I’m a Toronto based Canadian and travel in all conditions, tow boats and snowmobiles to my cabin and actually have some need for this sort of vehicle. Further, as an long ago car salesman I actually enjoy shopping for a car as I consider it a purchase rather than ‘being sold’. Further, I like driving a nice car that best manages to hit as many targets of use in my daily life.

I am coming to the end of a lease on a 2006 MDX and it has been a great option, perhaps a bit too big for my needs. Prior to that I’ve had Pathfinders and 4Runners, 2 each.

Why I am so sold on this car is #1 because MB is also. By that I mean they are willing to put a 60% residual value on a 3 year lease. This includes trailer hitch, Nav system. Acura is offering a 47% on the package that has the nav which is worse than the basic model. In other words you eat the cost of these extra toys as part of you depreciation contribution. Now that sucks. To me the buyer, it means Honda doesn’t think it is going to be worth much at the end of the lease and wants me to pay the hit.

As to comments on the style, I like it. As one reviewer said, it doesn’t look like a suppository. Further they are getting amazing numbers on drag co-efficiently (apparently it the back end that is important).

Also after years of judging very person’s net worth at the door, and being snobs, the MB sales guys are actually figuring out that
there are some of us regular guys that actually might buy if treated decently. A nice change.

Do I have issues. Yes. I would take the diesel version in a heatbeat, but it’s 2 years out. Do I like stopping to put a destination in the nav system, no. Still as a whole package…. It’s pretty good, and really works for me.

I think it’s the opposite. No one would buy this thing if the badge wasn’t on it.

There are still way too many fools in America buying this stuff.

Seriously? This was only the 2nd “real car” I’ve ever been in where my left shoulder was planted into the B Pillar. The other being the current Infiniti G Sedan. My shoulder also touched in the NA 1st Gen Miata, but, that’s a Miata.

I actually like the style of this truck (but again, I like trucks that look like trucks, boxes all the way). But I was shocked to find I was right up against that pillar.

Not like I got the scratch or desire to buy one of these. But I was just surprised by your comment.

In terms of traction gadgets, you may very well be right, but it fails the cargo capacity portion of the test – a paltry 23.3 ft^3 with the seats up. That’s a tight squeeze with four adults and their gear stored in the trunk.

There are some packaging issues going on that I don’t completely understand because a “mid-size” SUV from the late 90s typically has about 60% more cargo capacity than a modern cute-ute, even though the exterior dimensions are about the same. I was shocked when I parked my R50 Pathfinder next to a then-new Mazda Tribute and saw that they were essentially the same size.

As for this GLK, I generally like the way it looks in photos, though the rear end looks pinched in terms of length. I’m not sure if the proportions will hold up in person, but then again, this didn’t seem to trouble X3 sales.

Does anyone remember the last scene in the film Soylent Green when the Edward G. Robinson character opts for the Government-assisted euthanasia? Yeah, that was the same music.

Entry-Level CUV

1. Mercedes GLK – 1,300
2. Acura RDX – 801
3. Infiniti EX – 776
4. BMW X3 – 394
5. Audi Q5 – 31

The GLK did pretty well in its first month, but that is to be expected for a brand new product. It looks like those sales might have come at the expense of the X3. RDX and EX sales are holding fairly steady. The XC60, Q5, and SRX will make things even more interesting when they go full-swing. Too bad Land Rover’s parent Tata won’t report the LR2’s monthly sales, because it too would have been included. Amazingly, this gives us eight choices in the CUV segment, when there only used to be one.

Load up that sucker up with the one thing Benz does abominably.

The Q5 just seems too toyish/cartoon-like in it’s exterior design. the current styling of M-B products does nothing for me, the GLK being one of the worst and the X3 is getting on in years and has never been a good looking ride. the XC60 hits all the sweet spots and has a sweet turbo 6

Except for the EX35, which also comes that way. I haven’t actually looked at any sales numbers, but it seems like the EX must be a total dud. I have yet to see one anywhere, and when discussing the compact lux ute segment, it usually isn’t mentioned.

Roundel: Mercedes’ reliability slump was across the board after the W124 (that’s the 300E that started production in 1985). Germany pumped out problem vehicles just like the Alabama light truck plant.

BobJava: You’re right, a 6GB hard drive sounds small. Perhaps its a 60GB hard drive designed for a laptop or a 6GB solid state drive. 6GB isn’t a power of two bytes, though, so that might make solid state memory chips a bit awkward (3 banks of 2GB or a 2GB and 4GB bank?). Remember that 6GB Microdrive? That was the rotating hard disk enclosed in a CF Type II enclosure so it worked like a CF card. One version of the iPod Mini had that. I don’t recall their reliability being a problem as long as you kept the device under 10,000 feet elevation. Couldn’t we just have an iPod dock instead?

How do you even obtain a 6GB drive in this day and age? I assume it’s a solid-state drive. Even so, flash memory isn’t that expensive. They just spent about $20 on a “hard drive” and charged you a lot more.

I grew up in a MB family that would keep them on average of 200k plus miles, but I have never owned one personally.

I have always bought BMW’s instead and currently drive an e39 wagon which I really like. However, this new GLK (or the latest C-class) could be my next car if the economy doesn’t implode first (worse than it already has).

Depreciation like a cruise missile (It’s pretty much worthless after you arrive at your first destination with lots of flash) – check.

20″ wheels as “standard” making the ride crap – check.

Saying it’s better than an X3 is like saying herpes is better than syphilis.

[/pedant]

So I cannot believe I am saying this, but as far as, “trucklet’s” go, I actually like the GLK-350.

Hope to sit in a GLK soon. The upright interior and creasy exterior reminds me of the MBs in the 80’s. Anyone else?