X247 Mercedes-Benz GLB coming to Malaysia in 2020 – all you need to know about the 7-seat compact SUV

Mercedes-Benz first unveiled the GLB earlier in June this year and has now released a plethora of details and photos of the SUV following the conclusion of an international media drive held recently in Andalusia, Spain. The GLB is parked under the German automaker’s compact vehicle range that includes the A-Class, CLA and GLA, and rides on the MFA2 architecture.

We’ve already had a chance to sample the GLB during said international media drive recently, and will be bringing you a review of the SUV in due time. It’s confirmed that the GLB will make its way to Malaysia, although it isn’t certain when an official launch will take place or what variants will be offered to customers here, so stay tuned. In the meantime, enjoy this rather large gallery of photos, and let us know what you think of the GLB in the comments below.

The GLB is the first compact vehicle from Mercedes-Benz to be offered with seven seats spread across three rows, with a five-seat option with two rows also available. Despite its positioning in the line-up, the SUV isn’t exactly “compact,” if the dimensions are anything to go by.

Measuring 4,634 mm long, 1,834 mm wide, 1,659 mm (five-seater) or 1,663 mm (seven-seater) tall, and with a 2,829 mm wheelbase, the GLB is closer to the GLC in terms of size. For comparison, the GLC is 4,656 mm long, 1,890 mm wide, 1,639 mm tall and has a 2,873 mm wheelbase. Meanwhile, the outgoing GLA is 4,417 mm long, 1,804 mm wide, 1,494 mm tall and has a 2,699 mm wheelbase.

The height of the GLB has its benefits, as there’s a substantial amount of space inside the cabin, with a headroom of 1,069 mm at the front, 999 mm (five-seater) or 982 mm (seven-seater) in the second row and 884 mm in the third row – the company says the third row accommodates people up to a height of 1.68 metres comfortably.

Legroom is also rather decent, with 1,045 mm available at the front, 967 mm (five-seater) or 937 mm (seven-seater) in the second row, and 740 mm in the third row. You also have 570 litres (five-seater) or 130 litres (seven-seater) of boot space with all the seats in their default position, and 1,805 litres (five-seater) or 1,680 litres (seven-seater) when they are folded down (40:20:40 split-folding and sliding second row seats and 50:50 split-folding third row seats).

It’s clear that practicality is one of main points of the GLB, and the styling reflects that. Unlike its other siblings like the GLA, GLC, GLE and GLS, the GLB is boxier in appearance, with an upright front end that features rectangular-shaped headlamps flanking a six-point grille, a less curvaceous roofline, as well as a rather vertical rear end. The company’s designers did give the GLB a unique cue not seen on its other SUV models, and that is slight kink on the side window line near the rear doors.

This utilitarian look is complemented by off-road-oriented cues that are typical of SUVs, including protective black body cladding, decorative skid plates, roof rails and door frames that cover the sills to prevent mud or dirt from making contact with clothing during ingress or egress.

The GLB is offered with a number of equipment packages with the entry-level, Style and Progressive options all featuring a twin-louvre front grille (with active shutters), while the AMG Line gets a diamond radiator grille with a single louvre, along with decorative fins in the corner “inlets.” The performance-focused GLB 35 variant is fitted with a Panamericana grille instead, which is shaped slightly different from the rest of the range.

There’s also an Edition 1 package available for a limited time, is similar to the Style and Progressive lines, but with high-gloss black louvres, roof rails and side mirrors, matte chrome skid plates and window line trim, dedicated badging, as well as orange accents on the wheels.

Inside, you’ll find a familiar dashboard layout seen on other Mercedes-Benz compact models, with turbine-style air vents and a widescreen display panel, but there are off-road elements like a a large tubular trim piece, which is repeated along the centre console and the horizontal grab handles on the doors.

The Mercedes-Benz User Experience (MBUX) infotainment system is also another highlight of the cabin, with three physical controls – steering wheel, touchscreen and touchpad – available to occupants, along with a voice assistant that is triggered by saying “Hey Mercedes.” The seven-seat version also gets a one-touch Easy Entry function that makes it easier to tip and slide the second-row seats for easier access to the third row, where you’ll find additional cupholders and USB-C ports.

As for available engines, the petrol camp includes the GLB 200 that uses a Renault-derived M282 1.33 litre turbocharged four-cylinder with 163 PS (161 hp) at 5,500 rpm and 250 Nm of torque from 1,620 to 4,000 rpm. This is mated to a 7G-DCT seven-speed dual-clutch transmission driving the front wheels, which is good for a century sprint time of 9.1 seconds and 207 km/h top speed.

Higher up, there’s the GLB 250 4Matic with a M260 2.0 litre turbo-four producing 224 PS (221 hp) from 5,500 to 6,100 rpm and 350 Nm from 1,800 to 4,000 rpm. The mill is paired with an 8G-DCT unit and the company’s 4Matic all-wheel drive system for a top speed of 236 km/h and zero to 100 km/h time of 6.9 seconds.

There’s also the Mercedes-AMG GLB 35 4Matic that is powered by an uprated version of the M260 with 306 PS (302 hp) from 5,800 to 6,100 rpm and 400 Nm from 3,000 to 4,000 rpm. This variant gets an AMG-tuned Speedshift DCT eight-speed transmission – the first of the 35 series cars to get it – and 4Matic system. As the most powerful option, zero to 100 km/h sprint takes 5.2 seconds and the top speed is governed at 250 km/h.

For oil burners, there’s the OM654q 2.0 litre turbodiesel that is fitted to the GLB 180 d (116 PS or 114 hp, 280 Nm), GLB 200 d and GLB 200 d 4Matic (both with 150 PS or 148 hp, 320 Nm) and the GLB 220 d 4Matic (190 PS or 188 hp, 400 Nm). All diesel variants get the 8G-DCT by default, with all-wheel drive for 4Matic models.

The standard suspension setup here involves MacPherson struts at the front and a four-link rear axle, with comfort suspension and steel springs being the default. An option here is the Adaptive Damping System that adds on electronically-adjustable dampers in place of the passive ones, with Comfort and Sport modes (this is standard on the GLB 35). It should also be noted the non-AMG variants have ride height of 200 mm, while the GLB 35 is pegged at 180 mm.

Also available as an option is the Off-Road Engineering package, which comes with another Off-road drive programme (selectable via Dynamic Select) that adjusts power delivery and the ABS controller for rough roads. The package also activates the cornering lights permanently in this mode for cars equipped with Multibeam LED headlamps, includes a Downhill Speed Regulation (DSR) or hill descent control function, and adds on additional displays for the instrument panel and head-up display.

Finally, the GLB is available with a number of safety and driving assistance systems that are part of the Driving Assistance Package. These systems include Active Distance Assist Distronic, Active Steer Assist, Active Speed Limit Assist, Evasive Steering Assist, Active Lane Keeping Assist, Active Blind Spot Assist, Active Brake Assist and Pre-Safe Plus. Based on the existing systems on Mercedes-Benz models sold here, we expect the autonomous emergency braking system to be a standard fitment for our market.

X247 Mercedes-AMG GLB 35 4Matic

X247 Mercedes-AMG GLB 250 4Matic

X247 Mercedes-AMG GLB 220d 4Matic

X247 Mercedes-AMG GLB 200d 4Matic

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