Mercedes is thinking small for 2009.

I'm referring to the all-new 2010 GLK small premium luxury SUV, which is due to go on sale in January. It debuted at a recent North American International Auto Show in concept form, and from the looks of things, just about all of the admittedly desirable pieces of this car have been replicated for the production version.

How would I describe the looks of it?

It's pretty chic, and not unlike a miniature GLK clone. And speaking of chic, guess where the GLK first broke the light of day for the public? It was featured in the wildly successful "Sex and the City" movie. Can't do much better than that, now can we?

A wealth of standard and optional features are available, including, a seven-speed automatic transmission, dual zone climate control, sienna pine wood trim, anti-theft alarm, chrome accents in all the right places, 4Matic all-wheel drive, full power equipment, panorama sunroof, power tailgate, Sirius Satellite Radio, COMAND system with hard-drive-based navigation, and a rear seat entertainment system.

Power comes from a 3.5-liter, 268-horsepower V-6 gets 16-17/22-23 miles per gallon.

No price is set yet, but I expect this one to sell from $39,000 to $45,000.

Mercedes also is thinking fuel economy this year, and is introducing three diesel powered sport utility vehicles with pretty respectable fuel milege, thanks to BlueTec diesel power with 50 state certifiability.

The upcoming ML 320 BlueTec is rated at 18 mpg in the city and 24 on the highway; the GL 320 BlueTec is rated at 17/23; the R 320 BlueTec is rated at 18/24.