SHANGHAI MOTOR SHOW: Mercedes-Benz Concept GLB revealed

Mercedes-Benz has used today’s Shanghai motor show to whip the covers off an all-new seven-seat compact SUV that draws its inspiration from the legendary G-Class off-roader.

The Concept GLB’s global debut follows official teaser images of its interior and front-end design earlier this month, and news of the all-new GLB-Class to slot between the small GLA and mid-size GLC SUVs as early as 2016.

Mercedes-Benz says that while the GLA majors on design and dynamics, the GLB – despite riding on the same compact, front/all-wheel drive transverse-engine platform as the A-, B-, CLA- and GLA-Class – focusses on spaciousness and robustness.

Riding on a 130mm-longer wheelbase (2829mm) than the GLA, which debuted in concept form at the 2013 Shanghai show, the GLB is also 210mm longer (4634mm), 86mm wider (1890mm) and almost 400mm taller with its fixed roof box (1900mm).

"We asked ourselves whether there is still space between the GLA and GLC in our successful SUV range,” said Daimler board member for Mercedes-Benz Cars sales, Britta Seeger.

“The Concept GLB is the answer to this question. With it we are demonstrating the creative ideas we have for this segment, too.

“The Concept GLB is a durable and practical SUV with nonetheless compact dimensions. Whether it is a generous, seven-seater family vehicle or a versatile leisure time companion, we are certain that this concept will be of great interest to our customers.”

The Concept GLB is claimed to feature a number of “sturdy features” that make it feel “right at home on rough farm tracks”.

Distinguished by a bluff front-end punctuated by multi-beam LED headlights, the near-production GLB concept features short front and rear overhangs, a muscular shoulder line, rising waistline, large glasshouse, protective perimeter cladding, black roof-rails, 17-inch off-road tyres and stainless steel-look front and rear under guards.

The concept wears designo cashmere white magno paintwork with a high-gloss black integrated roof box and cladding, contrasting with discreet orange highlights for the grille and wing mirror lettering, and two-tone alloy wheels.

A rear-mounted fixed roof box and LED spotlights attached to a pair of roof frame shrouds are other show-car extras that may not reach production.

Inside, for the first time in a compact Mercedes-Benz model, two additional single seats are stowed via a quick-release function below a flat boot floor, which Benz describes as “far more than emergency seats”, offering “comfortable seating for two medium-sized occupants”.

In addition, the backrest of the middle seat row is 40:20:40 split/folding and can be folded down to create a level load surface and reclines in eight stages, while the seat bases are split 40:60 and can slide fore/aft across 140mm.

Mercedes-Benz is yet to reveal the GLB’s cargo capacity, but just as its overall length is only 22mm shorter than the GLC mid-size SUV, its luggage space is expected to be closer to that of the GLC (550 litres) than the GLA (421).

The GLB-Class dashboard is as per the B-Class, comprising a wide-screen digital instrument display and a free-standing central infotainment array with Mercedes-Benz User Experience – (MBUX) operating system.

However, additions for the concept include “off-road-type” tubular milled aluminium elements for the centre console, climate controls, door panels and internal door-pulls.

For the record, the GLB show car features ‘chestnut brown’ nappa and nubuk leather on the seats, fittings and door panels, while orange trim strips and seams echo the exterior highlights and the dashboard and centre console are lined with open-pored walnut panels with a chiselled honeycomb pattern that fades out towards the edges.

Under the bonnet lies Merc’s 165kW/350Nm M260 four-cylinder petrol engine matched with an 8G-DCT dual-clutch automatic transmission, driving all four wheels via a 4MATIC system with three selectable DYNAMIC SELECT drive modes.

These include ‘Eco/Comfort’ for regular driving, in which torque is split 80/20 per cent front to rear, ‘Sport’ (70/30%) and ‘off-road’, in which the AWD clutch acts as an inter-axle differential lock to distribute torque 50/50. At the rear there’s an electro-mechanically operated multi-plate clutch.

Clearly, Mercedes-Benz plans to sell even more SUVs in future. So far it has sold more than six million high-riders, including over 820,000 last year – more than passenger cars.

At the same time, last year Mercedes-Benz sold more than 609,000 examples of the A-, B-, CLA- and GLA-Class, making one in four cars sold by Mercedes-Benz a compact model.