by Johnny Lucas

In 2008 I attended the launch of Mercedes-Benz’ GLK for the now defunct Driven magazine. Exactly what category of vehicle the GLK fits into is still up for debate, and that ambivalence is likely one of the reasons for its success. It is something of a Goldilocks vehicle: not too big and not too small, not too hot, not too boring. Not cheap and not too expensive. MB calls the class “luxury, compact, sport utility.”

It was the 5th SUV in the MB line-up at the time and it was entering a very, very crowded field. It came in at a time when big cars were making a comeback. BMW, the most direct competition in all model ranges with Mercedes-Benz, was doing very well with the X3 and X5 and the X6 was a top of the line object that everyone in the SUV market coveted but few could afford.

The GLK made its entry in to the North American consciousness by being the featured car in the Sex and the City movie. Rather than showing how many lumberjacks can fit into it, the movie showed off its automatic rear entry and made the point that it did not look out of place standing on Fifth Avenue being loaded with daintily wrapped parcels.

Part of our test drive was to take it on muddy, hilly terrain, showing off the 4WD. Surveys consistently

show that only about 5% of SUV buyers use 4WD any significant amount of the time, but it remains a huge selling feature and is happy in the nice-to-have-it-just-in-case category. On small roads, and trails it was nimble and very strong. It did not feel so heavy that it gave the impression of always being about to bog down, and of course it never did.

The surprise of the test drive was the highway driving. The classic thing happened: looking down at the speedometer to make sure I was not exceeding the limit, I found that I was already 20 km/hr over – but it sure did not feel like it. At highway speeds (think Autobahn!) the GLK was sure-footed and quiet. The height of the vehicle also seemed perfect: good visibility but not top heavy.

At the time, my biggest reservation was the price. The car was becoming available in Europe for $58,560 at the exchange rates then and I noted that I thought a miracle would be necessary to get the price more competitive on this side of the water. In 2011 the list price in Canada is $43,500. That’s for 4WD, rear wheel drive is less.

In 2009, 5,012 units were sold in Canada – the most in the “luxury, compact, sport utility” category. In 2010 that number was 5,852.