The is basically a lux Jeep Renegade. In other words, it’s a compact car with an aura of toughness articulated exclusively by its design, but it’s also very practically proportioned and really quite decent to drive around in. Meanwhile, the interior looks like a nightclub on a spaceship. Why not!

(: Mercedes-Benz flew me to Arizona, proved food, coffee, and a very nice hotel room, so I could test drive the GLB SUV and CLA sedan. The other car will be in another post.)

Advertisement

Mercedes-Benz has one of the best sport utility lineups going right now. I’m serious, actually. The GLS is a powerhouse station wagon. The G is genuinely capable off-road... if you put off-road tires on it. But the new GLB, the second-smallest Benz SUV that’s basically just a tall car, might be my new favorite.

Specs That Matter

version hits the U.S., this is not a quick car.

But what it lacks in punch it makes up for in practicality. The GLB has comfortable seating for four adults, viable seating for five, and in a pinch, you really could cart seven people over some distance if you spec the optional third-row seat. Or, if you’ve got two adults and four kids, you might hear plenty of complaining but none of it should be related to legroom.

Advertisement

Mercedes claims a total of 62 cubic feet of cargo space. With the first two rows in place, luggage capacity is cavernous and you should have no problem getting two kids to grandma’s without a roof box. Unfortunately, like all three-row SUVs, it’s going to be tight if you need to haul humans and stuff simultaneously.

Otherwise, the GLB can be very well-equipped, but you’ll have to spec it up if you want all the fun and safety-enhancing features that really make the vehicle stand out. An all-wheel drive GLB rings up below $40,000 before you add options; our car listed at over $57,000 with a long list of toys including everything from ambient lighting to an augmented-reality navigation system, special seating colors, parking assistance, a digital instrument cluster, AMG bodykit, 20-inch wheels, and a suite of driver-assistance features like lane keeping and emergency braking.

If you’re thinking to yourself: “Hey, isn’t a lot of that stuff standard on, like, Hyundais?” Yes. Car options are like hotel Wi-Fi. The fancier the foundation, the more expensive the add-ons.

What’s Great

Advertisement

Mercedes-Benz has masterfully boiled down the look of a large SUV onto a compact platform here. The GLB appears bigger than it is; it looks like it means business. But according to the spec sheet, this SUV is (just a tiny bit) shorter front-to-back than a Honda Civic sedan. Take a closer look at the if you’d like to get a little more granular on the GLB’s dimensions.

But the jewel of the GLB is the human-machine interface. Or, rather, the giant Pentagon control room-style screen array spread across half the dashboard.

Mercedes’ new MBUX software, which is what you have to talk to if you want to get anything done in this car, is reasonably intuitive, highly customizable, and visually gorgeous.

My photography wasn’t good enough to really illustrate just how sleek and sexily-lit the cockpit of this car is, so here’s Mercedes’s own shots of the shiney deets:

Advertisement

What’s Weak

My praise of the GLB’s styling applies to the silhouette and the base model without the AMG appearance package. If you order that, you get stuck with silly front scoops and egregiously overdone rear diffuser slats on the back bumper. God, do they look dumb.

Benz’s 2.0-liter turbo under the hood of this thing can (and has) been tuned up to spit fire, proverbially speaking, in other models but not this one yet. The GLB 250’s never in a hurry. I mean, it keeps up on the highway and if you’ve got some momentum with the snail spooled up, the vehicle can surge from 50 mph to 70 mph in reasonably short order. Just don’t get too excited about skurting off stoplights or making ambitious passes on two-lane roads. Climbing up long hills might also feel a touch arduous.

Advertisement

Early Verdict

Advertisement

The GLB combines two things that are popular right now – SUV styling and highly polished digital controls – and pairs them with good cargo and passenger capacity in a reasonably proportioned car that gets decent fuel economy.

That formula alone should make this thing a hit, but it also happens to have a cool-looking cabin and a well-respected emblem in the grille so I have a feeling we’re going to see a lot of these on the road in short order.

I’m on board with that. In fact, I could see myself driving one, maybe with a light bar and some rally wheels if I could find any that fit, to give it the “modded Crosstrek” treatment. I think I’ll wait for the AMG-tuned variant, though. Then again, I said that about the GLK, too. (Another great small SUV design that’s aged well!)

Advertisement

If you’re considering a larger SUV, I’d suggest you take a close look at the GLB. It should satisfy the styling needs you’re hungry for and you might be surprised just how well utilized the interior space is here.

2020 GLB 250 4MATIC

2020 GLB 250 4MATIC

+

Design, infotainment

-

Performance, big delta in list and optioned-up price

TL;DR

A cool-looking little SUV with Mercedes lux and compact car personality

Power

221 HP • 258 LB-FT

Weight

3,759 LBS (5 Pax; AWD)

Price

$38,600 List • $57,475 As Tested