Welcome back ladies and gentlemen; I hope you all had a splendid weekend and caught some of the fantastic Olympic action taking place over the weekend.  Kicking things off this morning comes a fresh batch of Mercedes reviews that analyze the Mercedes GLK350 and C200K Estate.  In total, there's three articles dedicated to the models, so if you're in the market for either, you'll now have an even better idea of what to expect from each.  As is the case with each and every one of our Mercedes Review Roundup installments, you can find excerpts from each review as well as links back to the full articles immediately below.

Enjoy ladies and gentlemen.


Mercedes-Benz GLK350 (via Popular Mechanics)
Reviewer's rating:  Unspecified

"Well, let's give you the not-so-good news right up front. For such a small crossover, the fuel economy on the GLK isn't exactly best in class. Despite help from a seven-speed automatic, the 4036 pound GLK350's 3.5-liter 268 hp 24-valve aluminum V6's EPA fuel mileage is estimated at just 16 mpg city and 22 mpg highway. BMW's 3.0-liter X3 isn't much better at 17 city and 24 highway, and the Q5 puts up nearly identical numbers. A Bluetec diesel GLK is rumored for late '09 introduction. In this fuel price environment, it can't come soon enough.

Meanwhile, there's a lot to like about this new Benz. First, there's that responsive V6 engine. Mercedes says it will thrust the GLK to 60 mph in a mere 6.5 seconds and on to a top speed of 143 mph. Grip is assured thanks to all-wheel-drive with a full-time 45/55 torque split. As one might imagine, the GLK comes with the alphabet soup of driver's aids—ESP, ASR, 4ETS traction control with brake and throttle intervention. And it's all put to the tarmac with sticky 235/60R17 front and 255/55R17 all-weather tires. Massive 13.0-in. ventilated discs up front and 11.8-inchers in the rear are backed with ABS and brake assist.

The GLK350 boasts nearly every Mercedes-Benz safety feature, like a steel-reinforced cabin, a pair of two-stage front airbags, side airbags (mounted in the front-seat backrests), head-protection curtains, head restraints, which move forward in milliseconds to reduce whiplash, and seatbelt tensioners with force limiters.

We hustled the GLK through picturesque villages East of Düsseldorf. We liked the GLK's styling, with its distinctly angular grille, steeply raked windscreen and tall spoke wheels. Even better, its four-wheel independent suspension and meaty sway bars with electronically actuated, adaptable dampers, serves up decidedly nimble road manners. There's virtually no body roll. And on those gentle sweepers as well as the more challenging curves, we enjoyed the nicely weighted steering with just 2.8 turns lock-to-lock.

The driver's seat is well-bolstered and offers a commanding view of the road ahead. Thankfully, there's minimal A-pillar visual interference, a problem that's becoming more and more prevalent as manufacturers beef up structures to meet new safety regulations.  Touch-shift manual shift control lets you pick the exact ratio you want from a choice of seven gears. And those 258 lb.-ft. of torque peak on a plateau from 2400 to 5000 rpm. So low-end grunt is always on tap, and there's plenty to lug around a 3500-pound trailer, too.

As we found on a challenging off-road course near Engelskirchen, Germany, the GLK will wade fearlessly through a foot of water and rock and roll over tough terrain. With an impressive 23-degree approach angle, a 25-degree departure angle and a 19-degree break-over angle, the GLK is hard to high-center."

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Mercedes-Benz GLK350 (via OttawaCitizen.com)
Reviewer's rating:  Unspecified

"The production version is 4,528 millimetres long and 1,840 mm wide. It stands a tallish 1,689 mm and rides on a 2,756-mm wheelbase. These dimensions indicate plenty of interior space and cargo capacity. With the 70/30-split-folding rear seats upright, 15.9 cubic feet of stuff can be stowed. With the seats flat, capacity jumps to 54.7 cu. ft.  The rest of the GLK's top-notch interior builds on the basics.

The tester came loaded. The lengthy list of goodies included a navigation system and backup camera that's tied into the all-encompassing COMAND system and its 7.5-inch screen, a good audio package, leather seats and a panoramic sunroof (it's a double sunroof that opens up the cabin enormously and is standard on all GLKs), along with front and rear park assist systems, 10-way power front seats with four-way lumbar adjustment and power tilt and telescopic steering.

The GLK is powered by Mercedes' ubiquitous 3.5-litre V6, which puts out 268 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque at 2,400 r.p.m. On-road, the engine pulls well as it stretches toward redline, although some will find the noise rather gruff at the top end. Tromp the gas and the GLK's 1,831-kilogram mass is motivated to 100 kilometres an hour in 6.7 seconds, which is more than competitive -- the Infiniti EX takes 7.4 seconds and the Land Rover LR2 needs 9.7 seconds. The engine also delivers the brawn needed to tow a 1,588-kg trailer.

In terms of its on-road ride and handling, the GLK is better than most, which boils down to its Agility Control suspension. Depending upon the conditions, the suspension alters its damping characteristics.

When loafing along and with body movement relatively slow, the system adopts a soft damping mode. Drop the hammer and the faster body motion (caused by the higher speed of the body movement) automatically firms up the damping, which prevents unwanted pitch and roll. That's the theory. In practice, it works very nicely, absorbing all but the largest of bumps on the highway.

Head into a fast corner and it dials out just about all body roll, despite the GLK's elevated centre of gravity. It is the sort of ride that inspires confidence, which is not something that can be said of many SUVs."

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Mercedes-Benz C200K Estate (via Drive)
Reviewer's rating:  

"We're looking at the first C-Class Estate off the boat, the entry-level C200 Kompressor, but soon you'll have the diesel-powered C220 CDI and volcanic C63 AMG to choose from as well.  Tested here is the Elegance, which brings ritzier body jewellery and some minor interior additions but still no leather. Go for the Avantgarde and you get a sportier exterior look, 17-inch alloys and, finally, genuine cowhide.

The C200K's 135 kW 1.8-litre supercharged four-cylinder comprehensively outpunches its BMW 320i arch-rival on paper.  On the road, what really stands out is its flexible, easygoing demeanour. It doesn't need to be revved to achieve its decent performance, delivering good response from just above idle, while the five-speed auto is generally smart and unobtrusive in the way it harnesses the power.  Push harder and the blown four responds smoothly and willingly but lacks the free-spinning glee of its BMW competitor. It also sounds rather uninspiring, kind of like an overgrown vacuum cleaner.

Fuel economy, though, is good. We averaged 9.0 L/100 km on our combined urban/highway route, well behind the official 8.3 L/100 km claim but quite thrifty nonetheless.

The Estate might be the practical C-Class but it's just as entertaining to drive as its sedan sibling.  The good news starts with the steering, which promptly translates requests into action and is unerringly precise, if a touch too light for some tastes. Point the C200K at a corner and it displays admirable agility and a genuinely unflappable balance.

The real coup, though, is the ride, which soaks up bad surfaces with a supple disdain that eludes other German compacts. It's also impressively couth, with low levels of wind and mechanical noise and admirably restrained tyre roar at highway speeds.

We already reckon the C-Class is a good thing, with classy road manners, strong safety, enviable comfort and competitive value. And, unless you really must have a sedan, the wagon is even better, bringing a dash of extra load space and practicality with little or no negative effect to the fine points of the package."

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And before I go, a special thanks to our friend Shiv for the tip.  As always, we sincerely appreciate it.