New Mercedes-Benz 2013 GLK to Debut at New York Auto Show

Mercedes-Benz will debut its thoroughly refreshed and restyled 2013 GLK SUV at the New York International Auto Show 2012 on April 4, the company announced Thursday.

While expectations were that the 2013 GLK would just receive a mid-production cycle facelift, Stuttgart-based Mercedes-Benz said that the GLK has undergone a substantial redesign using close to 1000 new components.

We're gearing up right now for the world-premiere of the new segment-leading GL at the New York Auto Show, a spokeswoman for Mercedes said. The updated GLK is expected to cover the bases in the U.S. for the soon to be discontinued R-Class wagon.

G-Class vehicles are the longest running series from Mercedes-Benz and have been in production for the last 33 years. SUVs are increasingly becoming a major part of Mercedes-Benz's business. As of 2011, the company had sold over two million G-Class SUVs, predominately in the U.S. and China.

The updated Mercedes-Benz GLK has new headlights and LED running lights decked out in chrome. Likewise, the dashboard and interior have received a new touch of class with walnut trim, LED fiber-option lighting for interior ambient lighting, and available heated seats. The shifter for seven-speed automatic gearbox has been moved to steering column from the center console, which has gained some shiny new cup holders with a retractable walnut cover, for those times when you just don't want to see a cup holder.

The new 2013 Mercedes-Benz GLK will come with a choice of engines. A 3.5 liter 302 horsepower, gasoline driven V6 with an eco-friendly stop/start system that can deliver a top speed of 130 mph and a respectable 0 to 60 time of just 6.5 seconds - pretty good for an SUV. More impressive, though, is the available 190 horsepower GLK 250 BlueTEC 4MATIC engine, the most powerful four-cylinder diesel engine available on an SUV.

The seven-speed transmission has been specially designed by Mercedes-Benz to handle the high torque (369 lb-ft) of the diesel engine by minimizing torque-converter slip with a twin-turbine damper. In regular English, Mercedes-Benz says the 2013 GLK will be more efficient and more comfortable at low rpms by shifting the car's center of mass.

The new engine sits on a new chassis and inside a redesigned, sleeker body. The rear bumper, roof rails and tailpipe have all received a makeover, as has the front grill, changes which have brought the GLK more in line stylistically with the rest of the Mercedes-Benz lineup.

Daimler AG, which owns Mercedes-Benz, saw net profit rise almost 29 percent in 2011, and sales of Mercedes-Benz SUVs rose over 25 percent during the same period.

Daimler stock was down 1 percent on Thursday to €44.765 on Thursday.