Autoblog

Click the Vision GLK for a high-res photo gallery

After countless spy photos and leaks, the Mercedes-Benz GLK is finally officially official. The new compact SUV from Stuttgart will get its public debut in two weeks at the Detroit Auto Show. At 14.8-feet. long, the GLK is only about three inches longer than a Ford Escape. It borrows a lot of the sharp edged styling cues of the big GL SUV, but carries them somewhat awkwardly on its much shorter body.

The GLK Vision is powered by Daimler's latest 168-hp 2.2-liter turbo-diesel four-cylinder paired up with a seven-speed automatic transmission. The diesel uses the latest fourth-gen common rail injection system that operates at 29,000 psi on the inlet side with Bluetec urea injection to clean up the exhaust. Mercedes has reworked the 4MATIC all wheel drive system to reduce friction to the point where it's as efficient as a two-wheel-drive setup. The new GLK won't show up in European showrooms until this fall with a U.S. launch planned a year from now. The Mercedes press release is after the jump for those want details straight from the automaker's mouth.

[Source: Mercedes-Benz]