Mercedes-Benz GLK too chunky

Australians are being denied the most exciting new Mercedes in ages.

The baby GLK soft-roader is likely to become the biggest global hit for Mercedes-Benz since the C-Class when it arrives next year, but there is no chance of it coming here.

It is being made with left-hand drive only.

Benz bosses in Germany have rejected repeated requests from Australia to reconsider.

“It is definitely not coming in right-hand drive,” Mercedes-Benz Australia spokesman David McCarthy says.

“We want the car. The British also want the car. But getting a business case up on the numbers that we predict we could sell is very, very difficult.”

It is the first time in Mercedes' recent history that it has built a car without right-hand drive.

“We definitely believe the vehicle would sell well here, but . . . we are not getting it,” McCarthy says.

The GLK was born from a plan to create an all-wheel-drive Smart, to be called the ForMore.

It was switched to the Benz family when Smart culled all of its future models to concentrate on the ForTwo city runabout.

Sources in Germany point to a 3.5-litre V6 for the GLK, which will also be used in other Mercedes models.

It should come with about 215kW, up from 200 in the current V6 engine, with the promise of a redline at 7200 revs and an economy improvement up to 10 per cent.

The new V6 will be seen first in the SL and SLK sports models before being installed in the GLK, and will make it into the mid-sized E-Class and CLS.

The GLK mechanical package will include Benz's 4Matic transmission, one of the reasons for the left-hand drive design. It is said to be too bulky for right-hand drive.

The GLK is shorter than the M-Class and far less chunky. It will also have a more car-like cabin, with suspension set for on-road driving well ahead of off-road use.

The GLK will be launched in the first quarter of next year. Engine choices will be a pair of V6s, two diesels and a 2.2-litre petrol four.