Off Road
Our next stop was an off-road course laid out in the mud of what would normally be a motocross track. This is significantly worse than the average cottage trail that other manufacturers tell you that their AWD products will go through. There were uphill parts and downhill curves and a bit of water just to help keep you on your driving toes.

The traction control system cut in regularly, but it never seemed to interfere with progress through the mud. Instead, the most aggravating thing to happen was that the proximity sensors for the park assist would keep going off on the downhill part of the whoop-de-doos. The other thing was that once they had enough mud on them, they went off quite frequently.

Interior
Seats were comfortable and easy to adjust, since 8-way power front buckets are standard. I like to have the tach and speedo right up front with the other gauges flanking them and that is exactly what Mercedes has done.

The rear seat is a comfortable 60/40 split unit but legroom is dependent on those in the front.

Mercedes wouldn't be Mercedes without making something needlessly complicated, and in this case, it takes about three or four moves in the driver information setup just to reset the odometer.

If you step to the rear seat, this is where you notice the size difference between the ML and GLK. The rear seat is a comfortable 60/40 split unit, but legroom is dependent on those in the front. I could sit in the back with the seat set for me in the front, but I wasn't really comfortable until the front seat was moved forward a notch or two. With all five seats up, there is enough room for two, maybe three full hockey bags. Using various combinations of the folding rear seat, you can have all the cargo space you need.

Price
As of this writing, fuel economy numbers have not been set, because the GLK350 will not be at dealers until January 2009, so that they can officially be called 2010 models.

Pricing was set, though, and a base GLK comes in at a touch over $41,000, while a fully-loaded one with nav system and luxury package will still be less than $50,000 (all in CDN dollars). The only option not considered in that total price is the $2,000 wheel and rim snow tire package that Mercedes-Benz has put together. That pretty much makes the new GLK the best deal in Canada.


Photo Credit : Charles Renny