The GLK 350 represents Mercedes-Benz first venture into the hotly contested compact SUV segment - a market that’s growing as budgets are shrinking.
Instead of scaling down the ML SUV and bringing yet another “cute ute” into the world - the GLK 350 is visually inspired by the iconic military Geländewagen.
Tall, square with a steeply-raked windshield and angular sheet-metal, the GLK 350 looks ready to clamber over steppes and sand dunes and is endowed with the mountain goat ability of its bigger ML series brethren.
Although its appearance is pure butchy G-wagon, the GLK rides on a modified C-Class 4Matic sedan platform - making it a car-based crossover rather than a truck-based SUV
My tester, thanks to the optional Sports Package, rides on 20 inch alloy wheels and sport tires, suggesting my adventures be strictly limited to the tarmac outback. Brushed aluminum running boards and roof rails polish it up nicely.
The military theme is carried over inside - blocky with chunky corners and flat planes. The cockpit is nicely finished but not overtly luxurious - in fact it’s almost austere. Materials are high quality and soft touch, although brushed aluminum panels combined with the black theme made for a lack of warmth.
The tall roofline offers lots of headroom, and rear passengers aren’t short-changed either. A panoramic sunroof opens up the cockpit, and despite the somewhat dour colour scheme, overall there’s a bright, airy and roomy feel.
Door mounted seat controls for the front passengers are intuitive and easily accessible, and the 10-way adjustable seats covered in Artico faux leather are supportive and comfortable.
On the utility front, there’s 23 cubic feet of storage space, which increases to 55 cubic feet with the rear seats folded down.
The Command system interface is a useful tool, but fiddly and it takes patience to master. A Console mounted control knob in front of armrest lets you adjust audio or navigation system without taking your eyes off the road.
This is a vehicle that really inserts itself into your lifestyle by being so damned easy to get along with.
The GLK can really scoot when called upon in busy traffic or merging. Underhood, the ubiquitous Mercedes 3.5 litre V6 produces 268 horsepower. Unfortunately, that power comes at the cost of fuel economy. Hopefully, there’s a BlueTec diesel powerplant in the near future, which would provide a strong increase in fuel efficiency and squeaky clean emissions. The seven-speed automatic transmission is smooth yet sporty - particularly nice is the manual-type tapered shifter with stitched leather boot—an improvement over the ugly, phallic club in most automatics.
Speed sensitive steering is accurate and nicely weighted. The GLK handles corners more like a sport wagon than an SUV thanks to Agility Control automatically adapting the shocks to road conditions. Although no sports car, there’s little body roll or lateral toss. The 4Matic all-wheel-drive system is permanently engaged to sense any wheel slippage and sends torque where needed.
Brakes work extremely well - abrupt stops can induce a nose dive if not modulated properly. Adaptive headlights take the guesswork out of night-time driving, swivelling in the direction the car is turning to reveal ditches, lurking critters and other roadside hazards.
With its aggressive looks, lower price tag and good urban manners, the GLK 350 should appeal to a broad range of buyers
Weak Points Fiddly Command interface thirst for premium fuel
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