Hello! First post!

My girlfriend's looking to buy her first Benz, specifically a '14 or '15 fully optioned GLK and would appreciate input shared by those with ownership experience. She really likes the sharp, purposeful '13-'15 GLK styling vs all those jellybean crossovers so common today and I agree.

It's GLK-or-nothing now. After checking quite a few out, she decided her GLK MUST have a light coloured, leather interior. The feel/comfort for MB-Tex vinyl wasn't there and the somber black with dash/fingerprint smears holds no appeal to her. Personally, I always liked those comfy old-school MB velour "corduroy" seats, but I guess cloth's no longer popular. Noticed many we saw in reviews also had an elegant contrasting piping on the seats, but where are those cars today? We haven't seen any for sale with dark piping on light seats yet.

The big question we need advice on is GAS or DIESEL?

Our first thoughts were to look for a 350 gas for simplicity and lower operating costs, but seems 80% of the GLKs in the current market are 250 Bluetecs. So maybe a diesel would be OK? but what about the DPF, etc.? I came to MBWorld to learn the ownership differences.

To provide some reference to her usage, we both work from home, so really no daily commuting to speak of. We do however take 4 or 5 long distance trips trips every year, plus we keep an Airstream trailer up at a seasonal campsite about 3 hrs north of Toronto (camper's stays set up on the site, so GLK will NOT be towing that.) I have a dual axle trailer and v8 inboard speedboat (~3200lb combined) and would like to tow my boat and launch it at various small lakes, where the GLK's short wheelbase and diesel torque will help pulling the boat out of shores where there may not even be much of a ramp. I'm into classic and vintage cars too, so on occasion we may pull an open car hauler behind the GLK. So, it would seem diesel might be the better choice - but is it worth it?

 

I would not touch another modern diesel ever. The emissions systems are too complex and problematic. Some will claim how they have only had a few problems and others will talk about the huge repair bills and weeks in the shop. When the diesel emissions systems have problems they are often expensive to fix and sometimes hard to diagnose.

Part of it is luck and part of it is driving habits. If she mostly does short trips and/or stop and go traffic then you definitely do NOT want a diesel.

You should probably also steer clear of the 4matic. The 4matic in these vehicles seems to have predictable problems with the transfer case necessitating a complete transmission replacement often costing north of $4k.

The most problem free combination so far seems to be the rear wheel drive with the gas engine.

 

Thanks JeepGuy for your input. We're in Toronto Canada. I drive an '01 Quattro (A6 2.7T) with big mileage and zero issues with AWD, my GF's coming from an AWD CRV. There's no way we'd consider anything less than AWD, and I will hope that MB's 4Matic is at least as reliable as Audi's Quattro system.

Really appreciate your comments on the Diesel vs. Gas question. The emissions complications of modern diesel are indeed a concern. I guess my reliability mindset on MB Turbo Diesels comes from the old 80's models that seemed to just work, forever. She will be doing mostly highway runs, and I do want some benefits of torque for occasional towing, the mileage/range is appealing too - but it ends there. I'd appreciate anyone else's input on this as well, but I think we're going to look more closely for a 350 petrol equipped as we want (light interior/fully optioned) instead of the 250 diesel.

 

I would opt for diesel here in Toronto. Our diesel in Canada is higher quality than those of the states. Lots of emission problems are due to poor diesel. Mercedes even called America out on their poor diesel quality. The 250 will net you more KMs per tank, more torque and also a better price on fuel throughout the warm months.

 

This is a no-brainer, get the GLK350 with the M276.

You will certainly get better fuel economy and more towing capability out of the diesel, but unexpected maintenance costs exclusive to modern diesels will absolutely drain your wallet. I've seen several DPFs, hundreds of NOx sensors, and a few different tank related repairs that can be absolute headaches to repair, stuff that you just won't have break in a gasser. I'm not trying to bash diesels, as I still daily drive a Bluetec... but M-B diesels just aren't what they used to be.

Other than that, the X204 is a pretty good chassis. Rear springs and rear subframes like to rust prematurely in salty road areas, so try to get your perspective Benz in the air before purchasing.

The 4-Matic system, as stated earlier, can sometimes fail at the transfer case, but in my opinion it has proven to be pretty reliable... I think I've seen 1 or 2 GLK's in 500 that have had the transfer case issues.

 

Gas, those NA V6 are last breed of NA motors. I would go pre DFI, 2010-2012, but those cars are getting old. Mine is 2010, that we have had since new.

Towing with GLK is another matter. The factory hitch is not really for towing with tongue weight of only 165lbs. Having said that, a friend has towed his race car on an open trailer to FL and back. Maybe occasionally it's ok, but for more frequent towing I would step up to ML. ML has proper front diff, proper transfer case, much higher tow rating.

 

I've got a 2013 GLK350, prices are much better in Montreal than Toronto ... and Gas all the way ... I've heard nothing but bad stories about the GLK250 diesel ... all from local Canadian (Ottawa) indy repair shops.

 

Avoid diesel power plant.

Avoid the balance shaft M272 engine.

Seek the 2013 and later M276 3.5L gasoline engine.

 

Get a fully loaded glk 250 ,and get the dpf scr and egr delete since there are no more emission test in Ontario. Your glk will be good to go and beat beat any gas version glk any day in terms of hauling and fuel efficiency

 

Wanted to thank all the considerate replies that helped make the decision to go with a gas model, and share the happy outcome!

With more than a handful of test drives over the past 3 months, my gf decided she definitely wanted a GLK, and grew firm on not wanting diesel. She doesn't drive enough for the additional trouble, cost or maintenance. A few reads on the M276 engine (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes-Benz_M276_engine) had me convinced, too. Jennie found the darker colors made the car look small, even a bit dated - so her mind was set on finding one with a light interior and of course the newest/lowest mileage example possible. Many of the cars we saw were not well taken care of and she wanted one she could "keep forever." As they say, getting what you want starts with knowing what you want!

Prepared to wait for the right one to come along, we passed up many that were outright terrible, a few that were close, just not close enough, one that was awesome but sadly sold the night before we went to see it. We learned we'd have to act quickly when that right one happened. Mid January, the PERFECT car came online over a weekend in AutoTrader. A 2015 GLK 350 4Matic in Luzonit Grey, Sahara Beige/Mocha with just 18,300 kms (not a type-o) really immaculate and fully loaded with Distronic+, BAS+, 20" AMG wheels/styling, etc/etc. Only two items of issue were that it had dark ash wood (she wanted burl walnut) and that the car was in Vancouver, we are in Toronto and it is end of January. The car was traded in at a Porsche dealer and they priced it to be gone, quickly. We bought the car at asking price in our first call to them, immediately upon their first opening minutes after the ad was published. It was hers! We considered the rational choice of having it shipped to us, but the news about the car only kept getting better and the logistics, equal cost and concerns of shipping made it clear a road trip was the better option. Sure, we'd be driving across the Canadian Rockies in late January, but how often do you get to do that kind of road trip, specially when you don't also have to drive there? We'd certainly be in the right car for the trip!

We flew out to Porsche Centre Vancouver exactly one week from our first call. Their salesman was exceptional, taking many many pictures for us. The only flaw was a curbed wheel rim which he said he'd have taken care of - and he did. Porsche techs road tested and went over the car providing exceptionally detailed, all positive reports. The delivery experience was perfect, they had looked after everything. The wheels were all perfect, interior and exterior plus engine bay had been very nicely detailed. No dents, scratches or scuffs to be found anywhere, inside or out. All the electronics functioned well in our test drive, and we were off!

We spent the next four days in BC, enjoying incredible break in the weather, great restaurants, inns, the most spectacular coastal and mountain scenery, drove up the sea-to-sky highway to stay in Whistler. For the first part of the trip we wanted to stay close enough to return if any issues, but since there were none we continued a fun, trouble free and and picturesque journey east through Revelstoke, Lake Louise, Banff - all the popular spots plus a few hidden gems in between. After Calgary we dropped down to continue the trip through the US. No issue or delay crossing the border in North Dakota even with having a temporary license taped to the windows. Did a night drive across to Duluth, stayed clear of deer and other threats through Michigan's glorious Upper Peninsula, across the Mackinac Bridge and home. The 4,600km (2800 mile) drive gave time to better understand all the driving assist aids and appreciate the character of the car. Even at higher altitudes, available power was always more than sufficient for quick passes, the suspension and tracking were spot-on, drivetrain was quiet. Only possible beef was that the Pirelli Scorpion Verde tires were noisy on bare pavement, but their wet and snow grip were surprisingly very good. There's still lots of life left to those tires, but I've already started shopping replacements and the Vredestein Quatrac seem right now to be an appealing option.

We've had the car home a week now, still really grateful for the fortunate good weather every day of our trip, happy to have waited and found the right car, plus making the decision to enjoy what was really a unique drive opportunity. Vancouver's climate is definitely an advantage over Toronto, or most of Canada. They have milder weather, use a lot less road salt, and from my observations take better care of their cars and seem more respectful of other's cars too. I would recommend this buying option and will definitely consider doing it again with our next car purchase!

Here's some pics from along the way....

 

Wow! Great pictures, and the car looks really nice, too!

Your GLK is much like ours. We've had it since new. My wife chose ours, the same week she found the E400 for me. . .

When someone asked my wife if she would consider a different car, she said something like "They will have to pry the key fob out of my cold dead fingers. . . "

 

Well done! Thanks for taking us along for the ride.

 

Where in the GTA can i get the delete, done and cost?

 

I don't know, but you should probably ask in your own, new thread.

 

Even though you already bought a gas model, I only do stop and go traffic with my diesel, and aside from the DEF heater element that failed, I've had zero problems.

 

Hugo, I hope you get it out on the freeways once in a while and open up the taps. Our Bluetecs run aggressive EGR and this contributes heavily to sooted intakes, carbon gunk on valves and other bad things.
The DEF helps keep the exhaust aftertreatment system clean, but a nice long highway blast now and then works wonders.

 

Yes, I do. And I recently had to do a lot of highway for work. Hopefully it cleaned it up.

 

Good man.

 

Gas. What little you save in fuel you will spend on the upkeep and repairs of the GLK250 due to the issues that come with it. A 2015 GLK350 is probably one of the most reliable MB's in the modern era.

 

Very nice. My 2014 250 was that color.