Mercedes GLK Freeside - Premiere in Detroit

Daimler has officially released the new compact-SUV concept Mercedes-Benz GLK Freeside which is a direct prototype of the following serial model GLK. The official premiere of the novelty is to take place in Detroit, and it will be available on the market in autumn 2008.

The new Mercedes GLK is a direct hit at the opponents – VW Tiguan and BMW X3. The demand for such compacts is constantly growing in the US and Europe and it means that the struggle for the market is just starting.

The novelty is built on the same platform as C-Class, but it has been slightly modernized. The body length is 4.52 m and the wheel base – 2.75 m. Thus, the car is smaller than its bigger “relative” ML by 26 cm.

As for the power devices, the concept is equipped with a “clean” 2.2-liter diesel with the technology AdBlue. The power of the engine is 170 hp. The new GLK is equipped with 7-grade automatic transmission and the 4WD system with the centered differential (that distributes the power according to the formula 45/55, where 45% goes to the front axis and 55% - to the rear one).

Besides the ultra-modern engine, the concept for Detroit is equipped with a custom varnishing, exclusive 20-inch rims and top root elements. As for the filling of the interior, the car possesses the system PreSafe, airbags system (side, front, head and knees), 3-zone climate control, intellectual programmed lightning system, a high-performance audio system with DVD-player and navigation. The filling is rounded off by luxurious trimming of the front parts of the panel and doors with varnished wood; seat and door finish with high-quality leather.

After all, it should be mentioned that by the moment of the market release of GLK, it will be available in two variants – the petrol GLK 350 with 273 hp and the diesel GLK 320 CDI with 224 hp. The cost of the petrol variant will start at 49 000 euro in Germany, and the diesel one – from 47 500 euro.

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