At almost every car launch, car companies drag out the new motor’s designer to explain why he put this curve there, that crease here and generally tell us why the car looks the way it does.
Usually we’ve made up our minds about the car’s styling anyway, for good or bad.
Sometimes the presentation can go on for half an hour and it can be difficult to keep awake during a 10-minute lecture on the shape of the wheel arch.
The designer who gave us a talk on this new Mercedes-Benz GLB had his work cut out to keep my attention.
The explanation went on for some time but I’d already worked out the new Mercedes SUV’s styling features for myself: it is essentially a rectangle with rounded off corners. A bit like Postman Pat’s van but a lot posher.
Mercedes showed a concept version of the GLB at the Shanghai motor show earlier this year.
That car featured a selection of Tonka-like body kit parts and details that made the car look a lot more purposeful than it does now in production form.
The GLB isn’t an ugly car, just extremely bland.
Mercedes will point out that one of the chief selling points of the GLB is that it comes standard with seven seats.
In fact there is only one model that comes with only with five seats fitted and that’s the GLB 220d 4Matic AMG Line Premium, which is one of the more expensive variants.
Mercedes will have done its research into this, but I’m not so sure seven seats are that useful – and especially in this car.
Put the third row of seats up and you lose most of the useful luggage space, and you will only be able to fit quite small children onto the seats themselves.
I’ll wager that most GLB owners will rarely use the full seven seats.
You have a pick of three engines, four if you include the AMG version. There’s a 1.3-litre 163bhp four-cylinder petrol in the GLB 200, and a 2.0-litre diesel with either 150bhp in the GLB 200d or 190bhp in the GLB 220d.
The first of those is offered only with front-wheel drive, the second with a choice of 2wd and 4wd, and the last only in 4Matic 4x4 spec.
There’s also an AMG version of the car called the GLB 35.
The cheapest GLB is the petrol 200 at £34,200, but we’ll focus on the GLB 220d 4Matic AMG Line Premium at £42,950.
The advantage of the GLB’s boxy styling is that it’s easy to get in and out of. The car is based on the same platform used for the A-Class and the A-derived GLA but is 100mm longer in the wheelbase.
It sits between the GLA and the slightly bigger GLC.
Step inside and you’ll find the same dashboard layout as the A-Class – and that’s no bad thing since that gives you Mercedes’ excellent full-width digital screen.
All the controls will be familiar to the A-Class driver and, as you’d expect, fit and finish is excellent. There’s plenty of legroom front and back with a rear seat that not only splits 40/20/40 but which can also be slid back and forth over a range of 140mm.
Again the boxy shape pays a dividend and that’s in headroom. I suspect the amount of hat room is class-leading.
Another GLB strong point is its refinement. The diesel engine is quiet and smooth and works well with the standard 8-speed automatic gearbox.
There’s very little wind or road noise and best of all, ride comfort is very impressive, more so than the A-Class thanks to having a longer wheelbase and longer travel suspension.
At the car’s launch we got the chance to drive the GLB on an off-road course. Rest assured this car easily tackles terrain no owner would drive a 40 grand car across.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Mercedes doesn’t offer some of the off-road styling bits that were on the concept car, especially if there’s widespread criticism of the GLB looking too boxy and dull.
The best version is the one we’ve tested, and if you don’t have an issue with how it looks, you’ll appreciate it for its space, comfort and refinement.
THE FACTS
Mercedes-Benz GLB 220d 4Matic five door SUV
Price: £42,950
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbodiesel, 190bhp
0-62mph: 7.6sec
Fuel: 44-48.7mpg
Co2: 135g/km
THE RIVALS
Audi Q3 40 TDI Edition 1
Better looking but doesn’t have seven seats.
BMW X3 xDrive 2.0i SE
Like the Audi it demolishes the Merc on looks.
Volvo XC60 R-Design B4
Like all Volvos today, great design inside and out.
