New Audi Q3 and BMW X1 rival is available in five and seven-seat forms, with prices starting from £34,200
Mercedes-Benz has detailed UK pricing and specifications of its new GLB compact SUV, which is available to order now from £34,200.
The range opens with the GLB 200 Sport, which features seven seats as standard. A turbocharged 1.3-litre petrol engine sends 161bhp and 184lb ft to the front wheels through a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox. This model can accelerate from 0-62mph in 9.1sec and on to a top speed of 129mph and is capable of 47.1mpg on the WLTP combined cycle. Standard equipment includes 18in five-spoke alloy wheels, 7.0in digital instrument and infotainment displays, heated front seats, automatic emergency braking and intelligent speed limit assistance.
Prices rise to £35,700 for AMG Line trim, which can be specced with either the 1.3-litre turbo petrol or a 2.0-litre diesel engine available with front or four-wheel-drive. Additional kit over Sport includes 19in alloy wheels, AMG-inspired exterior styling, tinted rear windows, a sports steering wheel and sports seats.
The four-cylinder diesel unit makes 148bhp and 236lb ft in the GLB 200d and 187bhp and 295lb ft in the GLB 220d 4Matic. It emits between 137 and 169g/km of CO2 and achieves fuel economy of between 51.3 and 57.6mpg.
AMG Line Premium adds power-folding door mirrors, a tow bar, keyless ignition, a larger infotainment display and a 180deg parking camera for £38,700. It’s the only model in the range that can be ordered with just five seats.
AMG Line Premium Plus trim heads up the range, priced from £41,700. Buyers receive multibeam LED headlights with adaptive high-beam assist, a panoramic sunroof, electric front seats with adjustable lumbar support and a comprehensive roster of advanced driver assistance systems.
First customer deliveries of the GLB are expected in December.
The GLB is the eighth in Mercedes’ compact range and differs from its direct class rivals in offering both five and seven-seat layouts. Mercedes says it has been designed to offer class-leading versatility to appeal more to family car buyers than the smaller GLA.
The production version of the new SUV retains the upright lines of the earlier Concept GLB revealed at the Shanghai motor show back in April, albeit without some of the rugged exterior styling elements.
Based on Mercedes’s MFA II platform, the GLB features a MacPherson strut front and multi-link rear suspension with optional adaptive damping. It measures 4634mm in length, 1834mm in width and 1658mm in height, making it 21mm longer, 56mm narrower and 20mm taller than the recently facelifted GLC. It has a wheelbase of 2829mm, which is 100mm longer than the B-Class MPV.
While it has lost many of the rugged styling feature from the concept version, the GLB retains a square, angular style inspired by the larger G-Class, including short overhangs at the front and rear, and a new headlight design. Multibeam LED headlights and LED for lights are both available as options.
Inside, the GLB receives a uniquely styled dashboard with an aluminium-look ‘tubular’ lower element. It features Mercedes’ widescreen cockpit, consisting of a single digital panel housing the instruments and infotainment functions. It is controlled by the latest version of the MBUX interface.
Mercedes-Benz claims best in class front seat headroom of 1035mm and 967mm of rear leg room when in five-seat form.
The five-seat version has 560 litres of boot space, 140 more than the Q5 and 55 larger than the X1, which can be expanded to 1755 litres with the 40:20:40 second-row of seats folded.
In seven-seat form, with two extra seats that can be folded into the boot floor, the GLB features an easy entry function.
The four-wheel-drive GLB 220d 4Matic is available with an optional Off-Road Engineering Package, including multibeam LED headlights, hill start and descent assistance and an additional off-road driving mode, which includes a special infotainment display showing gradient, incline angle and technical settings.
Further models, including the hot GLB 35 4Matic and GLB 45 4Matic+ from AMG, are due next year.
Also under development is a four-wheel-drive plug-in hybrid variant, featuring an electrified rear axle and a pure electric range that Mercedes sources tip to greatly exceed 31 miles. The GLB will also form the basis of a full electric EQB, due to arrive in 2021.
UK-bound GLBs will be produced at a joint venture plant operated by Mercedes-Benz and the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance in Aguascalientes, Mexico. The model will also be produced in China for that market.
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Source: Autocar
