What do you expect out of a Mercedes? Cutting-edge technology wrapped in big badge bling-bling? A rip-snorting V8 pushing a luxury-boat chassis? How about incredible practicality in an unassuming package? Because the latter is what I was surprised—and intrigued—to find in the 2020 Mercedes GLB 250 4Matic.
The reason for my surprise is that GLB comes from a line of the Mercedes portfolio that is only recently sold in the USA: practical people-movers for families. How do these mid-budget people-movers differ from the traditional American-market Mercedes? They are more compact, their luxury fittings are spread thinner, and their MSRPs are more obtainable.
Take the GLB: It’s a bland two-box design that maximizes interior space while minimizing exterior footprint. The GLB is a modest 72-inches wide—the same width as a Toyota Camry—a fact that European city-folk will appreciate. At 182-inches long, the GLB is shorter than a BMW X3 or Audi Q5 yet offers seating for seven, a feature rarely found in the compact SUV class. Though the optional third-row seating is purportedly tight, the rest of the cabin is quite spacious. Thrifty use of expensive materials keeps the GLB’s cost down; metal, leather, and squishy plastics are spread from the dash to the armrests, but everywhere else hard plastics and coarse fabrics are used. The result is a family-friendly Mercedes with a starting price of $38k.
Clever engineering has made the GLB a spacious double-box. The front passengers sit far forward, so close to the upright windscreen that they can nearly touch its base. (Mercedes’s simple dual-LCD instrument panel lets them use a short dashboard.) The second-row seats individually slide, recline and fold. Even when scooted fully-forward to add an extra 6 inches to the trunk, the middle-row occupants have reasonable knee room and generous foot room thanks to the massive clearance under the front seats. (The panoramic sunroof does make second-row headroom tight for people over 6-feet tall.) The trunk—which lacked the GLB’s optional third-row seats in my tester—provides a beautiful rectangular space that can be loaded in width, depth, or height without restriction or impingement. The trunk is larger than the one in the “big brother” GLC, and it has an adjustable floor: Move it up or flat loading or down for increased capacity. Home Depot runs and Christmas hauls to Grandma’s are perfectly accommodated.
Parents will find reasons to rejoice about the GLB. Child-seat installation is a cinch since the LATCH/ISOFIX anchors are permanently exposed—a shocking choice for a luxury vehicle; luxury cars usually hide their unsightly innards. Also revealed are the rails for second-row seat sliding and pull-straps for second-row fold and recline. Keyless access is available on the rear doors, which is a boon as kids load first and exit last on every trip. The kick-to-open tailgate makes stowing a stroller easy-peasy. And once the family is on the move, four USB-C ports and one 115v outlet will keep the electronics brimmed and the kids happy.
With AWD and 7.9-inches of ground clearance, the GLB makes a good snowbelt vehicle. Its tall doors are triple sealed and cover the rocker panels to protect pants legs from winter sludge. The doors also close with classic Mercedes gravitas.
From the mountains to the city, the GLB drives well, though it is calm and competent rather than spunky and spirited. My GLB 250 tester has a four-cylinder turbocharged engine that is good for 221 hp and 258 lb-ft. The dual-clutch transmission is programmed for smoothness and could easily be mistaken for a traditional automatic. (It did occasionally hunt for gears.) Depending on the drive mode selection, the drivetrain either feels adequately peppy in Comfort or over-eager in Sport when scooting the ~3,700 lb SUV around town.
The GLB’s suspension uses fixed-rate dampers and finds an excellent balance between ride comfort and body control. Over the choppiest roads, the suspension and thick tires sop up the impacts. The comfortable well-cushioned seats further smooth the edges off potholes and frost heaves.
When I flung the GLB over the mountain, I was impressed at how nicely the suspension managed side-to-side body roll. (It rolls less than an NC Mazda Miata.) The steering response is mild—and not particularly communicative—but the reactions seem well tuned to the laid-back attitude of this SUV. I couldn’t steer the GLB with throttle lifts or prods, but the suspension handled undulating pavement with aplomb, and only once or twice felt floaty at the rear.
While I was most impressed with the practicality of the GLB, the sex appeal of the new MBUX system and its dual 10.25″ widescreen instrument panel and infotainment LCDs is undeniable. The MBUX digital gauges are highly configurable: the screen is split into left, center and right panes, each of which has 5 to 10 different functions. Classic gauges like a speedometer and tachometer are present, as are modern/advanced options like navigation, radio, driving efficiency, and even pitch and yaw gauges for offroading.
The second screen, the infotainment screen, offers navigation maps and vehicle settings, plus touch-screen support for Android Auto and Apple Carplay. (My GLB tester didn’t have the Mercedes navigation, and I happily used the Google Maps on Android Auto for directions instead. The only downside to Android Auto in the GLB is that it doesn’t fill the widescreen.) Twin thumb-pads on the steering wheel let you swipe through the screen options while keeping your hands on the wheel. A redundant touchpad on the center console also controls the infotainment screen.
MBUX has advanced voice-activated commands, which were not working well in my tester. I assume my car’s internet connectivity has expired. I did have to be careful to avoid saying “Mercedes,” as that phrase makes the digital assistant come to life.
My daughter and I loved the GLB’s ambient lighting. Mercedes fitted light-pipes along the dash, doors and center console. Cleverly, they embedded LEDs in the metal air-vents, making the silver turbines shine with color. We adjusted our school-run route to include a tunnel just so we could see the ambient lighting and have it elevate our mood.
My tester was thinly optioned yet never the less impressive. For families looking for an upscale upgrade from a Subaru Forester (or similar compact SUVs), I’d heartily recommend the GLB. They’ll appreciate the Mercedes gloss and the well-engineered flexibility of the seating and trunk. For drivers that want more sport in their Sports Utility Vehicle, I’d suggest the BMW X1 or Tesla Model Y. They should both handle better and step livelier than the GLB 250.
Mike's Steering Column 