This is good news from the manufacturer who said that meeting Euro-6 and USA Tier 2 Bin 5 Specs was not practical.

This SUV will probably do 40+ mpg if the final version is not too heavy and drag is reduced.

What is the Daimler America policy about biodiesel? B20?

VW will sell the TDI Tiguan here providing some competition. Of course both of them don't have a very good rep for quality but the diesel engines are solid.

I would really like to know the thought process that would lead large numbers of people to think "Hmm, I think I will purchase a compact luxury SUV. That seems like a good idea. It can't tow anything sizable, it won't have that much cargo capacity, nor would I use it for cargo normally hauled in a pickup, it won't handle nearly as well as a sedan, or seat any more passengers than a sedan, and the fuel economy will be much worse than a sedan, and hell if I'm ever going to drive it on anything other than paved road, but I'm convinced that a compact luxury SUV is the right vehicle for me."

On the other hand, people are stupid enough to pay hundreds of dollars to deface their living room walls with these things (www.Fathead.com) so maybe I shouldn't have asked.

Have you ever wondered why this segment of the market is growing so much? Having some of the benefits of an SUV (4 wheel drive, more cargo space than a car, hatchback, ground clearance, better road visibility) without having to drive around a monster truck has value.

I wish there were more options out there in a 4WD wagon. How about a hybrid 4WD wagon?

Interestingly, compact SUV's are going to be a really fast-growing category, especially now that not only Mercedes-Benz, but very likely Honda, Subaru, Mitsubishi, etc. may join the fray using advanced-technology turbodiesel engines that offer lots of torque but still maintain good fuel economy. Don't be surprised by 2010 we'll be seeing Honda CR-V's, Toyota RAV4's, and Subaru Foresters all powered by clean-burning turbodiesels in the 150 to 165 bhp range.

...this kind of vehicle is partly respnsible, that air quality in Europe is not improving since the late 90s and CO2 output for the Diesel fleet is raising and now higher than these of patrol cars in many European countries.

What we actually need are cars that just take 1 Gallon of fuel for 70 Miles. Not 30 or 35 achived by this sort of vehicle.

Hey Mercedes Benz,
Give me a C-Class wagon wagon with a 4 cylinder diesel rather than something as impracticle as this.

@Bob Bastard -

in Europe, CUVs are popular with older customers because they are easier to get into and out of than sedans. Moms like them too, partly because they look more butch than wagons. Also, many consumers erroneously believe CUVs offer higher crash safety than cars do. In truth, they just carry higher profit margins so more is spent on advertising them.

I suspect much the same psychology applies to the US, except that there, people actually believe they are doing the environment a favor by driving around in a luxury utility vehicle to begin with. At least this particular one is a diesel.

Bob Bastard-- There is 20 inches of snow in the town where I live now, and the city hasn't got around to plowing my street yet. A few days ago, during an icy spell, I watched a 2 wheel drive vehicle with regular tires try to get up the modest hill on my block, slip out, give up, and back down. I'm looking forward to an all wheel drive electric vehicle with a motor on each wheel. Until then, my 4-wheel drive pickup with EPA 16 and 19 is the winter vehicle of choice. The bicycle is mothballed until spring, and our most economical vehicle spends most of its time in the garage.

@SF -

so what exactly is wrong with electronic traction control and/or snow chains/cables on a lighter, more fuel-efficient 2WD vehicle?

http://video.google.de/videoplay?docid=2721328791334688931&q=fifth+gear+esp&total=5&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=1

The reasons the sell...

1 They are more comfy.
2 They are safer because they use more safety features and are less likely to be run over bt a big rig and instead will be flung off the road by one;/
3 Its alot easier for many to hey into and out of AND for many its TONS better for the bog shopping trips to hypermegabiggulpwallmartocoltpse because of course its vastly easier to bring grociers in from an suv/truck then from a sedan or wagon.
4 Its got fairly good milage and pisses off hippies... win win..
5 If it does snow or is flooding or mudslidy or okague of zombies.. its just safer...

Me... id drive a giant hamster ball as long as it was cheap to drive , crashtested well, came in green with racing stripes, had room for my stuff, and had plenty of big cupholders.

Rafael Seidl: Electronic Traction Control wasn't available on any fuel efficient vehicle within my budget the last time I bought a car, in 2005. I will look for it the next time I buy a vehicle, but I am not sure it will be enough. If push came to shove, I could install chains whenever I left the house, then take them off a few blocks later when I come to the smooth plowed road. I did that for a few years when I was much younger. I am 63 now. But my wife could not do that at all.

SF, if you can't afford a 2WD vehicle with traction control, why would you be interested in this offering from Mercedes?

I'm not, but I might be interested in a Honda CRV. The discussion was about SUV's in general. Check this link on the ineffectiveness of traction control in a Prius:
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2007/04/prius_traction.html

The discussion was about SUV's in general
Well, I can't speak for everyone, but if you go back and re-read my comments, you will see that my criticism was particularly directed toward the whole idea of a "compact luxury SUV," and the idea that anyone other than possibly rich ski bunnies who don't want to deal with parking larger SUVs might actually want that sort of thing. A crv is certainly not a luxury vehicle, and might make sense for some people, although I think it probably makes sense for far fewer people than Honda's sales numbers would suggest.

I'm from far northern Minnesota, where we have nine months of winter and three months of poor sledding. My vehicle of choice is an early 90s Dodge minivan, especially the short wheelbase 2.5 liter 5-speed manual combination. They're rugged, are cheap to operate and have fantastic traction, without needing traction control.

I've taken these vans down roads and trails 90% of SUVs will never see. I've driven through snow over my front bumper. They've never left me stranded in half a million miles of winter driving. I get 24 mpg out of my 3.3 liter automatics and 30 mpg from the 5-speeds.

The cargo area will beat the pants out of any SUV. I used these vans instead of a pickup when I was farming. And yes, I would drive them right out into a plowed field. I've replaced a few oilpans.

SUVs are a shuck. They don't do anything really well. They roll over in an eyeblink. They're heavy, their space utilization efficiency is atrocious. But they do have one positive characteristic: they're expensive, so they make good profits for the manufacturers.

This Daimler SUV is not the car of the future. That description belongs to the Tata Nano (and VW Up! and Mitsubishi iCar). Inexpensive, small, high volumetric efficiency, simple, high fuel economy with existing technology, and sufficient for 80% of our driving needs.

Hey if you really are serious about increasing your fuel efficiency convert your diesel engine to oil. The technology is out there. Cars and trucks with diesel engines are running on oil. The Germans have been doing it for years and some smart Americans have bought the kits online and are doing it.