It’s not simple to hurl a 90-mph fastball, much less to disguise it to confuse a batter. It’s nearly impossible to fake a drop shot at the tennis net.
It’s pretty simple to hide an old-school station wagon under a pile of buzzwords like luxury and performance and technology.
Witness the 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLB 250. It slips up to seven seats in a wagon body that rides on the same mechanical goodies that spawn the CLA AMG 35. It applies a thick layer of digital screens and voice recognition and save-your-ass safety stuff, and polishes it all with the promise of an AMG model of its own.
It’s as simple as hiding the dog’s pill in a wad of cheese—and it works. There’s a great growing-family station wagon hidden in the SUV cues and high-tech frosting applied to the GLB-Class, and you don’t have to look too deeply to find it.
2020 Mercedes-Benz GLB Class
Retro SUV swagger
Though it’s rooted in front-drive running gear and sits almost at the bottom of the Benz SUV lineup, the GLB has an upright, retro-SUV swagger that’s more than charming. The long, uninterrupted stretches of roofline and gently rounded corners don’t get cut off by coupe-like lines; there’s no “Coupe” model, either. GLB = Forester + MKT, in the best possible way, and that’s no backhanded compliment.
The GLB’s substantial and chunky style owes more to the big GLS than any of its other stablemates. The upright grille has similar proportions, and so do the boxed-in LED headlights. The GLB doesn’t have the spunky proportions of a GLA or the suave curves of a GLC either. The lightly played homage to vintage SUVs works down the GLB’s sides, where a slight upkick in the shoulder line leads to an unadorned rear end that could from a VW Tiguan. Its plainness is a virtue, but the GLB 250 can be dressed up with AMG Line or Night appearance packages, with the usual wheel-and-tire upgrades.
2020 Mercedes-Benz GLB Class
2020 Mercedes-Benz GLB Class
2020 Mercedes-Benz GLB Class
The GLB cockpit replicates the best of the G-Class and GLS-Class, with a band of metallic trim across its horizon and flags of wood or metallic trim in the doors. Big, round vents and twin digital displays wear glitzy finishes but ultimately look pared-down and straightforward. Base cars have 7.0-inch screens for the driver and the center stack, while upgraded GLBs go with dual 10.3-inch screens that dazzle with vibrant colors that match the available ambient lighting. Benz lets you choose the color you want to pipe into the GLB, whether your taste levels range from soft white to stripper-heel pink.
2020 Mercedes-Benz GLB-Class
Waiting on AMG
The GLB 250 may skip the softer stuff when it comes to style, but the driving experience avoids rugged G-Class terrain, at least for now. It’s a wonderfully poised point-and-shoot wagon, one that’s going to excel as an AMG.
Mercedes taps the same 2.0-liter turbo-4 found in the CLA-Class and A-Class for the GLB. Here, it’s pegged at 221 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque; power scoots to the front wheels or all four wheels through an 8-speed dual-clutch automatic. With an added gear compared to the CLA and A and more smoothly sorted shifts, the powertrain’s also better damped for noise and vibration in the GLB—not as quiet as the new CLA, but without much of the drone that plagued the last-generation small Benzes.
The turbo-4 does two things just fine: It can scoot to 60 mph in 6.9 seconds with all-wheel drive and a top speed of 130 mph, according to Mercedes, and can sip fuel at a 30-mpg highway rate—again, according to Benz.
2020 Mercedes-Benz GLB Class
The GLB sports electric power steering and an independent suspension, and comes with a drive-mode selector that ranges from the usual Eco, Comfort and Sport to an Individual mode. That’s the place to be. While it doesn’t lag for shift speed, or lack for throttle quickness or steering accuracy, the GLB just feels better when its optional adaptive dampers are set to Comfort, and the steering and drivetrain are dialed into Sport. The combination endows the compact ‘ute with carlike manners through big sweeping turns; it takes a set and the steering maintains a crisp line, flowing without annoying steps or jumps in boost—or without wandering, which the bigger 19- or 20-inch wheels could easily induce.
We couldn’t drive any GLBs with the base 18-inch wheels and tires, but the front-drive model with 20-inchers scrabbled for traction off the line, and grew more jittery when the shocks were set to Sport, too. It’s simple to order or select around those mild complaints, just as it’s easy to admire how well-sorted the GLB 250 feels. Draw a conclusion between drives of this car and the CLA AMG 35, and it’s clear the upcoming 302-hp GLB AMG 35 will be delightful to drive.
Until the AMG spin-off shows up, the GLB doesn’t have a Sport+ mode—but it does have a grab handle that hints at light off-road ability. Each GLB has an off-road drive mode that can remap powertrain, steering, and stability systems to coast through mildly entertaining obstacles, but none of that factored into this first drive, just as we don’t expect it to factor into many drivers’ regular GLB use.
2020 Mercedes-Benz GLB Class
2020 Mercedes-Benz GLB Class
2020 Mercedes-Benz GLB Class
2020 Mercedes-Benz GLB Class
Stretching the limits of small
The 2020 Benz GLB cloaks family-car strengths in SUV styling cues. It pitches its tent in the spot left behind by the old Benz ML-Class: the GLB rides on a 111.4-inch wheelbase, nearly the same as the ur-Mercedes SUV.
In a family full of G-utes, the GLB has no problem finding its own G-spot. At 182.4 inches overall and 72.2 inches wide, it’s 4.7 inches narrower than today’s GLE-Class, some 1.7 inches shorter than a GLC, and 5.1 inches longer in wheelbase than the GLA-Class.
All the right angles at play on the GLB body perform their chores well in terms of passenger space. Upright and regular, the cabin has excellent head room, flat floors, and in the front row, excellent seats that pocket rear ends like a baseball mitt. Power adjustment comes standard, while leather upholstery, heating and cooling come at a cost. The front seats have firm bolsters and a wide range of adjustment, which makes great use of all that head room. The GLB has the best outward vision of any Mercedes short of the G-Class, in part because even tall drivers can crank up the seat height.
2020 Mercedes-Benz GLB Class
Row two has fine space for adults, too, so long as they’re two. Benz pads under the outboard positions for good leg support, and puts the seat on a track so passengers can use up to 38 inches of leg room. The middle position’s slim, given the GLB’s width; three small adults might fit fine for an hourlong trip, but it’s better for two.
In row three—if it’s fitted—Benz promises enough room for two passengers no taller than five and a half feet. The seats get cupholders, USB-C ports, and boarding help with those slide-up second-row seats, but they’re there, mostly, for seating in a pinch.
The GLB’s second-row seat folds down in sections to boost the cargo hold from 20 to 26 cubic feet. With the second and third row folded down, the GLB can hold up to 62 cubic feet of cargo.
2020 Mercedes-Benz GLB Class
Stuffed with stuff
Mercedes fits the 2020 GLB 250 crossover with standard automatic emergency braking, and it has very good outward vision thanks to those Subaru-like shoulders and its glassy cabin. It’ll also fit sophisticated adaptive cruise control that can slow the car down when speed limit signs change, or when the car approaches steep curves and roundabouts. Like pricey Benz sedans the system also can complete a lane change with a tap of the turn signal. Crash-test data is yet to come.
All GLB SUVs get the latest Mercedes infotainment system, which runs dual screens and comes gratis with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility. The standard 7.0-inch screens expand to 10.3 inches with an optional package. The “MBUX” interface has a touchpad for input, but also accepts screen taps and swipes and pinches, voice commands of the “hey, Mercedes” variety, and even some hand gestures. Needless to say, it’s a system with multiple redundancies and nuances that require training, an on-screen user’s guide, and patience to sort out preferences between those voice commands, touch inputs, and red-faced yelling.
The $37,595 GLB 250 sports front-wheel drive, standard power front seats, dual zone climate control, keyless ignition, a power tailgate, 18-inch wheels and run-flat tires, drive modes, keyless ignition, LED headlights, Bluetooth, and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. All-wheel drive costs $2,000.
A well-equipped GLB 250 easily spins past $50,000—maybe not right-priced, but definitely right-sized, and patently right-angled.
Mercedes-Benz provided travel and lodging so that we could bring you this first drive review.
