erlomd

well, the GLK made it safe and sound from Miami to Los Angeles.
Got my GLK certified pre owned with 19,000 miles and drove cross country for christmas.
soft comfy smooth ride all the way through...cruise control was great...lol. then I noticed that the whole way through I only saw a handful of GLK's...has anyone taken it cross country or on a long trip?
let me tell you, you really cant complain driving a mercedes all day every day. theres enough power to get you out of sticky situations with big rigs and such, and the brakes were dead on. It also handled the turns with ease, almost felt as if I wasnt in a SUV...it just feels really safe, quick, strong and nimble...things you dont really get out of any old SUV. only complain (if any at all) is the small gas tank....saw myself stopping to many times in the day. but at least it averaged out to around $45 to fill at the 1/4 tank point (I didnt like to run it down to empty before I filled up cause I never knew when the next gas station would be.)
got a $10 universal bug mesh for the grill...(man that was worth it!!!) if it wasnt for that, id still have tons of bugs encrusted in my radiator.
before I go back im going to install one of those clear 3M paint gaurds as well...
anyway I was glad for that drive, and wanted to see if anyone here has similar experiences.

3.5L

Not cross-country, but did a 4300 mile trip through the northwest over a period of 16 days last August. Averaged over 24 MPG as I recall. No, didn't see many GLK's on the road, but that doesn't bother me at all. Car was very comfortable, even on the long days in the saddle. And as you mentioned, performance and handling are superb - very confidence inspiring. Great traveling machine.

Almost forgot to mention that I did have to spend quite a bit of time scrubbing off the bugs after we returned home. Some were "90 MPH" bugs and all were eventually cooked on with temps as high as 104 degrees. Heh!

3.5L

erlomd

Wow 16 days!!! Sounds like a blast...he'll, the less GLKs on the road the better...makes me feel like I'm driving a rare car...lol
That bug screen really works...still had some bug gut residue but way easier to clean

N91K

+1
I love that feeling when I don't get to see many GLKs around, it's quite rare in Bahrain I only see a few every couple of months!

3.5L

Yeah, the GLK still seems to turn heads, likely because you just don't see them every day. Same, same with my '04 Mazda RX-8.

3.5L

420tee

A few days ago I went to a local grocery store and had an older couple follow me into the lot and park next to me just to ask about the car. Reminiscent of 1984 when I had one of the very first Dodge Caravans on the road. Hard to believe how different they were. I couldn't park anywhere without drawing a crowd. Had a toll taker on the CT turnpike hold me up to talk about the car while cars backed up behind me.

erlomd

it might be because of the catagory its in. I think the general public would rather throw the money on a Q5 or lexus....but theres no denying that the GLK...IMO...is the better looking of the bunch. i test drove all 3 of those cars before purchasing the mercedes and the angular looks and interior feel won me over.
I even like it much better than the ML....the ML, was too standard looking (lost in the parking lot) for me. The GlK has kind of a jeepster/lifted mini nomad look to it...like an mini luxury armored car.
for now, I'm enjoying the windy roads LA throws at me...with the panorama sunroof and the radio blasting...I love it.
cant wait to get back on the road!

erlomd

thats funny, i got the same response from a girl at the gas station...you should have seen the look on my wifes face in the passenger seat....priceless.

420tee

I totally agree on the angular look. I hate the rounded turtle, early Ford Taurus look although that seems to be the current fad.

dcjwlee

This thread is cracking me up because I see more GLK's than Camry's in this part of the country. (Northern New Jersey).

The only car I ever had someone stop and ask me about was my old Hyundai Sonata when it first came out. People wanted to know if it was a Honda! And boy were they impressed when they found out it was a HYUNDAI!

But back to my point, every other car on the road is a GLK, RX, X3, Q5, or XC around me. I wish the GLK's weren't so popular! I've pretty muh driven only the bread and butter Mercedes (M class, C Class, GLK, E coupe/sedan) and I do wish I could get myself into something a little less "common"!

venchka

An E 350 4matic Wagon would be rare. Gosh, I love those things going all the way back to the 300TD.

We live in Texas. Every drive is a road trip. "A" Service after 6-8 months. Round trip last Christmas: NE Texas-Boone, NC-NE Texas. Not a hitch. Worst fault of the GLK: Staying awake while driving.

Wayne

erlomd

down in miami its pretty non existent...and I've only seen a handful in LA. but yeah I was very appreciated of the 80mph speed limit on the texas I-10...love how the cruise control takes you from 90 to 80 in 2 clicks...lol

an E 4matic wagon would be pretty sweet...imagine an AMG version with the red seat belts...man that would be nice

dcjwlee

God, I do love the E class wagons. The current generation is great, so were the last ones, and the ones before that...

Great cars! I have heard that the reported average income of the E63 AMG Wagon buyer is the highest of all Mercedes owners!


This begs the question... why have I never owned one!?

dcjwlee

I think one of the attracting points to me was the (relatively) low body profile of the GLK combined with the rather upright and boxy roof line. It not only makes for a good looking car, but gives you great sight lines out of the vehicle unlike many cars out there that place form over function (although Mercedes has arguably fallen for this same gimmick with the LED DRL's). It reminds me a lot of my ex's Nissan Xterra, just smaller.

I remember sitting in an H3 and thinking that I'd run over a few schoolchildren a week. It felt like I was sitting in an M1 Abrams. Zero visibility to the outside world. Probably only a few pounds lighter too!

My only wish is that less soccer moms (at least in my neck of the woods where every wife pines for a mini lux ute) drove the car. Most car mags laud it for it's Teutonic masculinity but it seems that the majority of owners around me are women.

boylston

I drove from Boston to Naples FL in November, in three days. It was a very comfortable ride, which I've done previously in an X3 and a Porsche Panamera. I was thinking today what a pleasure the GLK is to drive. It is a much better car, in my mind, than the C300 I replaced.

I may have seen one or two other 2013s enroute. A lot of women drive GLKs here but mostly white- the black and 20" wheels make this more of a man's car.

erlomd

the drive is fantastic...and the exhaust note you get when you hit the gas is great!!!

erlomd

well, just drove back from LA to Miami and again, the GLK performed marvelous!!! when I was in LA, I took it everywhere from the beaches to the snowy mountains of mammoth and lake Tahoe...and right before I left, I went off road around Mt Pinos when I went mountain biking...its a great little all terrain thing...has no problems getting the best traction on any terrain (but I do have a 4 matic)

again, not too many GLK's off the I-10 freeway from LA to Miami, I think I saw a total of 3...lol
in the city however, I see them everywhere...I don't think the majority of glk owners take full advantage of what a versatile vehicle this is.

DadinWestcheste

One of the reasons I chose the GLK is because of what they did to the Escape. Turned it into a crossover with an underpowered 4banger. I love my Escape, but I also have driven my motherinlaws C class Benz's. My youngest kid 18 drives the C280, I will give my 22YO the Escape and I will take the GLK when it is delivered. My wife is waiting for her mothers C300....
I cant wait for the GLK since we travel upstate a lot where the older kid goes to college. Love the Finger Lakes wine country.