Rugged-looking SUV is seen in near-production form in Shanghai before reaching showrooms toward the end of the year.
It looks like the real stuff…
The Concept GLB from Mercedes-Benz has made its world premiere at the Shanghai motor show this week.
The Concept GLB is virtually the actual car for the showroom by the year’s end, although it has been spiced up for the sake of show.
Take away those spotlights and compartment on the roof, replace the all-terrain tyres with more road-biased ones and remove the concept moniker, and voila.
The same goes for the interior which has been made attractive with suede leather everywhere. Expect it to be replaced with more cost-effective materials.
Due to its upright stance (reminiscing the GLK of yore), the Concept GLB features a third-row option that’s claimed to offer enough comfort and ease of entry and exit.
Is it based on the A-Class?
The Concept GLB is built around the mechanicals of Mercedes-Benz’s family of small cars: front/all-wheel drive and transversely laid-out engines.
Other members include the A-Class sedan and hatch, B-Class high-roof hatch, CLA sporty four-door, CLA Shooting Brake and GLA SUV (which has yet to be renewed in second-gen form).
Although several engines will eventually be made available in the production-ready GLB, Mercedes-Benz has revealed a new transmission.
Coupled to the M260-designated 2.0-litre petrol-turbo engine (M264 is for longitudinal and rear/all-wheel drive cars like the C- and E-Class) is a new eight-speed dual-clutch automatic; the GLB’s other siblings has one less forward ratio.
The M260 unit produces 224hp and 350Nm driving all four wheels via the brand’s 4Matic system. In Comfort mode, torque is split 80:20 front/rear; Sport 70:30 and Off-Road 50:50.
A hybrid version is also said to be on the cards, as well as a full-electric variant set to be called EQB.
Will it be priced between the GLA and GLC?
That’s likely the case, meaning that the real GLB should cost anywhere between 2.5 to three million baht in Thailand with a four-cylinder engine, be it petrol or diesel.
The GLB is set to be a crucial SUV for Mercedes because it can capture more than one set of buyers. Apart from offering a practical SUV package, the GLB has seven seats in the style of an MPV.
But because MPVs aren’t in vogue anymore, Mercedes has found it easier to inject such kind of versatility into an SUV.
To put it in another way, the GLB could be luring those who might have considered the BMW 2 Series Gran Tourer MPV, which has already prematurely perished in Thailand. At the moment, BMW has no answer for the GLB.
