Mercedes-Benz GLB Revealed; Available In Both Five & Seven Seat Variations

The GLB is the smallest Mercedes-Benz SUV to get a seven seat interior layout.

• The GLB will slot between GLA and GLC in Mercedes-Benz’ lineup.

• It is available in both five seat and seven seat interior layout.

• Mercedes-Benz is yet to announce the GLB for India.

• It will be available with both petrol and diesel engine options.

• We expect the luxury carmaker to introduce this model in India in 2020.

Mercedes-Benz has revealed the GLB SUV in full after it showcased a near-production prototype of the car in China in April 2019. The prototype was presented as a more rugged version of the final car, so it had off-road focused tyres, auxiliary lamps, contrast door handles and ORVMs, and a different bash plate on the front bumper. The production-spec GLB, which is available in both five seat and seven seat iterations, has been showcased in two avatars -- Edition 1 and the regular model. The Edition 1 is the model that has a greater influence of the concept car in terms of how it looks, both on the outside and inside.

So the GLB Edition 1 gets a contrast roof and ORVMs as well as a different set of alloy wheels compared to the regular model. Even the front bumper and grille get a different design. Cosmetic differences at the rear aren’t as stark as those at the front, but the lower portion of the rear bumper that houses the two exhausts is different on both the cars. Both the cars differ from each other on the inside as well, but only in terms of the colour combination. While the Edition 1 gets a black-brown cabin theme, the regular model gets all-black/grey interior scheme. The controls on the steering wheel on the regular model get a brushed aluminium finish, but those on the Edition 1 seem to have a glossy black appearance.

The GLB is the smallest Mercedes-Benz SUV to offer the option of seating seven people on the inside. Importantly, Mercedes-Benz doesn’t claim outright that it can seat seven adults. Instead, the carmaker says that the GLB’s rear row can seat two people of 5’5” height comfortably. Third row occupants also get a cupholder, USB socket and storage compartment. There’s also a provision to fold the rear row flush in the floor to generate more boot space. Mercedes-Benz claims that the five seat GLB has a boot space of 560 litres, which is expandable to 1755 litres.

The GLB can be had with permanent all-wheel drive system, which Mercedes-Benz calls 4MATIC. The system comes with various drive modes to alter torque distribution. The 4MATIC setup is also available with GLA and GLC, but there’s an Offroad Engineering Package on offer on the GLB that gets an additional driving mode that adapts the engine’s power delivery and the ABS.

The Offroad Engineering Package additionally enables the driver to see animated visuals of the car tackling rough terrain on the media display. It also includes hill-start assistance and downhill speed regulation for better control when going up- or coming downhill. Those opting for this pack additionally get off-road light with Multibeam LED headlamps. The off-road light is basically the cornering light that can remain switched on up to a speed of 50kmph for increased visibility.

The range of equipment on the GLB includes multiple airbags, including a side window airbag to protect third row occupants, ISOFIX attachments for up to four child seats, MBUX infotainment system with heads-up display and Energising comfort control that suitably alters music and ambient lighting of the car along with offering seat massages.

As far as its dimensions are concerned, the GLB sits in between the GLA and GLC. However, it is taller than the GLC. As can be seen in the images, the GLB has more SUV-like proportions compared to both the GLA and GLC, which get sloping rooflines and look more like crossovers.

The GLB has been announced with both petrol and diesel engine options. It is likely that the GLB will be equipped with a 2.0-litre petrol engine and a 2.0-litre diesel engine when launched in India. Key specifications of all the engines on offer on the GLB for now are in the tables below.

Mercedes-Benz has announced that the sales of the GLB will commence in Germany at the end of 2019. It will be manufactured in Mexico and China. We expect the carmaker to introduce the GLB in India some time in 2020. It will be positioned between the GLA and GLC in India. The GLA is currently priced between Rs 32.33 lakh and Rs 38.64 lakh. The GLC, on the other hand, is priced between Rs 52.12 lakh and Rs 56.56 lakh (all prices, ex-showroom pan-India).