Jason Harper

[Mercedes GLK: The right fit for lean times? Courtesy MBUSA]

Feb. 4 (Bloomberg) — It can take three to five years to design and release a new vehicle, so carmakers better be able to divine the future. What appeared to be a stellar idea on the drawing board can seem incredibly tone-deaf years later.

 

This is a lousy time to be launching a fresh model, especially a gas-guzzling sports utility vehicle. Yet Mercedes- Benz’s diviners got lucky with their new GLK, a compact, five- passenger SUV that’s more in tune with the times than most. {Read on Bloomberg News} [MORE PHOTOS, CLICK THROUGH}

 

 

At $34,775, including an $875 destination charge, it’s pricier than Toyota’s RAV4 ($26,715 with a V-6), though it comes in well below BMW’s $40,225 all-wheel-drive X3.

While the Mercedes badge brings a measure of marquee status, its primary mission isn’t to impress the Joneses. Instead, it aims to haul family and groceries hither and yon, efficiently and safely.

As a childless city dweller, I’m not exactly the target audience, though like everybody else I’m trying to save money. And I recently became engaged. So I simultaneously put both the GLK and my own phobia of the suburbs to the test: a first-time trip to Costco in Rockland County, New York, on a Saturday afternoon.

 

I enter the big parking lot like a nervous animal, on the lookout for Mad Max drivers wheeling wildly into vacant parking spots. The GLK has the same 3.5-liter V-6 found in the C-Class sports sedan, and the 258 pound-feet of torque comes in handy as I scramble out of the way of a Ford Expedition barreling toward my rear bumper.

Sharing the underpinnings of the C-Class, the GLK has few off-road pretensions, and in general it’s as similar to a big- breed SUV as a dachshund to an Irish wolfhound.

Lean, Carlike

While I’m rarely a fan of SUVs in any guise, believing a sport hatchback can perform the job better, the GLK scores points. It’s scaled down to recession-friendly dimensions, eschewing bulges and pseudo-tough lines for a lean angularity. You can trace the lineage from the boxy, upright G-Class, yet the GLK’s stance is more carlike. While the design may not please everyone, it’s certainly engaging.

The distinctive look will help it to hold its own in the expanding compact SUV market: Infiniti has the EX35, Acura the RDX, VW the Tiguan and Audi its new, bland Q5.

I’ve made a deal with the fiancee: If we do this Costco thing, I’d first get to check out the GLK on back roads and the freeway. {MORE PHOTOS, CLICK THROUGH]

Plenty of Zip

In many ways, it handles like the C-Class — ably and comfortably, with enough sporting edge to keep you interested. The 268-horsepower engine gives plenty of go on the highway, letting me scoot around slower traffic easily in sport mode. Meanwhile, the seven-speed automatic transmission works quietly and seamlessly behind the curtains, underscoring the funereally quiet cabin.

The higher center of gravity is most obvious on secondary roads, where the GLK leans into corners more than a sedan. It’s also in this territory where I really miss road feedback from the steering wheel. It’s quiet, all right — too quiet.

Still the suspension is excellent, a quantum leap from the sagging, wiggling truck-like platforms of old.

The GLK doesn’t escape the classic SUV gas-mileage conundrum, scoring only 16 city and 22 highway versus the C350′s 17 and 25. Gas prices may be low now, yet buyers may experience pangs when they invariably creep back up.

Cargo Space

What you get in return is cargo room: 23.3 cubic feet with the second-row seats up, and 54.7 when folded flat. Loading a whopping “family size” package of toilet paper back there after shopping, I’ve got to admit the extra space is handy. The trunk in the C-Class musters only 12.4 cubic feet.

You also get a few more inches of headroom front and back, plus a spacious driver-side footwell. Seating position is high, which many drivers prefer, and naturally favors an upright cant. Front seats are electronically adjustable in eight ways.

Otherwise, Mercedes saved bucks on the interior, and it’s evident. Full leather seating is an option, not standard, and the aluminum accents don’t feel very substantial.

Standard safety features include six air bags, stability and traction control, brake assist and a tire-pressure monitoring system; all stuff you would expect on a Mercedes.

Beware of price bloat, though. Start adding packages and the GLK spirals out of reach. My test vehicle was a 4Matic, the more expensive all-wheel-drive model, with a base of $35,900. The addition of premium, lighting and multimedia packages suddenly put it at $50,165. Even the color, an attractive Capri blue, is an extra $720.

As we escape the Costco parking lot, the GLK gets its share of looks. Yet they aren’t from the same type of people who normally eye the slinky two-seater sports cars I often test. Instead, these are from couples who look like they might be out shopping for a stroller.

Hey, buddy, don’t look back at me like that. I’m just testing out this thing for the day, OK?

The 2010 Mercedes-Benz GLK350 at a Glance

Engine: 3.5-liter V-6, with 268 horsepower and 258 pound- feet of torque.

Transmission: Seven-speed automatic.

Speed: 0 to 60 in 6.5 seconds.

Gas mileage per gallon: 16 city, 22 highway.

Price as tested: $50,165.

Best features: Drives like a car; ample cargo space.

Worst features: Expensive options; gas mileage in city.

Target buyer: The suburban dweller.

(Jason H. Harper writes about autos for Bloomberg News. The opinions expressed are his own.)

To contact the writer of this column: Jason H. Harper at Jason@JasonHharper.com.