Take a Class B chassis, stretch the wheelbase by 100 mm, raise the ground clearance, the driving position and the bodywork, underline the square wheel arches of black plastic mudguards and you get the GLB. A somewhat unique formula on the SUV market. Replacing single-seaters in the hearts of motorists who are no longer very popular without, vindicating vindicators, displaying a larger footprint, this new leisure vehicle allows the firm to the star to cover everything the spectrum of the market. Eighth member of the Mercedes SUV family, the GLB can indeed accommodate in a 4.63 meter envelope up to seven people, in three rows. In fact, it is an alternative to Land Rover Discovery, Peugeot 5008 and Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace. Positioned between the last GLA and the GLC, the GLB has its own personality based on a square appearance, a vertical rear window and the drop of the body line at the quarter window.
A large digital panel
The dashboard is identical to that of the B-Class. Daimler AG - Global Communications Mercedes-Benz Cars
If it only returns 30 mm in length to the GLC, the GLB belongs to another category. We realize this when the doors open. Certainly, the new SUV belongs to the Mercedes universe, but the price difference of around 10,000 euros is immediately noticeable. The seats are less padded; the seat is narrower; plastics are hard at the bottom; the leather upholstery is of a lower quality and the width at the elbows is less important. As for the central place of row 2, its smallness reserves it for children. This does not prevent the GLB from offering the functionality of a people carrier. The row 2 seat that can be split according to a 40/60 pattern slides over 140 mm in order to reserve more space for the legs of the occupants of row 3 or the trunk; the seat backs have several levels of recline.
The GLB can accommodate 7 people in three rows of seats. Daimler AG - Global Communications Mercedes-Benz Cars
And what makes the GLB salt, provided you avoid the Launch Edition finish, is the possibility of carrying seven people. Admittedly, the two individual folding seats in the third row are not easy to access and are reserved for short trips to people not exceeding 1.68 m but vehicles less than 4.70 m offering this type of service do are not legion on the market. The seats swivel in a jiffy by pulling on straps to form a flat floor. Depending on the configuration chosen, the capacity of the trunk varies greatly. It goes from 560 (5 seats) to 1,755 liters in the 2-seat version. No miracle: the volume melts at 130 liters with the three rows of seats in place.
Mercedes-Benz AG -Global Communications Mercedes-Benz Cars & Vans photo by Dirk Weyhenmeyer on behalf of Mercedes-Benz AG / Daimler AG
If you get on the Class A, you get on the GLB. But the driving position requires a bit of habit between the raised seat and the very low dashboard incorporating a large digital panel with a length of 62 cm and a width of 12 cm. This is the most spectacular aspect of the vehicle with the three aerators in the shape of a reactor turbine placed in the center of the console. Navigating the menus of the infotainment system is very simple. The driver has the choice of weapons: either via the keypad located on the central console, either by touching the touch screen or via the sensitive buttons located on the branches of the steering wheel. Finally, he can choose to wake up the voice assistant by saying: "Hey Mercedes." You can then ask almost everything: adjust the air conditioning temperature, enter a destination or increase the sound. Coupled with GPS, the augmented reality of the MBUX interface is worth the investment of € 300. When the flashing light is activated or when you come to an intersection, this system provides a high-quality image on the central screen and contributes, in the same way as the head-up display (+ € 1,200), to the comfort of conduct. By opting for the Premium plus pack (+ € 3,700) which fitted our test vehicle, the GLB has access to the ultimate in equipment from the firm to the star: 10-inch screen instead of 7, hands-free opening and closing from the tailgate by stepping under the bumper, heated front seats, panoramic glass sunroof, hands-free access and start. Another attention which testifies to the family vocation of GLB: the presence of four Isofix fixings for child seats.
Daimler AG - Global Communications Mercedes-Benz Cars
The powertrains are another witness to the difference in status between the GLB and the GLC. The 7-seater SUV of the Class A family only offers 4-cylinders and the power is lower. The simplified offer consists of two diesels and three gasoline including an AMG version of 306 hp. From € 45,350, Mercedes leaves the choice of energy: 200 petrol 163 hp or 200d turbo diesel 150 hp. At the upper level, the two models are associated with the 4 Matic all-wheel drive coupled with the off-road package. Even in sport mode, the distribution remains traction type and it is only in all-terrain mode that the system distributes the same torque on each axle. Tested model, the 4-cylinder 2-liter 224 hp four-valve Camtronic variable stroke and dual-clutch 8-speed automatic transmission perfectly drives the 1.7 tonnes of the GLB. Its power reserve guarantees appreciable performance and recovery, at a price of consumption of around 9 l / 100 km. Adorned with many options, our vehicle admitted CO2 emissions of 195 g / km, which was paid by a penalty of € 9,550, instead of € 2,544 for the basic version (172 g). The GLB does its job perfectly, but the high center of gravity impairs agility as soon as the course turns. Adaptive damping (+ € 1,200) contributes to comfort, at the cost of excessive roll which can be stopped by switching to Sport mode which is far too firm.
Our opinion
Mercedes has made a success of it because it is for the moment the only one in its competitive universe to offer a compact SUV that can accommodate up to seven people. The services are of quality for a price which remains particularly attractive compared to the models of the general brands.
Technical sheet
Capacity: 1 991 cc
Type: 4-cyl. turbo petrol
Power: 224 hp at 5,500 rpm
Torque: 350 Nm from 1,800 to 4,000 rpm
Transmission: all-wheel drive, Automatic transmission. 8 reports
Dimensions (L / W / H): 4,634 x 1,834 x 1,658 mm
Trunk: 560 liters
Weight: 1,670 kg
Performance (0-100 km / h): 6.9 seconds
Speed: 236 km / h
Consumption (EU mixed): 7.6 l / 100 km
CO2 emissions: 172 g / km
Price: 54 450 €
