The German elves are tirelessly working on an army of smaller cars, and we think the GLB is the most important. It will bring the Mercedes badge into the driveway of more people than ever before and we'll be surprised if they don't sell at least half a million.
The GLB is built on the same modular small car platform as the A-Class sedan and hatch. But it makes the old GLA look like the hatchback it is.
Its proportions are chunky, but without going into that fake SUV territory with ridiculous amounts of body cladding. This latest spy video is all about the back end, as the GLB was filmed from that angle while sitting in traffic.
The highlight is a polished taillight design which clearly uses LED halos to stand out. It's like a cyberpunk game poster back there!
This design is as conservative as the new A-Class. Some people have compared it to a pebbled washed on the beach, all its edges eroded by millions of waves. It's not for everybody, but the segment is already crowded with over-designed products.
Being based on the A-Class platform, this bad boy should have similar engines. It's very possible that some versions will come with the 1.3-liter turbo developed in partnership with Renault. But we believe the bulk of sales will come from 2-liter units.
The recent debut of the new B-Class in Paris has revealed that Mercedes has indeed developed a 2-liter diesel with 150 and 190 HP. Buyers who are worried about diesel bans will have access to similarly powerful gasoline units. Also, the GLB is likely to have one or even two plug-in hybrid versions which will use the 1.3L.
The highlight of the interior will be the MBUX infotainment suite, made up of two 10.75-inch screens. Despite looking finished, the prototype is still heavily camouflaged which suggests its reveal will have to wait until 2019.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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