Exterior

The GLK350 sported a luxuriously boxy exterior with huge, expressive tires that were the perfect juxtaposition of femininity and gusto. It seemed to be saying, "I could hang with a Land Rover in the mud if I wanted to, but I'd rather hit the spa with a glass of bubbly in hand." I knew we had a lot in common from the get-go.

Next to the seeming lack of head-turning ability, which quite frankly I don't get - it's sharp and unique-looking - I have one other complaint about this car: The door sills on both the front and rear doors are so wide and deep that it was nearly impossible for either me or my children to get in or out without brushing a pant leg on the exterior. I never thought I'd say this, but it's a good thing I reverted to wash-and-wear clothing with the births of my children, or my dry cleaning bill would have been astronomical after a few days in the GLK350; it's hard to be as stylish as Sarah Jessica Parker when everything I own gets thrown into the "mixed-load" cycle alongside Little Mermaid undies.

SENSE AND STYLE

Family Friendly (Not Really, Fair, Great, Excellent): Great

Fun-Factor (None, Some, Good Times, Groove-On): Groove On

    See also:

    Opening the hood
    WARNING Do not pull the release lever while the vehicle is in motion. Otherwise, the hood could be forced open by passing air flow. This could cause the hood to come loose and injure you and ...

    SAFETY
    This is where I get back to overlooking those interior quirks because I'm so impressed by the R350's safety features. All of the seat belts in the second and third rows were easy for newbies to op ...

    Cross bar
    Points to observe before use The maximum roof load that can be used with additional accessories decreases by the dead weight of the crossbars (13.7 lbs/6.2 kg). Note that installing the crossb ...