Business Insider India has updated its Privacy and Cookie policy. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the better experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we\'ll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies on the Business Insider India website. However, you can change your cookie setting at any time by clicking on our Cookie Policy at any time. You can also see our Privacy Policy.
I drove a $51,000 Mercedes GLB250 to find out if this compact SUV is a worthy addition to the carmaker's lineup - here's the verdict
I drove a $51,000 Mercedes GLB250 to find out if this compact SUV is a worthy addition to the carmaker's lineup - here's the verdict
Feb 28, 2020, 20:56 IST
Behold! The 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLB250, in a "Polar White" paint job.
Advertisement
The styling didn't excite me. I want my Mercs to look like Mercs. The GLB reminded me of a Volkswagen Tiguan. The 19-inch wheels, a $700 extra, struck me as being a little undersized.
Advertisement
Of all the Mercedes I've driven lately, the GLB has the least Benz-y presence. For some buyers, that could be a plus.
Unsurprisingly, the GLB250's front end is its best angle. The Mercedes tri-star badge fits nicely into the perforated horizontal grille bars. The LED headlights are spectacularly effective at night.
Advertisement
The rear is, I'm sorry to say, completely boring.
And by completely boring, I mean REALLY REALLY COMPLETELY BORING.
Advertisement
The GLB has a respectable 20 cubic feet of cargo space under the unexciting hatch, however.
The GLB is a "B" class SUV, sitting between the GLA and GLC in the Mercedes lineup.
Advertisement
"4Matic" is Benz-speak for all-wheel-drive. I drove on one rather wet day, the system performed quite capably.
The interior was "Black MB-Tex," and it was an odd mashup of minimalism and the sort of premium appointments I've come to expect from Mercedes. The front seats were heated.
Advertisement
The rear seats were roomier than I expected.
No problems with my not-tall frame.
Advertisement
And space to stretch out.
The dual-pane, panoramic sunroof is a $1,500 option.
Advertisement
It's pretty awesome!
I had some hangups with the interior, which in total failed to deliver the high-luxe vibe I'm used to from Mercedes.
Advertisement
Under the hood we had a 221-horsepower, 2.0-liter, turbocharged inline four-cylinder engine, offering 250 pound-feet of torque that was readily accessible with the Merc's eight-speed, dual-clutch automatic transmission.
The GLB enjoys a 10.25 instrument cluster continuously joined to a 10.25-inch infotainment screen, plus some too-subdued-for-my taste "Black Linden" wood trim.
Advertisement
The instrument cluster half of the set-up can be customized using the small thumb pads on the heated, multifunction steering wheel.
Mercedes infotainment system is solid enough. The touchscreen is responsive and renders visuals with crisp resolution ...
Advertisement
... And it handled everything you'd expect quite capably, from GPS navigation to Bluetooth pairing to USB-port device connectivity. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto ae also available, but my test vehicle lacked wireless charging.
The system can also be operated using this buttons-and-trackpad configuration. This is also where you can toggle among the GLB's driver modes: Comfort, Sport, Eco, and Individual (the last allows from some blending of modes).