Mercedes-Benz is cooking up an “all-new” GLB, and will premiere it in full on December 8.
While a lot of the glamor goes to the G-Class and Mercedes’ larger SUVs, entry-level models like the GLA and indeed the GLB are what many folks actually buy. It’s fitting for the automaker to introduce a second-generation model, then, since the first has been on sale for six years now. Here, Mercedes teased the new GLB undergoing cold weather testing in Germany, and we get a cheeky look at the interior as well.
To absolutely no one’s surprise, the second-gen Mercedes-Benz GLB rocks a remarkably familiar interior to the brand’s latest SUVs. This time around, though, the boxy B gets yet another screen for the passenger, in addition to a revamped bezel housing the digital gauge cluster and primary infotainment screens (comprising an optional MBUX Superscreen setup). There’s also a flat-bottom steering wheel on this model, a single bank of switches underneath the center HVAC vents and a couple of cupholders to boot.
Overall, in terms of interior design, there’s a lot less actually going on around the center console. Mercedes is leaning a little less funky with its A/C vents, for example, and reducing the number of switches you actually get to fiddle with, leaning more into the touchscreen era.
At the moment, we don’t know too many technical details on the new GLB. That’s not what Mercedes-Benz saw fit to tease here. Instead, it does say that it’s done extensive testing in its cold tunnel, with temperatures spanning -40 to 104 degrees Fahrenheit. Particularly, it focused testing a new heat pump design from the Vision EQXX concept, meant to use “free” heat from the electric motors, battery and ambient air to heat the cabin up more efficiently.
While Mercedes does not the GLB’s electric drivetrain, we don’t yet have details on how (or if) it will differ from the existing EQB model. It will come standard with five-passenger seating with seven seats available as an option, and a panoramic sunroof will also come standard.
Until now, the Mercedes EQB models have started in the low-$50,000s with a single 188-horsepower motors, with beefier dual-motor versions running around $60,000. With this teaser, Mercedes shared that it will share more with the new GLB’s world premiere on December 8.
