Rival for the Audi Q3 and BMW X1 boasts a longer body for seven-seat capability.
It looks more like an SUV than the GLA…
After teasing the public with a concept at the Shanghai motor show in April, Mercedes-Benz has officially revealed the production-ready GLB.
Some flashy details of the show car have been omitted, but the overall shape of the GLB remains faithful giving it a proper SUV appearance.
The GLA, which is currently aging in first-generation form, is more like a pumped-up hatchback rivalling the Audi Q2 and Lexus UX. The GLB is vying for sales in the Q3 and BMW X1 arena.
But thanks to a long 2,829mm wheelbase, the GLB goes a step ahead of its intended competitors with a seven-seat option. Mercedes says people as tall as 168cm can sit in the third-row chairs.
Is it part of Mercedes’ small car family?
Yes it is. The GLB becomes the eighth member of the brand’s small car family to use a platform accommodating transversely laid-out four-cylinder engines powering either the front or all four wheels; the same goes for the interior like the digital instrument panel, as such, although the door panels are different.
Four turbocharged engines have been announced initially for the GLB with some getting 4Matic all-wheel drive.
Petrol ones include 163hp 1.3-litre for GLB200 and 224hp 2.0-litre for GLB250. While the former is only front-drive with seven-speed dual-clutch automatic, the latter gets 4Matic, an additional forward ratio and an amply quick 0-100kph time of 6.9sec.
The 2.0-litre diesel, on the other hand, comes in two tunes: 150hp and 190hp, both with the new eight-speed auto. The weaker of the two is capable of 20kpl.
An all-electric version, earlier confirmed by Mercedes as the EQB, is in the pipeline, although it’s still some time away from launch.
How will it be price-positioned?
It really depends on what will be chosen for the Thai-spec when sales start in less than a year.
Diesels are relatively more expensive to make than their petrol counterparts, despite being able to undercut the 150g/km CO2 level for 25% excise tax. The GLB200 also dips below that, unlike the GLB250 4Matic.
The Thai Mercedes office has never offered a diesel version of any of those small cars. The pending A-Class Saloon, for one, is reportedly coming in A200 guise with that 1.3-litre motor.
Which is why it might be safe to assume that the GLB200 would be offered as a price-led five-seater and GLB250 4Matic with seven seats. Of course, a diesel for the latter should sound great.
Taking its badge into account, the GLB should cost anywhere between the GLA and GLC, that is, 2.5 to just over three million baht.
