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China's government will spend as much as 2 billion yuan ($315 million) a year to develop alternative- energy vehicles to reduce fuel consumption, the finance ministry said.

China's cabinet agreed to revive financial incentives for consumers to trade in their passenger cars to help increase demand in the world's biggest vehicle market, a government official said.

The Toyota Prius, a niche oddity when it went on sale 15 years ago, jumped in sales to become the world's third best-selling car line in the first quarter as U.S. demand and incentives in Japan turned the hybrid into a mainstream hit.

China's cabinet agreed to revive financial incentives for consumers to trade in their passenger cars to help increase demand in the world's biggest vehicle market, a government official said.

Two-time NASCAR Canadian Tire Series champion Andrew Ranger will try to kick start his 2012 season by showing-off his talent on his home turf in Quebec at the ICAR circuit for the Grand Prix ICAR Lucas Oil.

For the Canadian, 2012 means a full-scale comeback in NCTS after spending the 2010 and 2011 seasons picking up starts in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series, NASCAR K&N Pro Series and the ARCA Racing Series.

The Roxton Pond native will be back behind the wheel of the No. 27 Dodge/GC Motorsports Dodge following the association between Dave Jacombs Racing and GC Motorsports International to form GC Motorsports Canada. GCMI, formerly Go Canada Racing.

Photo: GC Motorsports

Last year, for the inaugural ICAR race, things did not go as planned. After competing in an ARCA event the night before and missing qualifying, Ranger had to start the event from the rear of the 27-car field. He picked his way through traffic on the 15-turn, 2.113-mile track and took the lead on Lap 28 of the 30-lap race.

Unfortunately, he made contact with polesitter Alex Tagliani which was deemed excessive by NASCAR officials resulting in an aggressive driving penalty and a finish in 21st place and some harsh words coming from Tagliani.

Qualifying is set for 4:00 p.m. ET on Saturday June 2nd while the green flag for the event is scheduled for Sunday at 1:30 p.m. ET

Aaro Vainio and Marlon Stockinger secured win in both GP3 rounds presented last week end in the streets of Monaco.

Aaro Vainio started from pole position, and maintained his lead until the end of the race, that he concluded ahead of Tamas Pal Kiss, who jumped from the second row to take second place ahead of Kevin Ceccon, who started from outside row 1, the Italian taking third position at the checkered flag.

Aaro Vainio on the starting grid. (Photo: GP3 Series)

Marlon Stockinger, who concluded the first race at the 8th position, took benefit of his advantage, especially in Monaco, to claim his first GP3 win in race 2, ahead of Antonio Felix Da Costa, who put the pressure on him.

Marlon Stockinger on the starting grid. (Photo: GP3 Series)

The second race was shortened due to Conor Daly's massive crash, after his car flew in the air arriving at the chicane after a contact with Dimitry Suranovich. Daly escaped unhurt, so did Will Buller, which car rolled out at Sainte Devote after a contact with his team mate Alex Brundle at the start.

Race 1:
1. Aaro Vainio (Lotus) in 27'06''685
2. Tamas Pal Kiss (Atech CRS) +1''994
3. Kevin Ceccon (Ocean) +10''519
4. David Fumanelli (MW Arden) +16''156
5. Mitch Evans (MW Arden) +17''789
Etc.

Race 2:
1. Marlon Stockinger (Status) in 21'37''673
2. Antonio Felix Da Costa (Carlin) +0''687
3. Daniel Abt (Lotus) +1''820
4. Mitch Evans (MW Arden) +2''685
5. David Fumanelli (MW Arden) +3''651
Etc.

Championship:
1. Vainio 54 points, 2. Evans 43, 3. Stockinger 39, 4. Felix Da Costa 24, 5. Daly and Ceccon 23, etc.

From GMM

Sunday's Monaco grand prix was potentially a lucrative result for the Caterham team.

With actual points still a distant goal for the three backmarker teams, Caterham, Marussia and HRT are instead in a race for the highest classified finish.

Until Monaco, it was Marussia leading the non-points race, thanks to the fourteenth place recorded by Timo Glock in Australia.

The German driver did it again in Monaco, but it was Caterham who burst back into lucrative tenth place in the world championship thanks to Heikki Kovalainen's thirteenth-place finish.

Heikki Kovalainen holding off Jenson Button. (Photo: Caterham F1 Team)

At the end of the season, tenth place is the cut-off for 'column 1' teams under the Concorde Agreement, an achievement that last year was reportedly worth almost $30 million to Caterham.

"It's significant. It's critical," said team boss Tony Fernandes.

Not only that, Kovalainen did it in style in Monaco, holding Melbourne winner Jenson Button at bay until the Melbourne winner's battle ended with a crash.

"Simply great. It was the best feeling I've had in these three years in formula one," Fernandes told the Finnish newspaper.

In contrast, Button was unimpressed, joking that he was relieved when he crashed because the "pain" of battling a defiant backmarker was over.

"There has to be a balance when you're fighting for twelfth place and I don't think he had it right, but there you go, that's racing," he said.

Here are a few numbers to note following the 96th 500 Miles of Indianapolis 500 race, the fifth of 16 events of the IZOD Indy Car Series season.

1 - Driver who has have completed every lap of every race in the first five IZOD IndyCar Series events: James Hinchcliffe.

3 - Indianapolis 500 wins for Dario Franchitti, the 10th driver to win the Indianapolis 500 three or more times.

4 - Drivers to lead the Indianapolis 500 for the first time: Hinchcliffe, Takuma Sato, Charlie Kimball and Rubens Barrichello.

5 - Indianapolis 500 wins for car owner Chip Ganassi (1989, 2000, 2009, 2010 and 2012). Ganassi tied Lou Moore for second among Indianapolis 500 wining car owners.

(Photo: Rene Fagnan / Auto123.com)

6 - Different teams represented in the top 10 in the IZOD IndyCar Series standings.

8 - Different teams represented in the top 10 of the 96th Indianapolis 500.

9 - Different drivers to finish on the podium in the first five races of 2012.

16 - Starting position of Dario Franchitti. The only other driver to win from 16th position was Dan Wheldon in 2005.

23 - Positions gained by Oriol Servia en route to his season-best performance of fourth at Indianapolis.

31 - Indy car wins for Dario Franchitti, tying Sebastien Bourdais and Paul Tracy as the active leader in victories.

34 - Lead changes among 10 drivers. It was the most lead changes in the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race.

36 - Points separating Power (200) from Helio Castroneves and James Hinchcliffe (164) in the IZOD IndyCar Series championship standings.

50 - Number carried by the Indianapolis 500 winner for the first time.

59 - Laps led by Marco Andretti. He had led 31 laps at Indianapolis in his previous six starts. It was the seventh time an Andretti had led the most laps at Indianapolis. Mario led the most laps in 1969, 1985, 1987 and 1993. Michael led the most laps in 1991 and 1992.

62 - Positions gained by Servia in the first five races of 2012. (An average of 12.2 positions per race)

91 - Degrees, the high temperature in Indianapolis on May 27, 2012 - tying the 1919 and 1953 as the second-hottest 500 Race Day.

109 - Top five finishes for Franchitti in his Indy car racing career.

186 - Consecutive Indy car starts for Tony Kanaan dating to the 2001 CART race in Portland.

1,366 - Consecutive laps completed by Scott Dixon at the Indianapolis 500, a race record. The previous record stood for 71 years and belonged to Wilbur Shaw, who completed 1,351 consecutive laps from 1935-41.

Quebec students have been on strike and protesting against tuition fee increases for more than three months. Classes are suspended and every night the unrest seems to be paralyzing Montreal.

Now we've learned that a particularly strong-minded group is preparing to do anything and everything to disturb or even force the cancellation of the Canadian Grand Prix (June 8-10) and all the related activities downtown. These students see it as a perfect opportunity to make their plea in front of hundreds of journalists and the millions of spectators and readers they serve across the globe.

Well, sure, but what the heck does Formula 1 have to do with student rights?

I was floored when I read that this radical group planned ''a weekend of commotion and disruption to force the cancellation of the F1 Grand Prix and all the jetset and hoopla embodying sexist, elitist, capitalist and non-environmental values that need to be crushed'' (liberal translation).

Sexist? That couldn't be more inaccurate. I guess those people have never attended a racing event in their short lifetime, let alone a Grand Prix. The notorious ''pit babes,'' girls whose only purpose is to please the male crowd, are basically a thing of the past. Women are now working as team managers, marketing and communication directors, engineers, technicians, mechanics, and various other key positions. And don't you dare call them ''babes!''

Non-environmental? Here's a fact for you: Through a new FIA program, Formula 1 has been carbon neutral for a decade. That's right! And starting in 2014, F1 cars will be powered by small-displacement turbocharged hybrid systems that can occasionally run on electricity.

What's more, a full grid with 22 ultra-efficient cars produce fewer GHG emissions than a single charter bus used by protesters.

Capitalist? Well, all I will say here is that each F1 team directly employs more than 300 people while keeping thousands of workers, subcontractors and suppliers busy. The Canadian Grand Prix boosts the local economy by at least $75 million, which is more than welcome in these tough times. Plus, most of it is fresh cash from outside visitors.

Of course, Formula 1 is a big-spending world, but I've never heard of a college graduate telling his first employer: ''I don't want to be paid. I prefer to work for free, because I don't like your way of doing business.'' How ridiculous does that sound?

So, my suggestion to protestors is, think long and hard about all the consequences before deciding to disrupt the Grand Prix.

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum, located on the grounds of the famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway, is one of the great museums in the world devoted to automobiles and auto racing.

During our recent trip to Indianapolis with Chevrolet, we got the chance to visit the museum that houses approximately 75 vehicles are on display at all times.

We got the chance to see the infamous Marmon "Wasp," which won the inaugural Indianapolis 500 in 1911 with Ray Harroun at the wheel, the Duesenberg No. 12 Murphy Special, the only car ever to win both the Indianapolis 500 (1922) and the French Grand Prix at Le Mans (1921), the four cars driven to victory by A.J. Foyt Jr., including his 1977 machine that represents his record-setting fourth Indy 500 win.

Photos: René Fagnan/Auto123.com

There are also more recent machines such as Jacques Villeneuve's Reynard-Ford that won the race in 1995, the yellow Pennzoil Chaparral (the first wing car at Indy), and the STP Lotus turbine car.

We also saw the 1972 Parnelli chassis designed by Maurice Phillipe that featured the so-called "dihedral" wings, and winglets that angle out of the sides of the chassis.

We also took some photos of the vintage Indy car that circulated the track on Saturday before the race.

From GMM

Ferrari's F1 staff were sent home on Tuesday, following the latest earthquake in the Emilia-Romagna region.

We reported earlier this month that the team's Maranello headquarters were not damaged by the recent magnitude-6.0 quake.

At Monaco last weekend, team boss Stefano Domenicali reminded that "the ground has continued to shake" ever since.

Reuters on Tuesday quoted a Ferrari spokesman as saying staff had been sent home to be with their families following a reported 5.8-magnitude quake.

"We are with you," Stefano Domenicali told earthquake victims on Sunday, "in thought and deed, because our roots are there".

Ferrari's 2012 single seaters returned to Maranello on Monday.

They were "already in the car assembly area... to undergo the usual post-race rebuild," said the team, ahead of the Saturday deadline for shipping to Canada.

Fernando Alonso had been scheduled to work in Ferrari's driver simulator on Tuesday.

ALG Canada Industry took a look at car brands value.

Brand value is based on prices cars - no more than five years old - go for at auction. It is used to determine both new and used cars worth.

Photo: ALG Canada Industry

To calculate brand value for car manufacturers; equipment, mileage, age, power, torque and fuel economy are all factored in. Reliability and popularity are also taken into account. When comparing cars of different brands with identical features, it is then possible to say which manufacturer is worth more.

ALG Canada Industry reported that MINI (35 %) ranked first in the common brand segment, followed by Volkswagen (32 %), Honda (27 %), Nissan (20 %), Subaru (20 %) and Toyota (20 %). In the luxury category, Porsche came out on top (34 %), with BMW (17 %), Lexus (13% and Audi (11 %) following behind. Bringing up the rear are SAAB (-31 %) and RAM Trucks (-32 %).

From GMM

Toro Rosso's gamble could have powered rookie Jean-Eric Vergne to victory in Monaco.

That is the claim of French commentator Patrick Tambay, a former Ferrari driver.

Red Bull junior team Toro Rosso was ridiculed late on Sunday by opting to pull Vergne from a points-running position on the essentially dry Monaco track in order to fit intermediate tires.

But according to Tambay, it was a gamble that could have seen the 22-year-old scythe through the field to victory.

Photo: Toro Rosso

In the end, the heavy rain did not arrive until shortly after the chequered flag.

"If it had rained, he could have won," Tambay told RMC Sport. "Late in the race, everyone would have been on very worn dry tires with a lot of trouble staying on the track."

"Others could have dived into the pits but it would have been risky with so few laps to run. But with his (intermediate) tires, he (Vergne) would have been passing cars one after another. It was quite possible that he could have won the Monaco grand prix," added Tambay.

From GMM

Australia's last world champion Alan Jones has urged Mark Webber to join Ferrari.

After the Red Bull driver won his second Monaco grand prix last weekend, his team boss Christian Horner moved to play down the 35-year-old's rumoured 2013 switch to Maranello based Ferrari.

"Why would he want to leave?" Horner is quoted by the Sun. "You could see on Sunday that he is at the top of his game and his future will take care of itself."

But Jones, who won Williams' first world championship in 1980, said countryman Webber should think about it if Ferrari have made him an offer.

"Mark has already done one of the two things that most formula one drivers would like to do, and that's win Monaco -- the other one is to drive for Ferrari," he is quoted by AAP news agency. "I'm sure he'd have a look at it. He gets on extremely well with Alonso, so maybe that could be a good way for him to go."

Photo: Ferrari

Also linked with Ferrari has been Webber's teammate Sebastian Vettel, who this week denied British newspaper reports about a 2014 'pre-contract'.

"How will this work if I don't know anything about it?" the German smiled to Austria's Kleine Zeitung.

Red Bull's Dr Helmut Marko, however, confirmed that the story is at least theoretically possible due to the existence of a contract out-clause for 2014.

"2013 is fixed," the Austrian told Bild newspaper.

"For 2014 there is a performance-related clause in his contract -- for him and for the team," Marko revealed.

Former driver and German TV pundit Christian Danner, however, urged Vettel to resist Ferrari's prestigious lure.

"To go to Ferrari while Alonso is there would be suicide," he insisted.

Triple world champion Niki Lauda also commented: "There is no hurry for Vettel. No one can anticipate where Ferrari will be in 2014."

As the saying goes, everything that goes up must come down eventually. Buick was on roll since 2009, right around the corner of the automobile crisis. GM's legendary arm has been free falling since the start of 2012.

Sales have been dropping for the last seven months; retail sales have dropped 5 % in April. Total sales (retail and fleet sales) have gone backward by 16 % in the last quarter.

Buick is giving Cadillac a run for its money in terms of mediocrity - among the 41 brand sold in the US, they are competing for the longest bad spell. But, unlike Cadillac, Buick doesn't have a single new model up the horizon to dig itself out.

The American firm is trying to fight back by making leasing more affordable than ever. It seems the route to go: other luxury car retailers state leasing accounts for as much as 50 % for certain brands. They better come up with some serious offers if they plan on taking back their slice of the market.

Furthermore, some changes are on the way for Buick's two best-sellers; the Enclave is going back to the drawing board for the 2013 model year, and in two years the Regal should undergo some modifications as well.


_{Source: Automotive News}

Canadian racing legend Gilles Villeneuve contested his maiden Grand Prix in 1977, driving a McLaren. Auto123.com recently had an exclusive interview with the man who was in charge of running the No. 40 car that weekend.

Most motorsport fans know that McLaren F1 driver James Hunt spoke very highly of young Canadian driver named Gilles Villeneuve after the 1976 Formula Atlantic race in Trois-Rivieres, Quebec. McLaren's Teddy Mayer decided to sign a contract with Villeneuve for him to contest a certain number of Grands Prix.

The first F1 race for Villeneuve was scheduled for the British Grand Prix in July 1977 at Silverstone.

Photo: WRi2

Former McLaren man Leo Wybrott picks up the story. “My position at that time at McLaren was project manager. My responsibilities were building and testing the new cars, but I was not a member of the actual race team. When there were special events, Teddy (Meyer) would always leave me and my group of people to run it. This is how we get to run Gilles,” Wybrott told Auto123.com from his retirement home in Australia.

“James (Hunt) and Jochen (Mass) were racing M26s. The car we allocated for Gilles was chassis number 8, the newest and best M23 available. Gilles came to the factory for a seat fitting, and he got a tour of the place with Teddy,” Wybrott said.

The crew of three was formed to run Villeneuve at Silverstone: Wybrott, Stevie Bun and John Hornby.

“We went straight into pre-qualifying. From very early on, from the moment he drove the car, there was a confidence and an ability about the person. It's one of those things you come across. From the lap times he was setting, we knew he was very capable,” Wybrott explained.

Photo: Personal collection, Rights reserved

Villeneuve emerged quickest in the pre-qualifying session, beating his good friend Patrick Tambay who was driving for Ensign and the 12 other drivers.

Gilles spun several times during his first day in the M23. “He was always near the top of the list. He had two or three spins early on, but he was learning. Later in the first practice session, he had more high-speed spins but he was getting to grips with the car. He was always bringing the car back in one piece. He ended up 11th fastest. This is when people started to become aware of his performance,” he continued.

“He was communicating with me so well, and we started to change the set-up of the car and he went faster and faster. At some point, we were 4th or 5th quickest. He eventually qualified 9th. We did not qualifying higher because we had not access to the soft Goodyear tires,” Wybrott recalled.

Saturday night, everyone wanted to know more about this young Canadian driver. “We kept having visitors coming to see us. Teddy (Mayer) came down and wanted to know the settings I had on the car. It was a huge stirring about this new driver and his ability. He was setting the whole place alight. He was a joy to work with. His wife Joann was there all the time with a lovely smiling face. Gilles stayed with us all nights, and he wanted to understand the complexity of the car. He stayed and talked to us. It was a genuine interest from his part to understand how the car was made and worked,” he declared.

“I then explained him about the gauges in the M23. Having worked at Lotus and driven F1 cars on occasions, I knew the Smith gauges were fully unreliable! I forgot to say to him that gauges sometime failed,” he added.

Photo: Personal collection, Rights reserved

Race day. The pit box of the No. 40 car was located way down the pit lane, near the entrance of Corner 1, Copse. Leo Wybrott and the signaller positioned themselves at the other end of the pits to give Villeneuve the chance to read the pit board before braking for Copse.

Gilles had a good start and ran very well early in the race. On lap 10, he was running in seventh place, unimpressed.

“Gilles was running well ahead of (Jochen) Mass and suddenly went missing. We saw him take the pit road flat out and he stopped at our box at the other end of the pits. The cars ran at extremely hot temperatures, the water barely managed to keep the cars cool enough to run. But the moment you stopped, the heat sinked from the engine into the water system without the pump circulating the water, and they just boiled instantly. The pressure cap on the header tank released the water through the bypass. And water poured from under the car. Gilles showed Stevie the needle of the water gauge stuck at maximum temperature. Stevie looked at the water pouring from the engine and was ready to tell him to retire,” Wybrott told us.

“I ran down the pit lane as fast as I could. Gilles was still in the car and he showed me the water gauge. I told me to watch the oil temp indicator - that will be a reliable source of information. The water temp did not matter. We quickly added some water in the system. We got the starter out and told him to fire the engine. He rejoined the race in 21st place but pushed hard an finished eleventh,” Wybrott recalled. Villeneuve also set the 5th fastest time if the race on lap 65.

“We were all very impressed with him. He and Joann sent me a card a week later, saying he was so thankful about the experience. Whenever they saw me afterwards, they both were very kind to me and came to talk a bit. He was a true gentleman,” Wybrott ended.

China's finance minister announced today that his country would spend 315 million dollars annually on developing alternative energy vehicles to reduce its fuel consumption.

The government will also encourage the use of hybrid buses in major towns; public service agencies such as car rental companies will promote hybrid cars in 25 trial cities.

Photomontage: Auto123.com

Vehicle population is set to triple by 2020, increasing by such the country's demand for fossil fuels and therefore considerably worsening air quality. 32 major Chinese cities are already short of the World Health Organization standards and Beijing is amongst the most polluted city in the world.

The same major cities are called on by the government to limit the use of cars on certain days, get as many charging stations as possible out there for electric cars and exempt alternative energy vehicles of license plate restrictions.


_{Source: Automotive News}

Here is a preview of Hollywood producer Ron Howard's new movie called "Rush" that is a biography about F1 champion driver Niki Lauda and his1976 crash at the Nurburgring that almost claimed his life.

The movie is based on the intense rivalry between Ferrari driver Niki Lauda (played by Daniel Brühl) and Briton James Hunt (played by Chris Hemsworth), driving for McLaren.

No exact premiere date has been set for the movie, but it's expected to be released sometime next year.

LA CLUSAZ, France - We're 4,000 metres up, in the Rhone district of the French Alps, yet the snow-capped peak of Mont Blanc towers over us on the horizon. Thick brown mud coats the chiselled flanks of our cute-ute as we splash through a water hole and clamber up its greasy banks. Scrambling over tumbled logs, we're momentarily on three wheels as the trail tilts crazily to one side, then, nose down, we pick our way through a corrugated gully while rocks ping off the steel skid plate.

It's a long way from Yorkdale.


More often spotted in upscale shopping centres and well-tended suburbs, the 2013 Mercedes-Benz GLK would seem to be as far from its natural habitat as a small premium crossover could possibly be. Yet we're surprised at the obvious ease with which its electronic all-wheel-drive system handles the rather gruelling off-road portion of our test drive.

Kitted-out with all-terrain tires, and a package including hill descent, adapted shift points and throttle mapping, and a 30-mm higher suspension, the GLK was completely in its element.

The bad news? The off-road package with which this particular vehicle was equipped won't be available in Canada.

Pity. Instead, we receive a shopping list of safety technology that includes blind-spot assist, lane-departure warning, adaptive cruise control, active parking assist and adaptive high beams. All of which are better suited to the urban environment the GLK will inevitably end up in anyway.

Mercedes-Benz's smallest SUV is just three years old, but has just received a significant refreshing for 2013. The darling of the premium compact-ute segment when it arrived in 2010, the GLK was quickly joined by the more luxurious and athletic BMW X3, Range Rover Evoque and Audi Q5.

And in a segment now dominated by the stylishly rounded, the GLK is a bit of an anomaly with its retro baby G-Class looks. There's a plus side to its association with the iconic Gelandewagen, though - the angular GLK looks more the part of a serious off-roader than any of its competitors - and as M-B is fond of saying "if there's G on it, there's G in it."

But Mercedes-Benz has an ace up their sleeve that they're betting will cement the GLK's place at the top of Canada's premium compact sport-utility segment - a sweet new four-cylinder turbodiesel engine.

Although the GLK will arrive with the choice of two powerplants - including the GLK 350 with a 3.5L V6 producing 302 hp and 273 lb-ft of torque - we'd put our money on the GLK 250 BlueTEC diesel with 190 hp and 369 lb-ft.

It may be less powerful than the V6, but we never missed the extra ponies thanks to its abundant torque.

Mercedes-Benz's smallest SUV is just three years old, but has just received a significant refreshing for 2013. (Photo: Lesley Wimbush)

Fresh new interior
Externally, the GLK has been freshened up with a more chiselled, AMG-styled front end that includes the LED running lights and a dash more chrome.

The rather austere interior of the previous model has given way to a more lavishly crafted cabin. Plasticky bits have been replaced with soft-touch materials and stitched leather. There's a new, richer looking dash with upscaled gauges and SLS-style round air vents. The gear shifter, like that in the larger M-Class, moves to the steering column, freeing up space for the centre console.

Infotainment is controlled by the Mercedes COMAND wheel which, in our tester, included an optional 12-speaker Harman/Kardon stereo and a navigation system that took good care of us through tangled village road networks.

Large side glass contributes to the overall airy feel to the cabin, and seats in front and back provide adequate room. While the cargo hold is tiny, the rear seats fold down to raise cargo space from 450L to 1,550L.

The rather austere interior of the previous model has given way to a more lavishly crafted cabin. (Photo: Lesley Wimbush)

Driving impressions
We had ample time to experience the new GLK in a variety of settings; from urban traffic in Geneva to the expressways and farm roads that eventually lead to the winding routes through the Alps.

Over patched and pockmarked pavement, we found the GLK's suspension to be firm, but not harsh - the ride is quite comfortable despite its large wheels (19" are standard, with 20" optional). The GLK drives "small," and there's a sure-footedness that inspires confidence thanks to selective damping.

While there's a bit of body roll on the tightly wound mountain roads, the GLK feels controlled and planted, if somewhat less athletic than rival BMW X3. New this year, the electric power steering feels naturally weighted and accurate through the tight turns.

We didn't notice any undue diesel clatter and the ample torque that allowed us to accelerate and pass at low rpms was impressive. Mated to a 7-speed automatic, the diesel's official fuel consumption rating is 6.1L/100km, while we recorded combined readings (including the mountainous inclines) of 7.1L/100km.

There was a shortage of gasoline-powered variants on our drive event and that was fine by us. Aside from the drivetrain, there are no differences between the GLK 350 and the GLK 250.

Over patched and pockmarked pavement, we found the GLK's suspension to be firm, but not harsh - the ride is quite comfortable despite its large wheels. (Photo: Lesley Wimbush)

Summary
The GLK has thrown down the gauntlet for its competition; aside from its other upgrades, it's the only one offering a fuel-efficient diesel. Of course, the Audi Q5 Hybrid offers similar fuel consumption figures, but is estimated to sticker in the $50,000 range. While official Canadian prices haven't yet been released, the GLK should retail in the low-to-mid $40,000 range.

The 2013 Mercedes-Benz GLK will be available at Canadian dealerships this July, with the GLK 250 BlueTEC to follow by November.

Volvo XC60 T6 R-Design

Audi Q5

BMW X3

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