evo India – July 2019

ONTINUING ITS SUV PRODUCT

offensive, Mercedes-Benz has revealed

the GLB and the brand is seriously

evaluating an Indian launch! Based on the

GLA’s MFA2 platform, the ‘compact SUV’, as

Mercedes-Benz likes to call it, is the only SUV

in the price range from a luxury brand to offer a

seven-seat option.

The SUV fits into the current Mercedes-Benz

line-up, with design inspirations borrowed from

members of the family itself. It looks similar to

the new GLS, especially from the front, with its

muscular, athletic stance. The GLB is only ten

centimetres longer than the new B-Class and

is thus compact for a luxury SUV, at 4634mm

long, 1834mm wide and 1658mm tall, with

a wheelbase of 2829mm. The tall front end,

squared-off wheel arches and bulky proportions

accentuate the brawny appeal of the SUV.

The biggest talking point is that it can be

configured to have a third row which provides

two additional seats making it a seven-seater.

That could be a huge draw for Indian customers.

The SUV can be had with four-cylinder petrol

engines in the 200 and GLB 250 4MATIC and

four-cylinder diesel engines in 200d, 200d

4MATIC and 220d 4MATIC variants. The petrol

GLB 200 puts out 161bhp of power at 5500rpm

and 250Nm of torque at 1620-4000rpm and

the engine is mated to a seven-speed DCT

while the GLB 250 4MATIC puts out 221bhp

of power at 5800rpm and 350Nm of torque

at 1800-4000rpm and the engine is mated

to an eight-speed DCT. The 200d and 200d

4MATIC put out an identical 148bhp of power at

3400-4440rpm and 320Nm of torque at 1400-

2600rpm and the engine is mated to an eight-

speed DCT. The 220d 4MATIC puts out 188bhp

of power at 3800rpm and 400Nm of torque at

1600-2400rpm and the engine is mated to an

eight-speed DCT. All diesel variants use the OM

654 two-litre engine, while the petrol 200 and

250 4MATIC use the M282 and M 260 engine

respectively. Mercedes-Benz is likely to offer the

GLB in India with the engines currently available

with the GLC.

To p : The GLB has compact dimensions depite the

option of seven seats - unusual for a luxury SUV

Above: The GLB ‘s smartly-styled rear does its bit

in making the SUV look rather compact

22 http://www.evoIndia.com | July 2019

C

Mercedes-Benz’ newest SUV is being evaluated for an India launch in 2020

and the big news is that it is a seven-seater

Seven’s company