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The 2010 Mercedes-Benz GLK arrives during 2009 to give the German manufacturer a boldly styled rival for the BMW X3 and Land Rover LR3, as well as the 2008 Infiniti EX35 and 2009 Audi Q5.

The Mercedes-Benz GLK, its exterior heavily disguised with black tape but its interior in near-production form, was shown in August to a small group of automotive journalists, including Consumer Guide.

The GLK prototype was a five-passenger four-door wagon. It was about as long as an X3, but noticeably wider and somewhat lower. Its shape was camouflaged, but appeared to favor square-cut lines and a boxy nose, more in the spirit of Mercedes’ GL Class full-size SUV or the LR3 rather than the more flowing contours of the Mercedes M Class midsize SUV or such premium-compact SUV newcomers as the EX35.

“It doesn’t look so much smaller than the M Class, even though it is smaller, because of the body, edgy design language,” said Volker Hellwig, GLK design project manager.

Mercedes said the prototype’s dashboard was in near-final form. It consists of a sporty assembly of main gauges set before the driver. Jutting forms separate a series of blocky modules that house groupings of controls. The dashtop on the prototype was black and the instrument panel was of light-toned grained material set off by aluminum trim.

[Source : Daimler AG, WorldCarFans.com, HowStuffWorks.com]