I can’t stand SUV’s, they get in my way, render me blind on highways, and they will rudely guzzle your bank account dry (yes, I used to drive one). I feel that SUV’s are nothing more than another un-needed vehicle that caters to peoples futile needs. Unless those needs are barging through traffic, obstructing people’s view, scaring the daylights out of senior citizens, guzzling our planet dry, and a strange need of looking grossly out of place. But then again, it’s a lucrative segment that promises big money that can be used for the research and development of a company’s flagship cars. It is obvious that any self-respecting commercial carmaker will want at least a nibble of the SUV pie. Mercedes has been nibbling at it since the introduction of the ML that was introduced in 1997 as a movie star in Jurassic Park 2. Although, how Mercedes made money out of it despite a horrendous quality control program remains a mystery.
To be officially available by August 2008 as a 2009 model, the GLK is Mercedes’ answer to the BMW X3, Volvo XC60 and the upcoming Volkswagen Tiguan. It will measure 4.50 meters long and will be based on the C-Class platform, very much like the X3, which is based on the 3-Series platform. The car will be offered in rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive versions. The rear wheel drive models feature two different engine variants; the GLK 220 CDI is a 2.2 liter, 4 cylinder engine that produces 187hp while the GLK 280 is a 3.0 liter V6 engine that produces 228hp. The all-wheel drive versions have bigger engines in the form of a 3.5 liter V6 with 268hp in the GLK 350 and a 3.0 liter diesel engine with a total output of 221hp in the GLK 320 CDI.
With a booth space of 450 liters along with a tank size of 80 liters, the car is expected to be priced around 36,000 Euros, although pricing is yet to be confirmed. The styling seems a bit odd with the oversized three-pointed star up front and proportions that give it the ‘small guy, tough guy’ look. And as much as I hate to say this, Mercedes will be shifting GLK’s faster than they can produce them. That just adds to my motoring agony, more SUV’s on the road, more small people that act tough in big cars.
