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The model-year designation of the latest Mercedes took me by surprise. Here we are just half-way into 2009’s second month and a 2010 model just showed up.
The alpha-numeric designation only adds to the confusion. The GLK isn’t so much a smaller version of the truck-like GL SUV but a crossover vehicle built on the same platform as a C-class sedan. Its appearance further confuses the question of heritage. The boxy lines of the GLK are directly derived from the iconic G-class, also know as the Geländewagen, an archaic SUV once described as having the charisma of an ammo shack.
Questions of genealogy and nomenclature aside, what is the GLK really like? It is Mercedes’ answer to BMW’s X-3 and any number of other compact-sized crossovers in this increasingly popular segment. Besides the three-pointed star emblazoned on its grille, it is distinguished from its competitors by its upright stance. With its boxy greenhouse and ten-spoke alloy wheels, it reminded me of nothing so much as a Conestoga wagon.
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