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Content 1 : Mercedes-Benz GLK-Class http://a137.g.akamai.net/f/137/3538/120m/imageonthefly.cars.com/images/?IMG=CAC00MBS241A0101.jpg&width=208&COLOR=ffffff Warren Brown February 8, 2009 Welcome the 2010 Mercedes-Benz GLK 350 4Matic. In this country, we'll call it a "premium compact sport-utility vehicle." But here's betting that in less-developed, or perhaps less-pretentious parts of the world, it will be called what it is -- a little lorry, a "carryall" of particular prowess, designed to go anywhere most SUVs can and do what most of them can do without their egregious thirst for fuel or appetite for space. I was prepared to trash the thing -- the result of an erroneous judgment developed two years ago during a corporate "product reveal" in which I was shown a prototype of this week's subject vehicle.
Back then, I was decidedly un-wooed. The prototype GLK 350, built on Mercedes-Benz's compact C-Class car platform, looked smaller than any SUV ought to look. It seemed a delicate, nanny-boo-boo mobile -- an overpriced conveyance of ill-defined nature wearing a luxury badge.
I erred.
The all-wheel-drive GLK 350 4Matic and its rear-wheel-drive GLK 350 sibling are brilliant -- perfectly sized and mannered for routine urban use, yet built and tempered to run over the most challenging roads.
My wife, Mary Anne, and I drove the test model all over northern and central Virginia, over roads smooth and rough, through weather fair, but mostly foul, often compromised by sleet and snow.
Our verdict was that we liked it so much, we would like to own one -- an aspiration not completely beyond possibility, as it might have been in the case of other vehicles wearing the Mercedes-Ben badge in the United States. The rear-wheel-drive GLK 350 starts at $33,900. The tested all-wheel-drive GLK 350 4Matic starts at a price $2,000 north of that. For employed members of the upper-middle class, ownership in that price range is at least dream-range.
That is what Mercedes-Benz's executives were thinking when they dreamed up the GLK 350. Their target was a Subaru Forester-Subaru Outback customer who someday dreamed of owning and driving something with a Mercedes-Benz badge -- a psychographic recipe for a neither-nor mobile that, in execution and road performance, risked being little more than cheap.
But the GLK 350 4Matic is a world-class Mercedes-Benz, minus the froth. It has an intelligent four-wheel suspension, a computer-sensor enhanced affair that automatically adjusts vehicle ride and feel to rapidly changing road conditions. The result is a feel in which the road, regardless of the condition of its point of contact with the GLK 350 4Matic, is rendered unobtrusive.
"Unobtrusive" here does not mean soft, wimpy or dull. The ride is more firm than most sedan lovers would like. But it will please anyone who prefers having some sense of contact with the road, as opposed to floating upon it in the manner of piloting a boat upon the sea.
The overall feel is tight, right. The GLK 350 4Matic feels much lighter, much less bulky than its 4,036 pounds.
The interior is simple, functional, appealing and designed to serve drivers with passengers who spill things. The leatherette seat coverings are durable, wipe-capable. The engine -- a 3.5-liter V-6 with 268-horsepower and 258-foot-pounds of torque -- is no slouch. It moves the GLK 350 4Matic with authority and can tow up to 3,500 pounds. It gets up to 21 miles per gallon on the highway. But we do wish it would drink something other than premium gasoline.
Content 2 : Mazda RX http://www.carreview.com/channels/carreview/images/Mazda_RX8R3_feature.jpg Peter N February 10, 2009 I tested the new R3 package that is available on the RX-8 for the first time on the 2009 model. The package provides a significant improvement to the suspension as well as sports tires, but also includes a variety of non-driving improvements, not the least of which is a 300 Watt Bose sound system that includes noise-canceling technology. As I put this car through its paces, I felt a bit like Speed Racer driving the Mach 5. Both cars had advanced engines and were loaded with lots of cool gadgetry from Japan. The RX-8 delivers a unique driving experience due to its engine technology that allows the car absolute balance in forward-rear weight distribution. The smaller rotary engine can be placed behind the front axle. Combined with its lighter weight, this placement results in a very maneuverable car that hugs the road. With the six-speed manual transmission in my hand, I caught myself driving like I was trying to beat Racer X.
The build of the RX-8 emerged as one of the weaker elements of the car. While I like the shorter front doors and easy access that the rear suicide doors offer, I found that I sometimes had to repeatedly close the front doors to get a secure fit. I’m not sure if this was poor design or assembly, but it did not offer the reassuring thunk of a solidly built and securely closed door. Also, there was a rattle on the dashboard plastic that occasionally expressed itself around 40 mph. A minor issue, but a major irritant for an owner of a brand new car (our test vehicle already had 6,700 miles rolled up by previous journalists). The vast majority of my RX-8 experience did suggest intelligent design and proper assembly, but I found this car behind the competition in build quality.