New Mercedes GLB, GLS and EQ C: It's an SUV Testing Party in Germany

Usually, three cars from the same brand won't get people excited. However, these are different in a way that the S-Class and C-Class can never be.

Starting with the smallest, we're surprised by just how much testing the GLB has done. It's almost like the model has received a much higher priority than the replacement for the existing GLA.

It's going to be Mercedes' only practical yet affordable soft-roader. It's based on a similar front-wheel-drive platform to the A-Class, but the packaging is about the size of the Tiguan. We expect to see it without the camo later this year or in early 2019.

While the smallest engine fitted to the GLB will be a 1.3L or 1.5L unit, the GLS won't go below the 3-liter mark (technically 2.9L). It's the most massive SUV offered by the brand, seating up to seven people and providing more technology even than the current S-Class. Its debut should take place a few months after the second-gen GLE comes out.

There's likely to be a Maybach version too. But, with the recent reveal of the Vision Ultimate Luxury Concept in China, we could see a complete redesign of the body. A V12 engine fitted under its hood could make the GLB look... proletarian.

The EQ C doesn't fall between these two, instead landing on a different evolutionary branch. Think of it as homo sapiens to the gasoline-powered neanderthal.

Like most electric SUV being developed by European luxury automakers, it's said to have around 400 horsepower and a maximum range of 500 kilometers. We find its front end styling refreshingly cool.