Vuyi Mpofu attended the media presentation of the new Mercedes-Benz GLB and shares a bird’s-eye-view of what the compact SUV has to offer.
The new Mercedes-Benz GLB has arrived in South Africa – and it’s aims to redefine the versatile compact SUV market. The new GLB is the first for Mercedes-Benz in the compact segment and is optionally available as a seven-seater. It is powered by completely updated four-cylinder petrol and diesel engines that offer a combination of fuel economy and performance.
The new GLB joins the Mercedes-Benz compact car family of the A-Class Hatch, A-Class Sedan, B-Class, CLA and the GLA.
Powerful proportions with short overhangs and off-road-oriented design, standard LED headlights, as well as 4MATIC all-wheel drive in the GLB 220d make the GLB a versatile SUV and a spacious family car.
With a wheelbase of 2829 millimetres, the GLB is 10cm longer than the new B-Class. The car is 4634 millimetres long, 1834 millimetres wide and 1658 millimetres high.
Driving assistance systems are drawn from the S-Class, with improved camera and radar systems that allow the GLB to see up to 500 metres ahead and drive in semi-automated mode in certain situations.
The MBUX infotainment system (Mercedes-Benz User Experience) offers powerful computer, brilliant screens and graphics, customisable presentation, full-colour head-up display, with optional navigation and augmented reality, learning software, and voice control activated with the prompt “Hey Mercedes”.
South Africans will be able to choose from the GLB 250 and the GLB 220 d 4MATIC at launch. Mercedes-Benz states that the GLB 250 offers a combined fuel consumption 7.4-7.1 l/100 km.
According to the German auto-maker, the two-litre diesel engine in the GLB 220d 4MATIC offers a combined fuel consumption of 5.4-5.1 l/100 km.
Seating variability in detail:
| Variability | Five-seater (Standard) | Seven-seater (Optional) |
| First seat row | Folding front passenger seat (option) | |
| Second seat row | Seat backrest with 40:20:40 folding split | |
| Multi-stage seat backrest inclination adjustment | ||
| Seat row can be moved fore and aft by 140 mm, seat with 40:60 split (option) | Seat row can be moved fore and aft by 140 mm, seat with 40:60 split (standard) | |
| EASY-ENTRY function | ||
| Third seat row | – | Two retractable bucket seats |
The two GLB models at a glance:
| GLB 250 | GLB 220 d 4MATIC | ||
| Transmission | 8G-DCT (automatic) | 8G-DCT (automatic) | |
| Displacement | Cc | 1991/L4 | 1950/L4 |
| Output | kW | 165 | 140 |
| At | Rpm | 5500 | 3800 |
| Peak torque | Nm | 350 | 400 |
| at | Rpm | 1800-4000 | 1600-2600 |
| Combined fuel consumption[1] | l/100 km | 7.4-7.1 | 5.4-5.1 |
| Combined CO2 emissions[1] | g/km | 168 | 144 |
| Acceleration 0-100 km/h | S | 6.9 | 7.6 |
| Top speed | km/h | 236 | 217 |
Priced from:
GLB 250 – R 831 000-00
GLB 220 d 4MATIC R 841 000-00
