2010 Mercedes-Benz GLK
The 2010 Mercedes-Benz GLK boasts square-cut lines and a boxy frame. See pictures of the 2010 GLK-Class.

Consumer Guide's Impressions of the 2010 Mercedes-Benz GLK

Judging by the sneak peak Mercedes itself gave reporters, it seems the German company is positioning its first compact SUV as more pug than poodle. The GLK-Class favors a squared-off and muscled-up approach to styling, both inside and out. And depending on the timing of its introduction, it could also be the first premium compact SUV available with diesel power in the United States.

What We Know About the 2010 Mercedes-Benz GLK

The 2010 Mercedes-Benz GLK arrives in January 2009 to give the German manufacturer a boldly styled rival for the BMW X3 and Land Rover LR2, as well as the 2008 Infiniti EX35 and 2009 Audi Q5.

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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. Its shape was camouflaged, but appeared to favor square-cut lines and a boxy nose, more in the spirit of Mercedes' GL-Class full-size SUV or the LR3 rather than the more flowing contours of the Mercedes M-Class midsize SUV or such premium-compact SUV newcomers as the EX35.

"It doesn't look so much smaller than the M-Class, even though it is smaller, because of the boxy, edgy design language," said 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.

"It's not as soft as other cars we have," Hellwig said of the cabin styling. "It's more edgy, more boxy."

Updated by Don Sikora II 12.11.2008

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• 2010 Mercedes-Benz GLK-Class Review and Photos
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