2013 GLK Debuts with Diesel Ahead of NY Auto Show

The only time I say, “Good news from Germany” is when it’s about a car (Although I hear their cuisine is up to “Hot Pocket level.”) Mercedes is going to offer its 2013 GLK with a diesel engine, in the US. Now that’s weird, because as far as I’ve seen from American, Swedish and Japanese dealerships, Americans hate diesel cars.

We don’t hate diesels, and for a car like this, it’s actually the perfect motor. Yeah, an AMG is really cool to read about, but nothing says “I wish I were rich and hung” like a mini sport ute with a big engine. That market segment would be smaller than Lindsay Lohan’s IMDB page for 2012.

Today, in reality, what you want for crossover/SUV/next-marketable-brand-term is a torquey motor that doesn’t stop for gas all the time. We drove the BMW X5d, and the engine suited it perfectly. The 2013 GLK BlueTEC will have a 2.1L 4-cylinder making 190HP and 369 torque. That means they’ll have a commercial where this car tows a jet ski, something future owners will never, ever do.

But, I like torque, you like torque, and as I said before, the luxury buyers that get regular V-8s love torque, so theoretically, they should love a diesel engine. Hopefully the increase of diesel models from overseas (and successful sales, hopefully) will get other manufacturers on this side too. Unless you’re driving a performance car, everyone just wants high MPG. There’s no efficiency numbers for this one yet, but I’m betting it’s over 30, which isn’t something other crossovers get, not without sacrificing 220 ft-lbs, at least.