They say beggars can’t be choosers, but I’m going to put that to the test. I’m at my local Mercedes-Benz dealership, with the goal of snagging a new Mercedes to review.
“I’d love to try the new GLC if you have one to loan,” I tell my service advisor.
He checks what is available. “We’ve got a GLB, how about that?”
I plead for anything else. “Do you have an E Class? EQE? EQB?”
Nope, nope, nope. It’s only GLBs.
This beggar has failed to be a chooser today.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m a fan of Mercedes’ compact GLB. It’s just that I’ve reviewed it two times already, and little has changed since. In fact, it takes some Googling before I learn that the 2024 GLB 250 4Matic I’m being sent away in has a refreshed grille, headlights, and taillights, and updated MBUX infotainment. The new MBUX adds wireless smartphone connectivity, but ditches the touchpad and shortcut buttons for an extra phone tray.
Yay?
In the glovebox, I find the Monroney (window sticker) for my loaner. The GLB 250 is frugally specced with flat black paint, black vinyl upholstery, and hard gloss plastic cabin trim. (The latter is studded with gaudy Mercedes stars.) The only significant splurge is a technology package that includes navigation and an upgraded stereo. Boo! I wish they’d bought the cool third-row/seven-seat set-up!
And what does a frugal GLB 250 cost? $50,040! Even budget Mercedes aren’t cheap!
I’m not traveling alone today. My daughter and I are on the way to my parents’ house, which gives me 60 miles to get reacquainted with the GLB. I settle into the driver’s seat and find it comfortably squishy. There is a nice view of the road out of the upright windscreen, and the side windows are generous, too.
In the backseat, my daughter complains that her seating position is too upright. I find the prominently exposed pull straps and, in a jiffy, I recline the seat a few notches so she is comfortable. The rear seats can also slide forward and backward to balance your legroom or cargo room needs, which is a neat trick for a subcompact SUV.
While in the backseat, I notice the naked LATCH anchors in the seat bight. Yes, the GLB is a different kind of Mercedes, built for practicality and price over luxury refinements. I don’t know if it is true, but the GLB, GLA and CLA strike me as being designed for the mainstream European market rather than tailored for America.
As if to prove the GLB’s European upbringing, the SUV slips out of town with ease. Its tight turning radius, upright shape, compact footprint and close-at-hand windows make it easy to place on the road and squeeze through tight spaces.
As I drive some coarser city roads, I enjoy feeling the surface textures and crack impacts through the steering wheel and floorboards. The feedback doesn’t make for the most refined ride, but it does give me a greater connection to the GLB at work. I’m happy with the steering but wish its recentering force was more natural; it pulls like a rubber band back to center, and feels as electrically assisted as it is.
The GLB isn’t a whisper-quiet Mercedes. The sounds of the tires and the suspension thumping over the bumps make it into the cabin. The 2.0L turbocharged I4 engine also speaks clearly, with a slightly gravely voice. But it spins smoothly and is adequately torquey for the 3,759-pound SUV.
The engine’s power goes through an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission on its way to all four wheels. The DCT is smooth running up the gears, but it will occasionally hiccup when I’m slowing to turn onto a new street and then get back on the gas. Such a change of plans can leave the transmission gearless for a split second, as it is slow to realize I won’t be stopping and I want to accelerate.
We hit the highway to my parents’ house. The GLB is happy to run at 80 mph, as any good German car should do. The SUV’s ride is soft, with the suspension and tires breathing over the bumps. In the plushly sprung driver’s seat, I have the gentle sensation of bobbing on calm water in the speeding GLB.
At brisk highway noise, there is a fair amount of wind rustle and tire noise. I raise my voice so my daughter can hear me in the back seat. The noise levels are louder than those found in the upmarket C-Class or GLC, but they are tolerable for a mass-market SUV.
When the weather gets gusty, the boxy GLB feels susceptible to sidewinds.
All of a sudden, a new horrible rattling noise ensues from the back seat. My daughter has put a plastic water bottle in the armrest’s pop-out cup holder, and the cup holder is clacking like a castanet. We try the second cup holder, but it clatters, too.
With the GLB’s 2024 refresh, Mercedes has changed the steering wheel and cheapened its controls. Older GLBs had metal-capped buttons, scroll wheels and rocker switches for my thumbs, but the new GLB has gone whole-hog for capacitive touch controls. Good grief!
I thumb the capacitive buttons as I set the cruise control and adjust the radio volume. The cruise control on/off thumb buttons work fine for simple clicks, but the strokable volume control is less agreeable; I find it impossible to swipe out the exact amount of volume I want. After several failed attempts—“TOO LOUD, DAD!”— I have to use the rotary dial on the center console to fix my mistake.
It’s hard to know if the GLB’s fault or the terrain’s, but the HD radio channels keep fading in and out. I try to channel surf on the infotainment screen, but the radio takes a second or two before the new channel’s tunes play. It makes it painfully slow to pick a new station. (Is something broken on my loaner?)
While I’m fiddling with the radio app, I realize the GLB’s wide navigation screen is ill-suited to navigation. Due to the screen’s short height and wide width, I see twice as much information on the left and right sides of the route as I do for what’s ahead! The newer portrait-orientation screens that Mercedes has in the EQE and AMG SL make much more sense.
We’ve almost reached our destination. We hop off the highway and zigzag across rural Sonoma County.
The roads approaching my parents’ house are increasingly rough, and the GLB dances over the bumps with the rhythmic, waltzing up-down motions. Thanks to the suspension and seats, I’m comfortably hammering along at five over the speed limit while the tires absorb the pavement pummeling. The GLB hangs on well through the corners and over yumps, but it is ultimately more competent than fun. I could make time on a back road in the GLB, but would never take it out just for a good time.
As we pull into my parents’ driveway, the trip computer reports 27 mpg. It is respectable fuel economy for the 221 hp/258 lb-ft GLB 250, but I would rather be in an EV for silent motoring, constant torque and zero gear changes. Shame I couldn’t beg up an all-electric EQB today!
Regardless, the core strengths of the GLB 250 remain after its 2024 update. Its cabin space and cargo space are generous for a small SUV, it’s easy to use in the city and on the highway, and it’s a comfortable, pleasant vehicle to drive.
(Plus, my kids love the Mercedes ambient lighting; I promise to find a tunnel on the way home so we can watch the glitzy light pipes shine!)
I still recommend the GLB 250 for urban families, but after the MBUX update, I’d suggest cross-shopping the recently refreshed BMW X1, too.
Mike's Steering Column 