New York motor show 2012: Mercedes GLK

Despite assurances from its head of research and development Thomas Weber at the time of launch back in 2008, Mercedes-Benz has failed to deliver on the promise of finding an “engineering solution” to allow the first-generation GLK, pictured here officially in facelifted form for the first time, to be sold in right-hand drive – even with basic rear wheel drive.

See pictures of the Mercedes-Benz GLK

The BMW X3, Audi Q5 and Land Rover Freelander rivalling SUV - launched today at the New York motor show - is sold in all of the German car maker’s traditional left-hand drive markets but is not offered in the UK owing to a cost cutting decision made during the GLK’s development that meant its four-wheel drive system was engineered exclusively for left-hand drive. Other key right-hand drive markets denied the angular looking five-seater include South Africa, Australia, Indonesia and Thailand.

In spite of the earlier guarantee that the GLK, baby brother to the larger M- G- and GL-class, would be re-engineered to allow right-hand drive sales, Mercedes-Benz now says this won’t be possible until the introduction of a second-generation model, due out in 2015 and already undergoing development at the company’s headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany under the codename X205.

The problem, according to Mercedes-Benz engineering sources, is a driveshaft used to operate the front wheels on four-wheel drive versions of the GLK. It is positioned such that it encroaches slightly on the right-hand-side footwell, something Weber has revealed to Autocar can’t be altered without “significant and expensive” alterations to its steel floorpan and driveline architecture.

A low-cost solution that would have seen the first-generation GLK sold exclusively in rear-wheel drive form in right-hand drive has apparently now been ruled out by Mercedes-Benz, which concedes it has given Audi and BMW a major sales fillip in many important markets, including the UK. The M-, G- and GL class all use a different four-wheel drive system to the GLK.

See pictures of the Mercedes-Benz GLK

The facelifted GLK, set to get its first public outing at next week’s New York motor show, continues to be sold with the choice of three engines in Europe. They include Mercedes-Benz’s widely used 2.1-litre four-cylinder common rail unit – the OM651 as it is known internally.

It delivers 168bhp and 295lb ft in the entry level GLK220, which now comes in two distinct versions: the CDI 4Matic BlueEfficiency and BlueTec 4Matic – the latter equipped with a urea injection system that allows it to meet EU6 emission standards. Both models posses 0-62mph times of 8.8sec, combined cycle fuel consumption of 46.3mpg and average CO2 emissions of 159g/km.