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2013 Mercedes-Benz GLK350 4MATIC Test Drive

On Sale Date: August 2012

Price: $36,000 (est.)

Competitors: Audi Q5, BMW X3, Cadillac SRX

Powertrains: 3.5-liter V-6, 302 hp, 273 lb-ft of torque (4MATIC); 2.1-liter I-4 turbo-diesel, 190 hp, 369 lb-ft of torque (BlueTEC 4MATIC)

EPA Fuel Economy (city/hwy): TBD

What's New: Although the GLK's midcycle refresh incorporates only mild styling tweaks, with updated bumpers, headlamps, and interior trim, the mechanical alterations introduce nearly 1000 new parts to the boxy sport ute. Key among the changes are two new powerplants: A direct-injected 3.5-liter V-6 with a gain of 35 hp over its predecessor, and an upcoming 2.1-liter four-cylinder turbo-diesel BlueTEC model. Both promise upgraded fuel economy, Mercedes says, aided by the addition of stop/start technology and a new electromechanical steering setup, though we don't have the official numbers just yet. Mercedes-Benz's Attention Assist feature meant to combat drowsy driving is now standard, while new options include a variety of more in-depth driver assistance items as well as an AMG exterior styling package.

Tech Tidbit: Automakers usually cite better mpg as the reason to include electromechanical steering, but the GLK350 adds another reason for a nonhydraulic setup: Active Park Assist. Thanks to the new electrically driven arrangement, the GLK can parallel park itself, as long as it detects a space that's 39.4 inches longer than the car. Just confirm the auto-park feature and pop the gearbox into reverse; as long as speed remains below 7 mph, the steering will maneuver the vehicle into a spot.

Driving Character: We'll always prefer the driving dynamics of compact SUVs to those of bigger, bulkier sport utility vehicles, and the GLK350 is no exception. Thanks to a relatively short wheelbase and wide track, this baby SUV feels closer to a C-Class sedan on the road than it does to its cargo hauling stablemates.

Acceleration is noticeably brisker thanks to the brawnier V-6, and the stop/start feature stops and starts smoothly enough at a standstill. The updated interior comes across as more accommodating than that of its harder-edged predecessor, and the front buckets shine with typical Mercedes-Benz comfort. The back seats, on the other hand, are a bit cramped.

Favorite Detail: Thanks to heightened competition in the compact luxury SUV segment, Mercedes-Benz has stepped up its game with an interior that feels fancier than its price point might suggest. Our favorite feature? The no-cost optional wood trim, which gussies up the cabin.

Driver's Grievance: As much as automakers have promised us better electromechanical steering (and we've seen some systems that work as advertised), the GLK's arrangement lacks the feedback and feel of a traditional hydraulic setup. It exhibits a slight but noticeable buzz during slight on-center corrections.

The Bottom Line: Mercedes-Benz's GLK-class has proven a likable little sport utility vehicle, as evidenced by its increase in sales over recent years. Although its steering response takes a step down, the GLK's increased power, enhanced efficiency, and sexier styling makes it worth serious consideration in this hotly contested segment.

Read more: 2013 Mercedes-Benz GLK350 4MATIC Test Drive - Popular Mechanics

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2012 Mercedes-Benz CL63 AMG First Test

Plenty of people in this world can afford an expensive car, but the closer the price of your ride gets to the median home price in America, the more rarified the atmosphere. The subset of the automotive market that can afford to drop more than $174,000 on a daily driver is a unique crowd.

These are people that, if our fellow Source Interlink publication Heavy Hitters is any indication, enjoy many expensive hobbies. In addition to cars that cost more than your house, they also like houses that cost several times what yours did. They also like private planes and yachts. That brings us to the 2012 Mercedes-Benz CL63 AMG.

Now, normally when an auto journalist brings up boats in a review, rough seas lie ahead. That's not what I'm going for here. Rather than an analogy for the handling, per the cliche, I'm referring to the experience. Anyone who's so much as seen a picture of a yacht knows it's not a blue-collar affair. Luxury and comfort are paramount, but so is performance. After all, it takes some mighty big engines to get a yacht moving at a reasonable clip.

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As it happens, big engines are an area of expertise for AMG. You may now be rightly pointing out that the twin-turbo 5.5-liter V-8 in this CL63 is nearly three-quarters of a liter smaller than the old 6.2-liter V-8 it replaces, but I'll now point out that, at 536 horsepower and 590 lb-ft of torque, the new engine easily outguns the big banger V-8 and its 518 horsepower and 465 lb-ft. Actually, scratch that. It's not even that close. You see, our tester has the woefully under-named P30 AMG Performance Package, which rewrites the engine control software to pump up the output to 563 horsepower and 664 lb-ft of dimension-altering twist. As my cohort Jonny Lieberman said, it's the best $7300 you can spend in automobiledom. I just wish it did something for the transmission, which is a little clunky at times, especially when you're quickly on the throttle. This isn't an SLS -- hard-clutch engagement comes off as harsh, not fast.

All that power gets the CL63 moving with such gusto that a Cigarette racing boat (like the one AMG teamed up with Cigarette to build a few years back) might be a better comparison. Rich people like those, too, I hear. The CL63 gets to 60 mph from a standing stop in just 4.1 seconds and powers through the quarter mile in 12.4 seconds at 116.7 mph. Sure, it's not the fastest car on the road, but considering its 4800-pound curb weight, that's pretty damn quick. Thanks to modern turbo technology, the power comes on in the proverbial wave even at low RPMs, where the engine spends most of its time thanks to fuel-economy-oriented transmission programming.

Equally impressive are the enormous steel brakes, which haul it to a stop in just 112 feet. There are cars that weigh 1000 pounds less that wish they could do that. Some of those cars also wish they could pull 0.88 average g on a skidpad and run our figure eight in just 25.8 seconds at 0.76 g average.

What some of those smaller, lighter cars will do, however, is get better fuel economy. Some of you may scoff at the idea of someone who can afford a $174,000 car worrying about fuel economy, but the rich don't get rich by wasting money. The CL63 manages just 15 mpg city and 22 mpg highway, but that's actually a significant improvement over the old non-turbo model, which returned just 11 mpg city and 18 mpg highway. In fact, over a nearly 700-mile road trip, our test averaged 19 mpg, thanks to long highway stretches, or slightly higher than the EPA combined estimate of 18 mpg, thanks in part to an automatic start/stop system the EPA doesn't account for. I'm not sure what kind of nautical mileage a Cigarette boat or a yacht gets, but I'll bet it's not that good.

This two-door S-Class can certainly haul the champagne, then, but that's just part of the experience. With standard Active Body Control, the ride is about as smooth and comfortable as you're going to get this side of a Rolls. Or, you know, a yacht. The handling is reasonably sporty for a car this size, provided you leave the computer switched on. Disable the nannies and you're going to get a lot of tail-out action courtesy of all that torque. Save the wild and crazy stuff for your C63 Black parked in the next stall of your massive garage. Fact is, a car like this is designed to be driven with all the gizmos switched on, not off, so wrestling full command from the computer really doesn't do you any favors.

And what a computer it is. This thing will do everything but write your memoirs. Between the Active Blind Spot Assist, Active Lane Keeping Assist, Pre-Safe Brake, and Adaptive Cruise Control, the CL63 will damn near drive itself on a straight road. Then, of course, there are the parking sensors and rear camera, the automatic high beams, the navigation system, the adaptive headlights, and the ultimate piece de resistance, the forward-looking infrared night vision camera with pedestrian detection. If you want to wreck this car, you're really going to have to try.

That's just fine, frankly. This is a cruiser, a car for covering distances of any length with confidence and ease. A chauffeured ride for the man or woman who doesn't actually like having someone else drive them around. A car for people who don't usually bring more than one adult friend with them, but would still like to be able to, which they can because the rear seats are more spacious than the front seats of some cars. Get it out on the open road, roll down frameless side windows (no B-pillar!) and listen to that V-8 burble along like classic Chris Craft with a muffler.

Source Motortrend

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Mercedes Wants to Sell More AMG Performance Cars

Daimler AG’s Mercedes-AMG GmbH unit wants to boost sales of its high-performance cars by 50% over the next five years and will expand its lineup to attract a broader group of affluent customers, part of its wider effort to catch up with rivals BMW AG and Audi AG.

“Our target is to reach significantly more than 30,000 unit sales per year,” the head of Mercedes-AMG, Ola Kaellenius, told reporters Tuesday at the unit’s headquarters near Stuttgart. Last year, Mercedes-AMG sold about 20,000 cars.

Mercedes-AMG has been a wholly-owned subsidiary of Daimler since 2005 and specializes in spicing up the brand’s luxurious cars with more powerful engines or customized design features. It competes with BMW’s M GmbH unit, Audi’s Quattro GmbH and ultra-luxury sportscar makers, such as Aston Martin.

Mr. Kaellenius said Mercedes-AMG posted the best first quarter in the unit’s history with sales growth of 30% on the year, reflecting booming demand for luxury cars in many markets across the globe. He didn’t provide an absolute number for first-quarter car sales.

Sticker prices at AMG start at about €70,000 euros ($88,056) for the beefed-up version of the Mercedes-Benz C-Class model. The U.S. is AMG’s largest market, followed by Germany. China overtook Japan last year as AMG’s third-largest sales region.

Mr. Kaellenius said the plan to grow sales volumes at AMG significantly in coming years is a “crucial part” of the Mercedes-Benz brand’s long-term targets until 2020, “especially in terms of profitability.”

Mercedes-Benz is reaping more revenue per car than BMW and Audi, but the two German rivals posted higher profit margins and sales volumes in recent quarters.

Last year, Audi overtook Mercedes-Benz as the world’s second-bestselling premium car maker behind BMW. Audi is the premium brand and the biggest earnings contributor of Volkswagen AG, Europe’s largest auto maker by sales.

“Mercedes is lagging its German peers BMW and Audi on almost every metric,” Sanford Bernstein analyst Max Warburton wrote in a note to clients. “Its growth rates are slower—in all markets, including China. Its unit sales are lower. Its margins are poorer—BMW and Audi at over 11%, Mercedes at under 9%,” he wrote.

Mr. Warburton rates Daimler stock as market perform. “In absolute terms it is now very cheap, and still contains two strong operations—Mercedes and Daimler trucks. However, we are concerned by the lack of growth at Mercedes,” he said.

Daimler Chief Executive Dieter Zetsche has vowed to fight back and wants to reclaim the top spot in the premium car segment by 2020 at the latest.

Last year, Daimler decided to discontinue its Maybach ultra-luxury brand after years of disappointing sales to focus all efforts on the core Mercedes-Benz marque. Apart from raising the profile of AMG sports cars, Daimler plans to boost Mercedes-Benz’s footprint in the fiercely competitive small-car segment.

Mercedes-Benz presented the new generation of its A-Class compact car at the Geneva auto show in March. The new vehicle features a less bulky, more sporty designed to appeal to a younger group of customers.

Mr. Kaellenius confirmed AMG will expand its product portfolio and launch a high-performance version of the new-generation A-Class in the coming months. He said the lower starting price compared with AMG’s C-Class version will open up a new customer group for the unit, but declined to elaborate on the car’s sticker price.

Mercedes-Benz is launching five new compact cars to boost sales volumes in coming years, including a small coupe and a compact sports-utility vehicle. Mr. Kaellenius said AMG could launch a high-performance version of “at least three of them.”

He said it can’t be ruled out that AMG’s profitability might decrease if small cars account for a larger portion of sales volumes as compact cars are usually less profitable than large, souped-up vehicles. But he stressed that AMG will still help to improve the overall profitability of Daimler’s Mercedes-Benz Cars division. The division comprises the Mercedes-Benz, Smart and the soon-to-be-retired Maybach car brands.

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Mercedes-Benz Adds Power and a Pair of Letters to SLS AMG for 2013

Though they are not typically shopped against German track-day specials, the 2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 and 2013 Ford Shelby GT500 are plumbing supercar depths of horsepower and performance, arguably diminishing a car like Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, which landed like a Teutonic hammer in 2010.

Perhaps recognizing this, AMG engineers have wrung an additional 20 horsepower from the supercar’s 6.3-liter V-8 engine and recalibrated its 7-speed Speedshift automatic transmission, while Mercedes’s marketers have added the letters GT to the deck lid.

The SLS AMG GT, as the 2013 model is called, produces 583 horsepower and, unchanged from the 2012 model, 479 pound-feet of torque. The gullwing coupe is estimated to accelerate from zero to 60 miles per hour in 3.6 seconds, an eye blink’s improvement over the outgoing model’s 3.7 second manufacturer’s estimate. Car and Driver, however, clocked a 2011 model at 3.5 seconds.

Though such performance figures might not suggest it, the SLS AMG has fallen somewhat behind the technology curve in its two years on the market. Mercedes has favored its new 5.5-liter bi-turbo V-8 engine for vehicles like the SL63 AMG and the recently announced GL63 AMG. The 5.5-liter unit runs more efficiently, helping buyers avoid gas-guzzler charges, while producing horsepower in line with that of the bigger V-8.

Pricing for the SLS AMG GT models will be announced closer to the cars’ sale date in November. The 2012 coupe is priced from $189,875 and the roadster from $196,975.

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