Top Biz News

GLK 350: Crossing over to success

By Patrick Whiteley (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-01-04 08:06

The GLK350 has a chunky, muscular look with a face dominated by a striking three-bar grille featuring the all-important three-star logo.

Beijing's largest used-car market is the perfect place to measure the popularity of any make or brand in China's booming motoring market. Huaxiang car market dealers and the thousands who flock there every weekend are clued into the latest auto trends and know what's hot and what's not.

When China Daily Motoring drove the latest Mercedes-Benz SUV crossover into the Huaxiang car park, local gearheads were elated to see the relatively new model up close and personal. Dozens of people gathered, photos were taken and many questions were asked. No other car commanded the same attention.

The excitement reflected the high interest in the GLK 350, even a year after its official launch at Beijing's Auto China 2008 show.

It is an important product for the German carmaker and superstar Zhang Ziyi, internationally famous for her role in Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, was especially chosen to add glamour to the launch of the little beauty, which also happened to be Mercedes-Benz's first model to make its world debut in China.

The GLK hits the US market last year and has proven popular because of its $35,000 price tag, some $5,000 cheaper than its BMW X3 rival.

But the issue of pricing for Mercedes-Benz is a completely different story in China. The Three Pointed Star is arguably the most prestigious marque in the Middle Kingdom. Chinese high-end buyers are willing to pay more for such a coveted brand. Much more.

GLK 350: Crossing over to success

Immediately after China Daily Motoring's test-drive team got out of the GLK 350 at the Huaxiang car market, we were rushed by dealers offering 700,000 yuan ($102,516.04). The dealers knew they could sell that car the same day for 740,000 yuan and make a handy profit. They had done their homework and were spot on with pricing.

The GLK 350 4MATIC with 200kW of power and 350Nm of torque costs 698,000 yuan, while the base model GLK 300 4MATIC (170kW and 300Nm), is priced at 598,000 yuan.

Even with such high prices, Mercedes-Benz China last year boosted its total sales volume by 53 percent and its flagship S-Class became the best-selling luxury sedan in the country. In fact, there are more S-Class vehicles sold in China than anywhere in the world.

Another hot market is the premium compact SUV segment and the GLK gives Mercedes another player in this lucrative but competitive game, which includes players such as the BMW X3, the Acura RDX, Audi Q5, Lexus RX 350 and Volvo XC60.

But Mercedes is confident the GLK will boost its SUV stable - the G, GL and M classes - to help them win a desired 10 percent of the growing market.

The GLK350 was homegrown in Germany at the relatively new Bremen plant. Our test vehicle powered by a 3.5-liter V6 and standard 4MATIC all-wheel drive takes 6.7 seconds to reach 100 km/h when floored and returns an average fuel consumption of 10.6 L/100 km (or 27 mpg on the imperial scale).

When taken for a run up to the Great Wall at 100km/h plus on the highways, the comfortable cabin was comfortably quiet and it hugged the curves at higher speeds nicely.

One of the cool attractions of the SUVs is the high driving position and the GLK seats are more upright, too, sitting 15 cm higher than in a C Class. Driving vision is excellent but it seemed all eyes were on us. The GLK350 was a real head-turner in Beijing because there is nothing on the road at the moment that looks like it.

It has a chunky, muscular look with a face dominated by a striking three-bar grille featuring the all-important three-star logo. That's what Chinese buyers are really paying for.

The long hood rises and along the sides of the car are sweeping wedge-shaped lines from the front to the rear taillights. At the back end, wraparound taillights and the hatch door harmonize nicely and dual exhaust pipes add to its grunt appeal.

The GLK is based on the C-Class chassis but is actually 10 cm shorter than the C-Class sedan, making it easier to park. It has a neat-looking dashboard video screen that shows what's behind the vehicle. The camera is activated as soon as the driver uses the 7-speed automatic gearbox and shifts into reverse.

But the GLK is more of a crossover than a heavy-duty off-road warrior.

When we picked up the test model, and asked about the off-road driving features through mountain creeks and muddy ditches, the guy who was managing the media vehicles that day at Mercedes' head office in Beijing started to look worried.

Like most crossover SUVs, the vast majority of Chinese buyers will use the car as their city ride, but if pushed, it can be tough little fighter thanks to clever electronics that help keep traction on rough surfaces.

According to all reports, the 4MATIC system works well and allows the GLK to navigate along tricky paths, but we respected the feelings of our friend at Mercedes and didn't take it off road.

To help the GLK assault on the SUV market, the vehicle is loaded with lots of goodies. We loved the Artico "man-made" leather seats with seat heaters, especially now in winter as is the dual-zone automatic climate control. The 10-way power driver and front passenger seats are easy to figure out and its tilt/telescopic three-pronged steering wheel has a nice feel. The multi-function steering wheel with driver information display and Bluetooth compatibility is a nice technical touch.

The author is a veteran auto writer in Australia.