2,500 miles in

Merry Christmas fellow GLC owners -

I realised I was very active here whilst moaning about the delays for delivery of my car, but a couple months since grabbing the keys, I haven't really been here much.

If you read my earlier posts, you'll know I am a semi-reluctant owner - I believe a large German estate is the ultimate car; space, quality, drive, running costs, and I've always launched into a monologue to anyone unlucky enough to be close by when the topic comes up, that SUV's and Crossovers are daft. £10k more than an equivalent saloon/estate for a car that's heavier and costlier to run and less refined to drive. Essentially £10k for looks and fashion. But my lease was up and whilst I wait for the Tesla Model 3 to get delivered to the UK in early 2019, I need something else, and that something else must be something I can hand to the wife 18 months in. (yes, I know the Tesla model 3 isn't large or an estate....I just *want* one). She likes crossover style and having sat in or test driven them all, the GLC was hands down the nicest.

2 months in, I really, really like it. Perhaps the interior isn't quite at the quality of the e-class or 5-series, perhaps the drive isn't quite as smooth, but it's bloody close and within days it becomes my new "normal" and I think it's a great driving experience, particularly on the 18" wheels with fat rubber (I'm NEVER going back to large wheels and run-flats now). I love being in this cabin, it's a classy, cosseting place to be. The performance of the 220D is certainly adequate and doesn't disappoint, and the car has coped well following the couple of snowfalls to hit the midlands this December.

I've a few niggles I need to go get looked at:
- passenger rear door requires abnormal effort to close
- driver side rear grab-handle is falling off
- no online connectivity, it tries but fails (I should read the manual here, perhaps it's a setting I haven't found, or an option I didn't buy).

I'm about to push the button on a set of winter wheels and tyres. I prevaricated on this, but am now convinced it's a good move. It's not like the tyres really cost you anything, since your other tyres aren't eduring wear whilst they are hanging in the garage, and the wheels...I am confident I can recoup 50% of the cost on ebay when I sell the car. Since I am regularly 100-150miles from home for work, tyres that are built for colder, wetter weather just makes sense. Now I just have to finish the debate with myself as to whether I spend £500 on a nice looking aftermarket set of wheels from MrWinterWheels or £1000 from Mercedes for a genuine set [EDIT: £1739 from Merc for genuine - wow!). Decisions, decisions.....