2010 Mercedes-Benz GLK350 4Matic Full Test

You'll remember the marketing campaign that introduced the 2010 Mercedes-Benz GLK350 4Matic. So we expected to find as much depth and enjoyment in the first compact SUV from Mercedes-Benz as that well-regarded piece of cinematic art from 2008, Sex and the City.

Which is to say, very little. The GLK seemed to us at first like just another fashion accessory for Sarah Jessica Parker, and as with an ugly pair of $500 sunglasses, we expected you could buy the same function for a fraction of the cost.

But then we drove a 2010 Mercedes-Benz GLK350 4Matic for a couple of weeks, tested it at our track, compared it to some similar car-based SUVs, and guess what? Despite the less-than-handsome profile, it should be taken seriously, and for a number of reasons.

Engineering in a Tasteful Wrapper
First of all, this is a Mercedes-Benz, and that has come to mean solid engineering and tasteful luxury wrapped in a package that's often more conservative than it is beautiful. (Anybody else besides us who thinks the GLK looks like an old Subaru Forester?)

Built from a C-Class sedan, the GLK's wheelbase is nearly identical to that of the sedan, yet its overall length measures shorter by a whopping 8 inches. The GLK feels as solid and sure-footed as the highly regarded C-Class, but with more suspension travel and even more compliance on rough pavement and worn freeway concrete. Mercedes credits what it calls Agility Control, which is a fancy name for ordinary hydraulic dampers (no electronics are involved) with blow-by valves that offer good response to sharp impacts.

Until recently, Mercedes-Benz steering has been criticized as lifeless, but just as with the C-Class, the GLK's rack-and-pinion setup transmits just enough road feel to offer information but not so much as to be burdensome. When you're vectoring down the highway, the steering feels a little numb, but just off-center, the GLK's steering responds smartly and the chassis' yaw response is very good, especially considering our test vehicle's 4,200-pound weight.

The distance between the GLK's rear wheels has been increased by 3 inches compared to a C350 to improve cargo capacity and enhance rear seat comfort, and the wider track that results actually helps the GLK get around corners at the kind of sporty clip you might expect from a BMW X3, though without the BMW's choppy ride.

For a utility package, the 2010 Mercedes GLK is surprisingly well balanced, with 52 percent of its weight poised above the front tires and 48 balanced on the rears. It circles the skid pad largely unencumbered by a non-defeat stability control system, although its performance of 0.77g isn't remarkable. Through the slalom, the GLK is athletic, although its 61.3-mph effort again isn't outstanding.

If you were expecting a soft, squishy chassis calibration, you'd be wrong. Mercedes has done a superb job of balancing the GLK between soft and firm, doughy and sporty. If you want a busier ride, you might replace the standard 19-inch wheels with the $970 optional 20s, but we wouldn't recommend it except for cosmetic reasons.

Power Down
With all-wheel drive sending 45 percent of the 3.5-liter V6's 268 horsepower to the front wheels and 55 percent to the rear, the GLK 4Matic runs routinely to 60 mph in 7.2 seconds (6.9 with 1 foot of rollout like on a drag strip). That's about average for its class, but slower than the lighter, more powerful rear-wheel-drive Infiniti EX35. The GLK's seven-speed automatic clicks off buttery-smooth upshifts in either Comfort or Sport mode, although we would have preferred more assertive action from the Sport program.

The transmission's torque converter locks up pretty early, so there's not only a discernible connection between the throttle and forward progress, but also decent fuel economy of 16 mpg city on the EPA cycle. We got 18 mpg over 1,100 miles of driving, which exactly matches the EPA's combined mpg number.

Fashion Sunglasses?
From behind the three-spoke leather-wrapped steering wheel, the 2010 Mercedes GLK's interior and dashboard look as if the chief designer has been one of those rigid Germans who refuse to acknowledge the existence of the French curve. While there isn't anything objectionable about straight lines and perfect circles, the environment seems pretty austere. Swapping out the brushed-aluminum trim for burled walnut (soon to be a no-cost option, Mercedes says) might be a good move.

This particular GLK has a comprehensive list of option packages (Premium and Multimedia), plus heated front seats, an iPod/MP3 interface and thoroughly infuriating step rails. The $36,775 base price swelled to $44,975, but before you cry foul, we priced a similarly equipped BMW X3 at $3,000 more, and an even more loaded Infiniti EX35 came in at about $2,000 less.

That's a chunk of change, but here's what you get for your money. The Premium package ($3,150) includes a large double sunroof with motorized shades, Sirius Satellite Radio, power liftgate, rain-sensing wipers, garage door opener, auto-dimming mirrors, compass, driver memory seat and a 115-volt AC power outlet in the cargo bay. The Multimedia package ($3,350) includes hard-drive navigation and premium discreet sound; rearview camera; Harman Kardon Logic 7 surround-sound system with Dolby digital 5.1; 12 speakers with 600 watts of power; 7-inch (up from the standard 5-inch) color display; in-dash six-disc CD/DVD changer; 6GB hard drive with Music Register; voice control for audio, telephone and navigation; and the Gracenote media database.

The iPod/MP3 Media Interface ($300) includes both a 2.5mm aux-in and dedicated iPod connector with power in a large glovebox. Heated front seats cost $740, and the price of soiling your calves on the step rails each and every time you get into and out of the GLK is the $660 you pay for the step rails, not counting dry cleaning. The only thing more we might have asked for would be real-time traffic information from the otherwise top-notch nav system.

Bluetooth is standard, as are foglights, six airbags, disc brakes (with hill-start assist, brake drying, ABS, EBD and brake standby), ESP (with trailer stabilization) and tire-pressure monitoring, to touch on the highlights. Leather seating will still cost you $1,750 extra.

Utility Vehicle
When you lower the 60/40-split rear seats by pulling on the seat-mounted releases (why no cargo-bay releases?), the seats fold almost completely flat and expand the load capacity from a sedanlike 23.3 cubic feet to a wagonlike 54.7 cubic feet.

We found getting into and out of the rear seats particularly challenging because of the aforementioned step rails, not to mention the diagonal door cut-outs and non-adjusting seatbacks tucked well behind the C-pillars. Once there, however, there's ample head- and legroom, and you'll find HVAC vents, and, if you spend another $1,880, a twin-screen rear entertainment system linked to the multimedia package up front.

All things considered, the 2010 Mercedes-Benz GLK350 4Matic is a truly luxurious compact sport-utility fortified with more driving enjoyment than we all expected. Initially available for $36,775 in all-wheel-drive 4Matic styles in January, Mercedes-Benz hopes the GLK350 will attract first-time M-B buyers from other brand-aware shoppers. The rear-drive GLK350 is scheduled to arrive before summer at a price of $34,775 and a Bluetec clean-diesel version is a foregone conclusion, although it won't arrive for at least a year.

The reason that sales of compact SUVs are rising is obvious. And because Matthew Broderick must see something we don't, we're willing to give the GLK350 a chance of winning our hearts and minds with an inner beauty and value that's found beneath the surface of this fashionized Sex and the City crossover. We're deep and generous like that.

The manufacturer provided Edmunds this vehicle for the purposes of evaluation.