2020 Mercedes Benz GLB SUV

At a bit over 4.6 metres long, the 2020 Mercedes Benz GLB is a luxury compact SUV like no other.  The GLB is brand new from the ground up and happily struts its stuff as Merc’s smallest luxury SUV.  I’m a big fan of the upright, boxy styling.  There’s a hint of VW Tiguan about the exterior lines, except Mercedes have finished its SUV with a very nice styling at the back end, where the taillights look more streamlined and in balance with the sportier GLB experience.

2020 Mercedes Benz GLB SUV

Slip inside, and breath-taking styling and features are all about the latest GLB.  I know us auto journalists harp on about Merc’s floating dash, but quite honestly it is a real design plus for any owner, any driver, any occupant.  The new Mercedes Benz MBUX Multmedia system is absolutely amazing.  It not only looks space age but it is so classy and full of modern technology, and yet it remains simple to use.  You can answer calls, listen to your favourite songs and charge your smartphone wirelessly with the Qi system.  The smartphone integration links the mobile phone with the media system via Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, and this gives you convenient access to the most important apps on your smartphone.  We’re all big smartphone users, and I bet many of you are Spotify listeners.  With Mercedes, you can also use apps from third-party providers such as Spotify quickly and easily.  Natural-speech voice control can also be extended to Mercedes-Benz online services, so you can keep up-to-date with weather information or internet radio, and even control vehicle functions such as the air conditioning via Merc’s clever Voice Commands.   With so-called themed displays, the glass dash and cabin can be adjusted to personal pre-configured ambience settings.

Five star safety is part of the Mercedes experience, so features like Active Distance Assist automatically assists with regulating the distance from the vehicle in front.  In conjunction with Speed Limit Assist, the camera and navigation data provide you with an overview of the current speed limit, so you can be informed of each speed limit change as you travel.  Active Brake Assist issues a visual and audible warning about any impending collision.  If you then brake too gently, it automatically applies additional braking power for the situation in question.  Blind Spot Assist has an overview for you during lane changes to help you detect objects in the car’s blind spot.

With the Driving Assistance Package there are some new features like The MULTIBEAM LED light system with 18 LEDs per headlamp.  Adaptive Highbeam Assist Plus masks out precisely the area where there is an oncoming or preceding vehicle.  Also on board are lighting functions for city mode, country mode, motorway mode, active light function and cornering light function.

Active Parking Assist with PARKTRONIC guidance is a system that not only is able to find parking spaces but it also helps you to enter and leave them. With the new Mercedes Benz GLB SUV you enjoy a 360 degree view around the vehicle and you have the added pleasure of a reversing camera as standard.

The compact GLB SUV still has an imposing presence on the road: it is a Merc after all. Three models of the 2020 Mercedes Benz GLB are available, two of which come standard with the fully variable 4MATIC all-wheel drive system that engages as required.  The off-road drive mode optimises traction on dirt roads or loose surfaces. The Off-road Engineering Package gets your new Mercedes Benz GLB 4MATIC ready for off-road terrain: the additional Off-Road drive mode optimises traction for conditions like snow, slush, sand or loose surfaces.

Mercedes Benz GLB SUVs come with a suspension that has adjustable damping.  The system delivers constant monitoring of the road and your driving style to deliver the excitement for sporty drives or high comfort. At the press of a button, DYNAMIC SELECT offers different drive modes with pre-configured settings for the engine, transmission, chassis and steering.  So, in “Sport” mode, the vehicle is more dynamic and in the basic “Comfort” mode, its set-up is very balanced and refined. “ECO” mode, on the other hand, places the emphasis on maximum efficiency.

Three rows of seats make room for seven on-board the desirable GLB.  The second row seats have forward and backward adjustment, there is hands free access to the boot, and you can even get your new Mercedes Benz GLB SUV with climate controlled seating – how lovely is that.  Luggage space for the five-seater comes in at 570 litres, although this does drop to 500 litres for the seven-seat model because the boot isn’t as deep once the extra chairs are folded into the floor.  Access to the boot can also be via a mere sweep of the right foot.

Mercedes Benz GLB SUV luggage space, seven seats down.

2020 Mercedes Benz GLB SUV luggage space five seater.

The 2020 Mercedes Benz GLB Class comes with three engines: the GLB 200, the GLB 250 4MATIC, the GLB 350 4MATIC.  The GLB 200 and the GLB 250 are designed to run on 95 unleaded, while you have to stretch to the 98 unleaded for the GLB 350 4MATIC.

As a completely competent compact SUV workhorse, the GLB 200 is a very adequate choice.  On all accounts, the 1.3-litre Turbo motor that drives the front wheels feels refined and powerful enough for all that the everyday motoring world can throw its way.  You have 250 Nm of torque on tap from just 1620 rpm, 120 kW at the top end, and the 0-100 km/h dash takes a little over nine seconds (unloaded).  Add a few porky office workers, and the small engine has to work pretty hard to force the issue.  Not that there are many roads that you can do the top speed on, but for what it’s worth the GLB200 runs up to 207 km/h flat out – probably without the porky office workers on-board, mind you!

The next on the list is the Mercedes Benz GLB 250 4MATIC.  This choice of engine brings added punch and creamier cruising ability.  While also an inline four-cylinder, the bigger 2.0-litre capacity and extra output makes a difference, especially if you don’t like sitting behind slow vehicles for too long.  Much more suited to haul a GLB full of porky office workers, this engine also feels sportier and smoother.  With its 165 kW of peak power, and its 350 Nm of torque available from 1800 rpm, this is a nice match for the GLB design.  Yes, it accelerates quickly (0-100 km/h in around 7 seconds), and, yes, it’s faster (236 km/h top speed), however, the overall experience in this model is more relaxed because of it, and the entertainment value goes up a notch or two, something the driving enthusiast should consider.

This leaves the Mercedes Benz GLB 350 4MATIC.  Whether porky office workers are on-board or not, the 350 engine pulls strongly whatever the revs and will happily outrun most road goers given its full potential.  There are plenty of horses under the bonnet (306 of them) which make 225 kW of tarmac rubber marking potential, and then the torque factor pulls strong at low revs, coming into the sweet zone in the mid-range (400 Nm between 3000 and 4000 rpm).  A sprint to 100 km/h from a standstill takes a mere 5.2 seconds, and the top speed is governed at 250 km/h.

It won’t be the cheapest compact/small SUV you can buy but it will be one of the most luxurious. All three models come out with a comprehensive standard feature list.  This gets added to with various options, choices and packages; so the end result will be a GLB that’s totally ‘you’.

2020 Mercedes Benz GLB SUV

The 2020 Mercedes Benz GLB models will include the:

• GLB 200
• GLB 250 4MATIC
• GLB 350 4MATIC

For any more information on the Mercedes Benz GLB compact SUV or, for that matter, any other new car, contact one of our friendly consultants on 1300 303 181.  If you’d like some fleet discount pricing (yes even for private buyers!), we can submit vehicle quote requests out to our national network of Mercedes Benz dealers and come back with pricing within 24 hours.  Private Fleet – car buying made easy!