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2016 Mercedes-Benz GLC one-ups old GLK in every way

Meet the Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class, the latest in the automaker's increasingly impressive run of new or significantly updated (and occasionally renamed) vehicles that's included the immensely good C- and S-Class, and the upcoming GLE-Class – formerly known as the M-Class crossover. Unlike the GLE, which you'll be reading our First Drive on shortly, the GLC is much more than a mid-cycle refresh, representing the second-generation of Mercedes' compact crossover. While it represents a more significant update to the former GLK than the GLE does to the ML, the new GLC shares its looks with the larger vehicle. It's a handsome take on Mercedes' latest design language, featuring a similar rectangular, two-slat grille in the fascia. The greenhouse has hints of C- and S-Class in it, and is the best way of viewing the 4.6-inch stretch to the wheelbase. The taillights, meanwhile, take their inspiration from the S-Class Coupe and AMG GT. The new cabin isn't just prettier, it's more spacious, too. The C-Class and S-Class also serve as inspiration for what is a remarkably attractive cabin. While Audi has long served as the standard for interior design, with the C, S, and now the GLC, Mercedes can stake a claim to Ingolstadt's crown. Like the C-Class, the center stack is a wide, curving design that terminates in the controller for the infotainment system, while a tablet-like display sits up high. Leather, wood, and aluminum cover most every surface we can see in the initial batch of photos, while cool, blue accent lighting adds an extra dose of style. The new cabin isn't just prettier, it's more spacious, too. Thanks to the longer wheelbase, there's an extra 2.2 inches of space for second-row passengers. There's more room for cargo, too. Mercedes claims 20.5 cubic feet – non-SAE, it should be noted – behind the second row, up from 16.5 in the current GLK. While the GLC will be offered with a range of gas and diesel powertrains, US consumers will be offered the GLC300 first. Counterintuitively and like the C300, the entry level CUV uses a 2.0-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder engine with 241 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of torque. While we expect 4Matic to be the popular option, Mercedes will also offer a rear-drive-only model. There's no mention of additional powertrains beyond the launch model, although we'd expect the GLC to follow the C-Class' example and add a GLC400 powered by a 3.0-liter, twin-turbocharged V6.

Mercedes could make EV batteries with Audi, BMW

It's not a big leap from digital maps to batteries, it turns out.The head of Mercedes-Benz parent Daimler said recently that he envisions his company working together with German automotive competitors BMW and Volkswagen to further accelerate electric-vehicle battery technology. The three automakers recently worked together to enhance their in-car maps systems. Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche talked about "commonalities" between automakers, not the least of which is the need for all of them to achieve increasingly stringent fuel-economy requirements in the European Union, at the Frankfurt Auto Show last week, according to Reuters. While these companies have made their own inroads as far as plug-in vehicles go, they are all behind the Renault-Nissan Alliance when it comes to public deployment of electric vehicles. This summer, Daimler, Audi and BMW hooked up to acquire the Nokia Here digital-mapping service for about $2.8 billion. The triad of automakers beat out companies such as Apple and Uber to buy the entity, which was founded in 1986 as Navteq. Nokia bought the company in 2007. The acquisition makes sense as the automakers work on improving their products with features like cloud-based data to warn drivers of icy roads and traffic jams. The technology will likely also eventually be used in autonomous vehicles. Automakers working together for a common goal of improved technology is nothing new, of course. General Motors and Honda agreed in 2013 to work together to accelerate hydrogen fuel-cell drivetrain development. Earlier that same year, Daimler said it would work with Ford and Nissan in a separate collaboration to speed up the development of hydrogen fuel-cell technology. Related Video:

Daimler exec hypothetically discusses 3-cylinder engines for small hybrids

Is three the magic number of cylinders for Mercedes-Benz parent Daimler and its efforts to build smaller powertrains for its compact hybrids? Potentially, yes, the German automaker could see the need for three-cylinder mills, Automotive News reports. The company doesn't have any plans for them as of yet, though. Daimler executive Bernhard Heil talked with Automotive News about the challenges of using four-cylinder engines in a front-wheel-drive setup and said that three-cylinder engines could work in transverse-mounted powertrains for hybrid cars. For now, though, the company doesn't actually have any plans to go in that direction, Mercedes-Benz spokesman Christoph Horn said in an e-mail to AutoblogGreen. Horn wrote that Heil "actually said that if ever MB would use a three-cylinder engine than [it would be] in a configuration where space is restricted, such as when using a hybrid power train in a compact car." Of course, the only compact "hybrid" that Mercedes-Benz has is the 2015 C-Class, but that refers to the "hybrid" body is made of 48-percent aluminum, up from the current nine percent, as well as steel. It has nothing to do with the powertrain. Beyond that, there's always the Mercedes-Benz S500 Plug-in Hybrid that the company unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show last fall, but that model, which will debut in Europe later this year and arrive stateside next year, has a 3.0-liter turbocharged V6 and an 80-kilowatt electric motor that propels the plug-in from 0 to 62 miles per hour in 5.5 seconds. Not exactly three-cylinder territory, that.