Standing out from the malaise that鈥檚 afflicted the new-car market, compact crossover SUVs are hot sellers. So for Mercedes-Benz and its dealers, waiting until January for the upcoming GLK to go on sale must be agonizing. There will be one model to start with, powered by the company鈥檚 3.5-liter V-6 engine that makes 268 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. The engine drives through a seven-speed automatic transmission to all four wheels. A slightly cheaper rear-drive version will appear later. In the future, Mercedes may sell a diesel model in the U.S., too. The GLK shares much of its running gear with the C-class sedan, which means it has a strut-type front suspension with lower control arms and a multilink arrangement out back. Uniquely, the GLK has a new type of shock, co-developed with Sachs, which uses a bypass piston to absorb large amplitude motions. The torque split in the all-wheel-drive system is fixed at 55/45 percent front to rear, although the ABS can individually brake any wheel that鈥檚 spinning to aid traction.

Standing out from the malaise that鈥檚 afflicted the new-car market, compact crossover SUVs are hot sellers. So for Mercedes-Benz and its dealers, waiting until January for the upcoming GLK to go on sale must be agonizing. There will be one model to start with, powered by the company鈥檚 3.5-liter V-6 engine that makes 268 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. The engine drives through a seven-speed automatic transmission to all four wheels. A slightly cheaper rear-drive version will appear later. In the future, Mercedes may sell a diesel model in the U.S., too. The GLK shares much of its running gear with the C-class sedan, which means it has a strut-type front suspension with lower control arms and a multilink arrangement out back. Uniquely, the GLK has a new type of shock, co-developed with Sachs, which uses a bypass piston to absorb large amplitude motions. The torque split in the all-wheel-drive system is fixed at 55/45 percent front to rear, although the ABS can individually brake any wheel that鈥檚 spinning to aid traction.

Towing capacity is rated at 3500 pounds. The GLK certainly looks the part, with butch exterior styling that鈥檚 enhanced by standard-issue 19-inch wheels and tires. Twenty-inch rims are part of an appearance package that also includes aluminum roof rails. Inside, the blocky design looks very Eighties鈥攁nd a lot like a G-class but with much higher-quality materials. The baby Benz truck has plenty of leg- and headroom, plus 23 cubic feet of cargo room with the rear seats up and 55 cubic feet with them folded. Standard equipment is fairly lavish, with dual-zone climate control, eight-way power front seats, an eight-speaker sound system, Bluetooth connectivity, a vast panoramic sunroof, and a multifunction, leather-wrapped steering wheel. There are plenty of options, too, including a hard-drive-based nav system, a rear-seat DVD entertainment system, leather seating, a power liftgate, and heated front seats. Although Mercedes was proud to demonstrate the GLK鈥檚 off-road prowess, most owners likely won鈥檛 go mud plugging in them. The vehicle鈥檚 on-road demeanor is actually more significant. It drives like, well, a taller and heavier C-class. It鈥檚 quite fast for a 4050-pound cute ute, with Mercedes claiming a 0-to-60-mph time of 6.5 seconds and a top speed of 143 mph. Body control is pretty good, and the GLK can be hustled in a spirited fashion through the twisties, even if both the steering and brakes are a tad light. The ride is generally well controlled, but we experienced noticeable head toss over some patches of bumpy pavement.

The GLK250 will be the fifth diesel-powered model in the Mercedes-Benz USA lineup. The S-class sedan and the ML and GL crossovers are available with V-6s. The three bigger vehicles aren't likely to get the four-cylinder diesel, Mercedes executives said last week at a press event here. The GLK250 BlueTec engine gets 20 to 30 percent better fuel economy than a gasoline-powered GLK, said Bart Herring, head of product management for Mercedes-Benz USA. Mercedes says the crossover gets 24 mpg city and 33 mpg highway, compared with 19 mpg city and 24 highway for the GLK350 awd with a 3.5-liter V-6 gasoline engine. The GLK250's diesel, which is teamed with a seven-speed automatic, produces 200 hp and 369 pounds-feet of torque. Mercedes expects sales penetration to mirror that of the two larger crossover diesels -- 14 percent for the ML in 2012 and 25 percent for the GL. 536 more than the six-cylinder GLK350 with awd. Mercedes-Benz will offer the GLK diesel only with standard all-wheel drive because 65 percent of its crossover buyers choose that transmission.

The 2010 Mercedes-Benz GLK arrives during 2009 to give the German manufacturer a boldly styled rival for the BMW X3 and Land Rover LR3, as well as the 2008 Infiniti EX35 and 2009 Audi Q5. The Mercedes-Benz GLK, its exterior heavily disguised with black tape but its interior in near-production form, was shown last August to a small group of automotive journalists, including Consumer Guide. The GLK prototype was a five-passenger 4-door wagon. It was about as long as an X3, but noticeably wider and somewhat lower. Volker Hellwig, GLK design project manager. Mercedes said the prototype's dashboard was in near-final form. It consists of a sporty assembly of main gauges set before the driver. Jutting forms separate a series of blocky modules that house groupings of controls. The dashtop on the prototype was black and the instrument panel was of light-toned grained material set off by aluminum trim. Hellwig said of the cabin styling.

Mercedes officials on hand at the closed-door preview declined to discuss the GLK's technical details. Speculation has the GLK based on a C-Class station wagon chassis modified to furnish more ground clearance. The GLK won't be equipped for serious off-roading. The probable engine is a 268-horsepower V6 for a GLK350. Mercedes is almost sure to also offer a diesel-powered model in the U.S., but probably not at launch. The disguised version shown to journalists had 20-inch-diameter alloy wheels and running boards integrated into the lower body sides. Noting the lead time required to bring a vehicle to market, Hellwig said the styling of the production GLK was in near-final form under the black paper and tape. Mercedes showed the covered-up GLK to groups of auto writers in Europe and at a recent U.S. 2008 ML550 and GL550 models. The U.S. journalists were prohibited from taking cameras or cell phones into the preview room. Since we were shown the prototype, Mercedes released photos of the Vision GLK FREESIDE, a concept that was displayed at the 2008 Detroit auto show.