Mercedes-Benz SUVs tend to have devoted followings, especially the G-Wagens. That’s to be expected, but as daily drivers go, it’s hard to think of a better and more affordable crossover SUV than the GLK-Class. Two models were sold in the United States, the GLK350 from model year 2010 to 2015, and the CLK250 Bluetec from 2013-2015. With the youngest of these SUVs just 6 years old right now, it’s hard to say for sure, but we think the GLK-Class has the makings of a future collectible.

Strong Underpinnings, affordable pricing

The GLK-Class used the same W204 chassis as the contemporaneous C-Class sedans. This is typical for small SUVs and indeed why they are called “crossover” vehicles. The GLK, like all good crossovers, offers the utility of an SUV with the driving dynamics of a passenger car. This also means that the GLK-Class benefits from the decades of refinement that Mercedes-Benz has put into its worldwide-market C-Class platform, making it a rock-solid contender.

When it launched in 2010, the GLK350 4MATIC retailed for $36,750, or $2,000 less if you bought the rear-wheel-drive version. That was almost $3,500 less than the starting price for the BMW X3 in the same year, which got a lot of people’s attention. Though with a healthy go at the option list, you could plus up your new GLK to about $44,000. Still, that was about the same money as a C-Class sedan, so you could climb up into that SUV for no extra charge.

Then there was that engine. The 3.5-liter V6 delivered 268 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque, passed through a seven-speed automatic transmission. Both Mercedes and the motoring press timed the GLK350 at 6.5 seconds in the 0-60 sprint. That’s still a pretty respectable time today, for a non-AMG vehicle, especially since the GLK350 tipped the scales at a healthy 4,219 pounds. The knock on the GLK, even then, was its fuel economy coming in at 16 MPG city and 21 MPG highway.

If you want a little more power, the 2013-2015 model year GLK350 boosted engine output to 302 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of torque. This dropped the 0-60 time to 5.7 seconds for the rear-drive GLK and 5.8 seconds for the 4MATIC, making the small SUV a real hot rod. Oh, the updated engine also gets better gas mileage in the city, up to 19 MPG. Highway mileage was unchanged at 21 MPG.

Press raves and enduring values

“Mercedes has hit the mark perfectly,” enthused Car and Driver magazine when they first got behind the wheel of the GLK. Reviewers also noted that the squared-off edges of the GLK recalled both the G-Wagen and the much-hailed Benzes of the 1970s and 80s. The GLK really did look like a much more expensive SUV than it really was. Moreover, time has been kind to its design, which looks as fresh today as it did in 2010.

Truth to tell, I was among the journalists who drove the GLK in its heyday, and I have to tell you I honestly loved it then, and it is one of few cars that made a really enduring impression on me. I found it fast, comfortable, good-looking, and very useful with up to 55 cubic feet of carrying capacity with the rear seats down.

By the end of the production run in 2015, the GLK was still affordable, priced from $37,900  for the GLK350 with rear-drive to $39,400 for the GLK250 Bluetec diesel with 4MATIC AWD, to $39,900 for the GLK350 with 4MATIC. The GLK-Class has largely held that value, too. Because it’s still trading as a late-model used vehicle, the easiest way to find one is at a Mercedes-Benz dealership. A spot check of dealerships found a price range of about $15,000 to $25,000 depending on the details.

Of course, you can also search the nationwide used vehicle chains and Carmax, for example, generally asks $20,000 to $25,000 or even higher for these models. Generally speaking, if you’re looking for a collectible GLK, asking your local Mercedes-Benz dealer to conduct a search for a pre-owned GLK is likely to be your best bet.

The GLK250 Bluetec

In 2013 Mercedes-Benz added the GLK250 Bluetec 4MATIC to the GLK-Class in America. This version carried a 2.1-liter biturbo-diesel engine good for 200 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque, and the same seven-speed transmission with all-wheel-drive. Mercedes never offered the diesel in rear-drive format in America.

The Bluetec diesel was a great engine, using the urea-based diesel exhaust fluid to meet EPA emissions requirements. Today, the Bluetec GLK-Class is in high demand, and generally trades towards the upper end of the price range.

The diesel suffered a little on the 0-60 dash, coming in at 7.8 seconds, but made up for it with 24 MPG city and 33 MPG highway. However, unless you were doing a test you would never call the diesel GLK slow. In everyday driving, the GLK Bluetec performed admirably, and the turbo-diesel torque with the seven-speed transmission more than made up for any dragstrip deficiency.

Recalls and Issues

Mercedes-Benz has issued six recalls on the GLK-Class since its introduction, and like many vehicles, the Takata airbag issue is one of those recalls. Others include inadvertent airbag deployment, inaccurate GPS location, a potentially loose steering coupler bolt, and an oil leak from the timing chain tensioner. Common owner complaints include components in the electrical system and issues with the air bags. 

Why you should consider a GLK-Class

While the GLK-Class may eventually be considered a collectible Mercedes-Benz, at the moment it’s simply an affordable driver, and it should be noted that values are still depreciating. Typically speaking, any vehicle reaches its lowest value between 15 and 20 years of age. Then the vehicles either begin to appreciate or disappear entirely. Like all vehicles of the electronic era, it remains to be seen how time affects the availability of electrical components. However, because the GLK-Class retains so much in common with the C-Class of its era, it is likely that parts availability will remain plentiful into the future.

With over 164,000 GLK-Class vehicles imported and sold in the United States, the market is well-stocked with vehicles and that helps push today’s prices down. It should be an easy matter to find the color and features you prefer and strike a great deal on an SUV you can enjoy today and maintain for future value.