Mercedes-Benz GLB review

A seven-seat crossover, available as battery-electric (reviewed here) and mild-hybrid petrol. As cars predictably do with passing generations, it has grown. It's now 10cm longer than the previous GLB and the bulking-up certainly smites you when you encounter it in the metal. Seven seats are standard.

This is one of the early members of Mercedes's latest-generation smallish car family. They're designed, Mercedes says, as 'electric first' – in other words no compromises in the proportions to fit the engine. The rear passenger floor is flat and the wheelbase long.

It comes as a RWD single-motor called 250+, or twin-motor AWD called 350 4Matic. And it'll do SUV-ish things: there are off-road modes and the 4Matic one will tow a two-tonne trailer.

It's not modest. That grille (well, not grille as it's a solid panel) has a thoroughly immodest 94 stars. They light up at night and you can't turn them off. Historically the best Mercedes design has carried a haughty subtlety. This is as flash as a pitbull with gold teeth.

What else is out there?

Interesting question. If you really need seven seats, you get choice by going large. Really large. Volvo EX90, Hyundai Ioniq 9 and Kia EV9. The Peugeot e-5008 is a similar size to the Mercedes and can be had with a big battery for even more range. But it doesn't lean so much into SUV-land.

So how big is it?

In numbers, the GLB is 4.73m long. In human measures, big enough to fit (just) seven 6ft people. But of course you won't be carrying that many people that height, so if there are a couple of folk shorter you can slide one-third or two-thirds of the middle row forwards to make more space out back.

Carrying seven people and everyone's bags, you'll resort to a roof box as the rails can support 75kg. That boot's a useful 540 litres if you don't need the rear seats. Plus there's a frunk big enough for two airline overhead locker wheelie cases under the bonnet.

Will everyone be comfy?

Once they've divided up the space, likely yes. It has a relaxed ride and soaks up coarse surfaces nonchalantly. Adaptive dampers are standard if you've got 20-inch wheels and they're able to stop the body floating on longer undulations, a boon in avoiding carsickness.

The interior furniture is very nicely finished. Strangely, the things that look most flash – the screen surrounds and backlit fake-metal vents – actually feel most flimsy to the touch.

Ok that’s everyone else taken care of. What about the driver?

It goes down the road with the dignity of your stereotypical Mercedes. Steering, brakes and throttle have slight initial cushion – like they're checking you really want to disturb the car – and then progressive actions. It's satisfying but never exhilarating to drive, but that tendency to smooth considered progress should mean you don't get yelled at or vomited on.

As for power, you've got 268bhp in the 250+ RWD, which emerges as a 7.4-second canter from 0-62mph. In the twin-motor 350 4Matic it swells to 349bhp, giving you a veritable sprint of 5.5 seconds.

How far can a chubber like this go on a battery?

Further than you'd think perhaps. For a start, it's not, by EV standards, too weighty. The RWD is 2,200kg, the 4WD 80kg more. Also it's surprisingly aerodynamic, at Cd 0.26 multiplied by an acre of frontal area. Most importantly, the driveline is efficient.

It uses the same powertrain as Mercedes’ impressively far-travelling CLA. That means an 85kWh battery and WLTP electric range, spec dependent, of 349 to 379 miles.

For a sense of what it costs to push along an SUV, the CLA saloon or Shooting Brake will go up to 480 miles WLTP on the same energy.

In the single-motor GLB 250+ on 20-inch wheels we saw 3.3 mi/kWh in a mixed trip in spring weather, driving in a hurry. That means 280 miles range. We reckon 300 is an easy target. The second motor costs only about 10 miles. Er, provided you don't actually make use of the power.

Remember the WLTP range is measured at a predetermined speed profile of gentle acceleration and slowing; imagine a baby Leapmotor in convoy with a Taycan Turbo.

Because The GLB has an 800V system, it'll recharge blazing-fast: 10-80 per cent in 22 minutes at a 350kW post. Or it'll pull in 150 miles WLTP in a 10-minute pitstop while you do toilet and coffee. Battery energy-to-weight ratio is improved thanks to a proportion of silicon in the graphite anode. Inverter and motors are all-new.

The rear motor, whether in the standard or 4Matic, has a two-speed transmission so it doesn't have to rev inefficiently high at motorway speed where you do most of your miles.

It's going to take a big family to stretch a GLB's capacity. It's a seven-seater not a 5+2. If it's carrying six or less there's enough for a couple of good-size bags each. But it's just about compact enough not to be a total liability in city streets and parking spaces.

It also goes a long way. Someone's going to need a comfort stop before the battery's flat, and while they go about their business the battery will be chugging in new charge at an impressive lick.

Mercedeses makes a whole big thing about the connectivity and passenger screen and AI capabilities, but honestly we can't see they're any more than a gimmick. Has no-one among all these passengers got data on their phone?

But under it all it feels solid and expensive. It moves quietly with assurance. It's not setting out to excite you, but to feel trustworthy. A true Mercedes.