It is not exactly a dream project for designers when it comes to housing three rows of seats and plenty of space on a compact and efficient front-wheel drive architecture. But that's exactly what many customers want. And there are different ways to solve the task: You can build a true minivan - like BMW with the 2 Series Gran Tourer. Or you bring a little offroad romance into play. Like Mercedes-Benz now with the Concept GLB, that we were allowed to inspect even before his debut in Shanghai.
It's no secret to point out that the Concept GLB will only be a slightly modified derivation of an upcoming production car, which - not surprisingly enough - will be heard on the model GLB. And thus sorted between the more compact GLA and the GLC. Both have ahead of the third row of seats, according to the manufacturer, even "medium-sized people" should feel comfortable.
The sense of space in row three benefits from the fact that the second seat is not only adjustable in inclination, but also displaceable forwards and backwards. If required, for example, up to four child seats can be accommodated. The ambience leaves nothing to be desired: The completely independent interior features the new MBUX operating system, in which the car can engage in a more or less fruitful dialogue with driver and passengers. However, the materials in this study are unique in nature. The generously processed nubuck leather and the elaborately milled aluminum decorative elements would also be good for the production car.
The exterior has also been revamped: Searchlights on the roof, finely chiselled exhaust bumpers and coarse-grained off-road tires of the dimension 265/65 R 17 will not exist in the series. Sheet metal and glazing, as well as headlights and tail lights, however, correspond exactly to the standard status. The designers have managed to set beautiful accents: The front with the almost square headlamps looks graphically reduced, the side elevation benefits from the boldly raised window line. The rear is emphasized by horizontal taillights, which will be found in the future in all SUV models of the brand.
How much of the rustic charm of the Concept GLB remains in a production model with standard tires remains to be seen. Anyway, the car in this presentation as a study is so brawny and full on the road, that one can only hope that Mercedes-Benz offers as many off-road elements to the end customer.
Because even the production car will give it with all-wheel drive - like the Concept GLB, which also comes with 224 hp (165 kW) strong 2.0-liter gasoline engine and eight-speed dual-clutch transmission. In series, there will be a whole range of gasoline and diesel engines, perhaps even an AMG version. And there will be the GLB also with front-wheel drive.
In principle, one would have imagined the GLB even more radical: For example, as a small G-model with a clear off-road character. There were corresponding considerations and designs. In the end, after numerous market analyzes and customer surveys, something else emerged: a compact interpretation of the large Mercedes-Benz GLS. And even with that, the brand does not have to hide behind the competition. (Ampnet / jm)
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