Hit the link for a summary of specifications for the Mercedes Benz GLK.

We had the opportunity to drive one of the first production versions of the GLK350 in Dusseldorf, Germany, and came away very pleased with the GLK and bullish about its future.

The GLK350 is powered by a 3.5-liter V6 engine, coupled to a seven-speed automatic overdrive transmission called the 7G-Tronic 7. The GLK350 V6 engine will be rated at 268 horsepower at 6000 rpm, with 258 foot-pounds of torque available from 2400 to 4500 rpm, and 87 percent of that maximum number available as low as 1500 rpm, useful for crawling off-road.

The Mercedes-Benz GLK uses a five-door layout with a whole lot of GL spirit in its exterior design. Initially, the U.S. will get the GLK as a five-seater: two in front, three in rear.

The GLK has the sports car grille with the central star, a set of three flowing lines from front to rear on the body, and a design in a thoroughly modern idiom. In the wind tunnel, it's slick enough to generate a 0.35 coefficient of drag, better than many lower-riding, rounded-off passenger cars and better by far than most of the SUVs against which it will compete. In many markets, things like PreSafe, adaptive headlamps, and the new intelligent lighting system (ILS), all class exclusives for the GLK, will be standard equipment.

New compact SUV feels like a Mercedes.

For decades, Mercedes-Benz offered only coupes, sedans station wagons and convertibles in the U.S. market. There was only one SUV in the product portfolio, the G-Class, but it wasn't sold in the United States until a few years ago. Then came the M-Class mid-size SUV, the big R-Class crossover, and the big GL-Class.

Now comes the compact GLK. It was to look like a GL, act like a G-Class off-road, and be shorter, lighter, and more economical to own and drive than some of the larger SUVs in the lineup.

When Mercedes Benz unveiled the 2010 Mercedes Benz SLS AMG at the 2009 Frankfurt Auto Show, it reminded many of the 300SL of the 1950's. Like the vintage Benz, Mercedes' newest supercar features those familiar gull wing doors along with enough modern power to make it among the fastest production cars in the world. The gull wing doors are the most recognizable feature of the Mercedes Benz 300SL of the 1950's and 1960's, but a side by side comparison reveals more similarities. The chrome bumpers are gone, but the SLS AMG calls upon the classic for the overall shape and flow of the bodylines. The cabin is set back on the chassis, giving the SLS an elongated bonnet area and very short trunk, with a near-fastback design connecting the roofline with the area enclosing the exhaust tips. Along the side of the 2010 SLS AMG the gull wing doors open in a similar fashion, but chassis technology allows for an easier entry, as the door sills are much lower to the ground.