Mercedes-Benz GLB-Class revealed

The all-new Mercedes-Benz GLB-Class SUV has been revealed following its preview in concept form in April and a series of official teaser images and spy shots as recently as last week.

What’s more, the sixth SUV model line from Mercedes-Benz (following the G, GLA, GLC, GLE and GLS), has been confirmed for release in Australia during the third quarter of next year.

Positioned between the GLA and GLC -- which last year overtook the C-Class to become the top-selling Mercedes model and Australia’s favourite luxury vehicle, period – the GLB appears to set to be in big demand Down Under.

Boxier than the GLA and GLC with which it shares its front/all-wheel drive MFA compact-car platform, the GLB will be available with five and seven seats, and measures 4634mm long, 1834mm wide and 1658mm high (1662mm for the seven-seat version).

That makes it a whole 210mm longer (and 86mm wider) than the 4.42m-long GLA, almost as big as the 4.66m-long GLC and larger than, say, the 4.59m-long Land Rover Discovery Sport seven-seater.

Pitched as a versatile and spacious family SUV, the GLB is the biggest of now eight models based on the MFA platform and its 2829mm wheelbase is 100mm longer than that of the B-Class and 130mm longer than the GLA’s.

Mercedes claims class-leading headroom of 1035mm, 967mm of rear legroom in the five-seater and space for body heights of up to 168cm in the two individual third-row seats.

Occupants in the twin third-row seats get side window airbags, retractable head restraints, seat belt tensioners and ISOFIX and top-tether child seat anchors, plus twin central cup-holders and outboard storage compartments housing USB ports.

The rear seat stows flat into the floor of the cargo area, which can swallow a sizeable 560 litres (10 more than the GLC and 139 more than the GLA), expanding to a huge 1755 litres with the middle row folded in five-seat versions. No boot capacity behind the third row is listed, but it looks tight in the pictures.

Other storage solutions include a 40/20/40-split middle row that slides 140mm longitudinally, EASY-ENTRY functionality for seven-seat models and the option of a folding front passenger seat.

Like other MFA models, the GLB rides on MacPherson strut front and multi-link rear suspension and all but the entry-level front-drive model is fitted with a 4MATIC permanent all-wheel drive with fully-variable torque distribution via a rear axle differential with integrated, electro-mechanically operated multi-plate clutch.

It has three modes selectable by the DYNAMIC SELECT switch: Eco/Comfort (in which torque is split 80/20 front/rear), Sport (70/30) and Off-road (50/50).

Also standard for 4MATIC models is the Off-Road Engineering Package, which adds another off-road mode, as well as gradient, inclination and other vehicle operations in the media display and Downhill Speed Regulation (DSR) between 2 and 18km/h.

When MULTIBEAM LED headlights are specified, it also brings a special of-road lighting function that keeps the cornering lights on at speeds up to 50km/h.

The Australian model range is far from being confirmed, but when it goes on sale in Europe at the end of this year, the GLB will be available with five transverse turbocharged four-cylinder engines – two petrol and three diesel – matched exclusively to dual-clutch automatic transmissions.

For now, the warmed-over Mercedes-AMG GLB 35 model with 225kW/400Nm, which was spotted repeatedly in testing, won’t be among them. And there won’t be a Mercedes-AMG GLB 45 powered by the world’s most powerful four-cylinder production engine.

Opening the range will be the GLB 200, powered by the M282 120kW/250Nm 1.33-litre petrol engine seen in the A-Class, matched to a seven-speed DCT, consuming 6.0-6.2L/100km and hitting 100km/h in a claimed 9.1 seconds.

Next up is the GLB 250 4MATIC, with the M260 165kW/350Nm 2.0-litre petrol engine, matched to Daimler’s new eight-speed DCT, consuming 7.2-7.4L/100km and hitting 100km/h in 6.9sec.

All three 2.0-litre turbo diesel engines come with the 8G-DCT auto but the base model is front-wheel drive.

The GLB 200d produces 110kW/320Nm, consumes 4.9-5.0L/100km and hits 100km/h in 9.0sec; the GLB 200d 4MATIC has the same outputs but is 0.3-0.5L/100km thirstier and 0.3sec slower to 100km/h; the GLB 250d 4MATIC makes 140kW/400Nm, hits 100km/h in 7.6 and consumes the same 5.2-5.5L/100km as the GLB 200d AWD.

To be built in Mexico and China, the GLB wears off-road friendly proportions – including an upright front-end and short front and rear overhangs – and all-round protective cladding.

Inside, there’s a familiar widescreen cockpit display based on the MBUX (Mercedes-Benz User Experience) infotainment platform, but this time with an aluminium-look tubular element underlining the instrument panel and three round centre air-vents.

Climate controls made to look like they’ve been milled from a solid aluminium cylinder add to the GLB’s robust design and the solid SUV theme continues with horizontal door elements designed to resemble machined alloy tubing.

In Europe, optional technologies will include LED High Performance headlights and MULTIBEAM LED headlights, LED fog lights, Active Distance Assist DISTRONIC, Active Steering Assist, Active Lange Change Assist, Active Parking Assist with PARKTRONIC and adaptive adjustable damping.

There’s also ENERGIZING comfort control, which works with the Mercedes-Benz vivoactive 3 smartwatch or another compatible Garmin wearable to choose musical and lighting themes to suit your mood.