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Mercedes-Benz built a Super Mario Maker course for some reason

The "Jump'n'Drive" event course is yet another step in the companies' partnership, which in the past involved Mario Kart DLC.

Andrew Krok Reviews Editor / Cars
Cars are Andrew's jam, as is strawberry. After spending years as a regular ol' car fanatic, he started working his way through the echelons of the automotive industry, starting out as social-media director of a small European-focused garage outside of Chicago. From there, he moved to the editorial side, penning several written features in Total 911 Magazine before becoming a full-time auto writer, first for a local Chicago outlet and then for CNET Cars.
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Mercedes Jump'n'Drive
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Mercedes Jump'n'Drive

Hey, at least you don't have to pay $30,000 or so to get into the pixelated GLA.

 Screenshot by Andrew Krok/CNET

Nintendo and Mercedes-Benz are unlikely bedfellows, but clearly there's a good reason for connection here. In the past, the automaker's introduced its product into Nintendo's games -- most notably, it added the GLA crossover as a drivable vehicle in Mario Kart 8. This time around, the GLA is heading to Super Mario Maker.

If you're not familiar with the game, Mario Maker is like owning the master key to Nintendo's intellectual property. You can create your own levels, using nearly every trick in the book from previous Mario games. In Mercedes' level, called Jump'n'Drive, you go through the motions of GLA-Class ownership, starting at the dealer and embarking on a road trip through the Mushroom Kingdom after that.

The level is littered with Mercedes items -- the three-pointed star made of bricks, "GLA" spelled out behind a fireworks show, stuff of that ilk. The course also includes a costume that puts Mario inside a GLA, complete with its own unique sounds. There's even a cute little horn honk emote.

It's actually surprisingly well-built, as you can see in the walkthrough video below. It's not too difficult, but the automatic side scrolling keeps things interesting. Best of all, once you complete the level, you can access the GLA costume whenever you want. Sure, it's pretty transparent advertising, but unlike YouTube preroll and banner ads, this is actually entertaining.