality of manufacture” is a lost story – since a long time IMO. With regard to the OM651, have our GLK up till now had two recalls, one replacement (injectors, as rquested by me) and from what I see from an ongoing recall in Germany is a third one coming to us as well. Added to that is replacement of the windshield (moisture penetraiting into the laminate – not an uncommon issue) = bad workmanship, and another issue which is a designflaw, pertaining to the C-class as well, known thru years.

I do believe GLK owners, who had their first replacement of one injector in 2009, a second in 2010 and third one in 2011 (and not all of them in spring 2010 when MB “had a fix for the issue”) tends to disagree with you. As well the number of owners in three countries who in weeks had injector breakdowns, one at the time, got replacement for the injector in question only, and had the fourth one replaced at the time of the third one failing.

DCubed

Its on the Launch Schedule for CY 2012. Its coming.

GLKKa2H

MB specifications:
GLK 220 BlueEFFICIENCY 4MATIC (7G-TRONIC PLUS): city 34.6 – 36.8 -, highway (außerorts) 42.8 – 46.1 - and mixed 39.2 – 42.0 MPG.
GLK 250 BlueEFFICIENCY 4MATIC (7G-TRONIC PLUS): city 31.8 – 33.1 -, highway (außerorts) 39.9 – 42.8 - and mixed 36.2 – 38.6 MPG.

The torque of the 220 is 294.99 lb/ft and impressivingly 368.73 lb/ft for the 250, thus might the MPG of the 250 be as good as for the 220 up your twisty elevation climb.
The differential gear ratio: GLK 350 3.46 and the 350 4MATIC 3.67.

e90diesel

Thank you

ticondo46

HI e90Diesel,
Sorry, I don't know the differential ratio.
The fuel consumption I quoted was read off the trip indicator of my car. There are two trip indicator functions: one is reset automatically for every trip, and the other will stay until you reset it yourself. This is the one that I had left untouched between two oil changes (over a period of one year more or less), so the 30 mpg+ applies to 12,000 miles of mixed use. Most of that use (90%) was turnpike cruising at 130 km/h (80 MPH). The balance was suburban driving in the Paris area. I practically never use the car downtown. In terms of driving style, I like driving fast, but I never do jackrabbit starts and I tend to *****foot the gas pedal. To your point, I'm sure I would get 40 mpg if the local speed limit was 60 MPH instead of 80 MPH.
Regarding the Delphi injector mess: don't quote me as Gospel, but the inside information I got was the following. These injectors are really high-tech, and were developed both with fuel economy and environmental considerations in mind. When they were put on the market, it would appear however that with certain types of Diesel fuel or under certain circumstances, the internal seal between the injector needle and the electronic part of the device would leak. And the whole thing would fail when the juice reached the ceramic beads in the electronic part of the injector. What made things hairy for MB is that a first fix was found, but logistical issues ensued. Cars that had failed were flocking to the shops, and replacement injectors were in short supply. So MB would only replace THE failing injector, not all four (or all six). So of course, the other ones would fail one at a time, with the predictable disastrous impact on the quality image of MB. Rumour also has it that the first fix was not conclusive, and a second (and hopefully final) update came during the first quarter of 2010. I know for a fact that my new car was delivered a month late (it was due for November '09, and I only got it in Dec. '09) because it was going to get updated injectors. Regardless, in August of 2010 I got a nice letter from MB saying that I was the lucky winner of 4 new injectors. As mentioned, I never had a problem with the ones I had (they were of the Update #1 model, I guess), but it seems that MB really wanted to clear the air once and for all. That's how they bought me a set of Updates #2. They offered me a coffee and a paper, lent me a car for the day etc. Frankly, I feel that I have been treated responsibly. MB had one heck of an industrial problem on their hands, and yes, I feel sorry for all the guys who limped home and had their cars repeatedly in the shop; but I can think of a whole lot of other manufacturers who would not have dealt with such a major PITA as well as MB did. **** happens, but what is important is how it's dealt with. I really like this car a lot (apart from the stupid hill-holder!). I'd have no compunction whatsoever in recommending it to prospective buyers.

GLKKa2H

Some technical data of the GLK 250 BlueTEC 4MATIC (7G-TRONIC PLUS with ECO Start-Stop-Function):

US MPG: City 31.4 – 33.6, highway (außerorts) 40.6 – 42.8 and mixed 36.1 – 38.6. 201HP. 369lbs/ft / 1.600-1800rpm. 0-62MPH: 8.0 s. Euro 6 emission control (still Euro 5 for the 350).

AND: The cargo area volume is listed as for “non-BlueTECs” – so where did MB put the fertilizer tank?

_Bondo_

We are going to see diesel GLKs show up on our lot in the Fall. I would have a hard time choosing between 302hp or 369 lb/ft of torque. I'm thinking rocketship torque with 40mpg would be quite a blast.

venchka

Torque rocks! It all depends on where it is relative to the RPM range.

Wayne

SEBZX79

We were over miles on my wife C300 4matic so we went to the dealer to look for a replacement but this time we were going to purchase. We have in the past driven the r350 (way too slow) ml350 was fine and the GLK. All were good except for MPG on all of them. Then we test drove R350 bluetec and the ML350bt as well and we both loved the increased MPG and how they drove. (not much different then the gas versions) The dealer just got in a CPO 09 ML320 in (was service managers car) in VerdeBrook over black interior and we fell in love. Over the last month my wife put about 2400 miles on the vehicle and her avg over that distance is 26.2mpg with a high over 31.4mpg. The price differance between premium and diesel here is only about 15 cents so the 40% plus increase in milage makes all the sense in the world. I personally will not go back to a gas engine when you can have your cake and eat it too.
I think this GLK250 is going to be a HUGE winner for MB and if you are looking at a GLK you would be crazy buying anything but the diesel. TOdays diesels are not from the 80s or 90s they all start in cold weather and run perfectly.
I am very glad that they have finally come out wiht the GLD BT and soon a C-class.

dagwoodnil

I received the following document from my sales guy on the 2013 GLK.
It describe the GLK350 and the GLK250 BlueTEC.

The Diesel should be available after October 2012.

see240wag

Are these brochures for Canada or the United States?

If Mercedes is eliminating the rear wheel drive GLK350 for the U.S. market that is extremely disappointing.

GLKKa2H

If you click file\ properties on one of the pdfs kindly provided by dagwoodnil you'll see that the "author" is Mercedes-Benz Canada Inc.

In Germany are now only two RWD GLKs available, namely the GLK 200 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY and GLK 220 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY. The GLK 350 BlueEFFICIENCY is 4MATIC only.