Mercedes-Benz GLB to be petrol-only
No diesel for all-new mid-size Mercedes-Benz SUV in AustraliaThe all-new Mercedes-Benz GLB-Class will arrive Down Under exclusively with turbo-petrol engines – and perhaps even seven seats – from mid-2020.
The new ‘white space’ mid-size SUV model slots into the Mercedes-Benz line-up between the GLA and GLC and will be the sixth SUV from the German luxury brand.
Built on a modified version of the MFA II compact platform that also underpins the new-generation A-Class, the GLB is also the eighth model to be launched from the front/all-wheel drive architecture.
Both Mercedes-Benz and Mercedes-AMG variants of the GLB-Class will be offered locally. Mercedes-Benz Australia (MBAu) is currently negotiating pricing and equipment with head office.
It is the local operation’s intention to offer seven seats as standard on all GLB models in Australia.
The all-turbo, all-petrol range will kick off with a 1.33-litre front-drive Mercedes-Benz GLB 200 and will be topped off by the powered-up, all-wheel-drive Mercedes-AMG GLB 35 4MATIC.
The volume-seller is expected to be the mid-range Mercedes-Benz GLB 250 4MATIC.
Mechanically, save for a stretched wheelbase, the GLB models are essentially identical to their A-Class and CLA-Class counterparts.
There is no plan for a Mercedes-AMG 45 version of the GLB, nor any plug-in hybrids. Instead, a GLB-based EQB battery-electric model will debut in 2021.
Although turbo-diesel versions of A-Class, B-Class and GLA-Class models were offered in their first generations, the most recent rollout for the compact Mercedes models has been petrol only.
“We monitor customer demand and the trend is very much pro-petrol in this segment,” Mercedes-Benz Australia/Pacific spokesperson Ryan Lewis told carsales.
“At this stage we have no plans to add turbo-diesel models to the [GLB] line-up,” he stated.
According to Lewis, discussions are ongoing regarding local specification and pricing.
“We are yet to finalise pricing or final specifications for the local GLB models. We’re keen to lock in three rows for all grades but that’s still a work in progress,” he said.
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