Mercedes Benz GLB class.

It proves itself worthy.

In fact, I actually think it's one

of the best SUVs I've driven.

During this review, I'm going to try and prove to you why.

Let's get through some of the specifics.

First, under the hood, we have a 2-liter turbo-charged

4-cylinder engine that puts out 221 horsepower.

That's made into an 8-speed automated dual clutch

transmission.

And it comes standard with front wheel drive.

Prices start right around $38,000.

For another two grand, though, you

can get Mercedes 4matic all wheel drive.

This, as with a lot of our test vehicles,

is almost fully loaded with a price tag of around $57,000.

But a lot of these options aren't really necessary

and don't add too much to why I like the GLB so much.

Before we hit the road, let's talk about style real quick

with this GLB.

First off, I like it.

I like it because it's a throwback

to boxy and utilitarian SUVs.

Nowadays, they're getting really swoopy and sculpted

with coupe-like roof lines.

And this is boxy, a traditional two-box design.

And it pays huge dividends when it comes to interior space.

We'll get to all of that later.

So how about we go for a spin?

I'm on one of my favorite roads in Southern California,

this wonderful sinuous twisting road

through a canyon pass, that gives me

a good indication of how well a car handles.

Mercedes Benz estimates that the GLB 250

will reach 60 miles an hour in 6.9 seconds.

You're not going to win any races there.

And honestly, it's not an impressive performer.

But what is impressive is how easy it is to drive.

I'm just in regular key-up sport mode here.

And there's a little bit of body roll,

but it's very well managed.

The ride quality is excellent.

And even over the mid-corner bumps, it's very composed.

If you really want more performance,

I'm going to say it's a really good bet that they'll

have some mid-tier AMG variants, like the AMG 35 or 45.

I spent a lot of time with this GLB in Arizona

on a first drive.

And really, the only time I wanted more power

was when I was passing a long train of slightly slower cars

going up a very steep grade.

And even then, with my foot to the floor,

the car didn't feel like it was laboring that much.

It didn't sound like I was blending margaritas.

And it did it with plenty of space to spare.

The GLB, it takes corners confidently.

It takes them smoothly.

And really, I don't really see a need for the sport mode here.

Let's just go back to comfort.

There it is.

See?

That's so much nicer.

It's smoother.

It's quieter.

It's what you want from a Mercedes Benz, even one costing

38 grand.

The brakes feel good going into turns,

easy to modulate, with the right amount of effort, at least

for me.

It's not too soft.

It's not sports car stiff either.

Coming down into a steep right turn here.

Easy on the brakes.

Ease off of them.

It's just easy to drive it.

A lot of shoppers will gravitate towards SUVs

because of their great outward visibility.

And the GLB delivers.

The upright and tall windows give you a commanding view.

And the narrow front roof pillars

won't block your view through turns.

The rear roof pillars are much thicker.

But the view out back is still better than most other SUVs.

Besides, if you're backing into a spot,

the surround view camera takes any guesswork out.

It's so easy squeezing this into my tiny, tiny little carport

in my apartment.

Actually, it's one of the easiest outside of a Miata.

This just has what I think is an optimal blend of comfort

and handling prowess.

All right, now that we're out of the canyons

and onto the flatlands, let's talk about highway and city

driving.

I spent almost eight hours straight in the seat driving

from Phoenix to LA because I didn't feel the need to stop.

I was that comfortable.

It's not just ride quality but also the seats.

They're well-shaped with the right amount of cushioning.

After eight hours, I think it really

did make a big difference on that drive.

Another thing helping to combat fatigue is this is quiet.

There's not a lot of road noise.

There's almost no wind noise.

That's impressive considering how kind

of squared up this shape is.

There's no whistling coming from the mirrors here

or at the grille or anywhere else.

Another reason why I was able to drive for that

long was the adaptive cruise control

that Mercedes put in the GLB.

It's really good.

It's driving pretty much like how I drive.

I'm not waiting to to the last second the jam on the brakes.

And I'm not flooring the pedal when traffic clears up

in front of me.

It's maintaining a really good gap to the car in front.

And it's just kind of easing off the throttle then

gently applying the brakes to come to a stop.

And it is full-range speed control

all the way down to a stop.

And when traffic picks up, you don't

have to hit the resume button.

It just does it on its own.

I've said this before in other reviews.

When I'm nit picking the car, that means I really like it

and I'm really digging for something to criticize.

Since this GSB is based on our top rated A class,

it benefits from all of that goodness.

First off, we have the award winning MBUX

infotainment system, which gives you a multitude of ways

to control it, from these little handy tabs here on the steering

wheel, to a trace pad here, to a touchscreen, as well

as some of the best voice controls in the industry.

Materials quality is excellent, especially

when you consider the price.

Every elbow touchpoint and anywhere you really

come in contact normally is well-padded

and has premium, premium materials.

I realize that cup holders may not be that big

a deal to a lot of people.

But I think these cup holders in the GLB

are good enough to call out.

Because they'll hold a regular sized

drink, but they'll also securely keep

a smaller can, like a Red Bull, because

of these little flip-out tabs.

Pretty smart.

Other storage is really good, too.

There are some big, deep pockets in the doors.

You have a wireless charging pad option.

The center bin is pretty well-sized.

Overall, you have plenty of places

to put your personal effects.

I also like these round turbine air vents that change color.

And actually, at night, this thing looks really cool.

You have the option of the ambient lighting

to shift colors regularly.

And it kind of just gives you that premium futuristic feel

that you want from a Mercedes Benz.

Overall, it's one of the better executed cockpits

I've been in in a while.

But let's check out the back seats.

This seat here is set for me, and I'm 5 foot 10.

My head, it's not even close to touching the head line.

These seats also slide and recline six inches forward

if you need a little more flexibility between passengers

and cargo.

And still, look, my knees are just barely touching it.

They also recline a little bit here so that you're--

that's a little uncomfortable in upright.

But when you have it full reclined,

it's really quite nice.

Materials quality is also excellent back here.

They didn't skimp and put harder plastics for more durability.

Down here, two USB C ports as well as a household power

outlet.

There's also a third row option that sits behind these seats.

But considering how much space there is back there,

it's best suited for small kids on your morning carpool.

But it's really handy that they even offer that option.

If the GLB wasn't impressive enough,

there's also cargo space.

And there's a lot of it behind that second row of seats.

This boxy shape means you can squeeze much bulkier items

than you could with a regular SUV with kind

of a sporty tapered tail line.

If you don't opt for the third row of seats,

this floor drops down for even more space.

Pretty impressive.

Another thing that I really like is this low lift-over height.

If you're carrying something really big, bulky, and heavy,

you don't have to hock it over some big ledge or anything.

I do have one nit pick when it comes to cargo capacity,

though.

And that is the absence of remote releases

for those rear seat backs.

There's no latches here.

There's no little tabs to pull here.

Instead, you have to go all the way around and pull

on some nylon tabs here to fold them flat.

Not the end of the world, especially when you consider

that with the second row folded flat,

you have 62 cubic feet of cargo capacity.

That's actually more than the GLC.

As the sun goes down, I am left as surprised

as I am impressed by the GLB 250.

This is my pick in a number of segments.

I like it better than the BMW X1 as well as

one of my favorites, the Volvo XC40.

In fact, I'd take it over the GLC, which

is larger and more expensive.

It's packaged smartly.

It has the right amount of power.

It drives great.

There's a ton of space for passengers and cargo.

There's a ton of tech.

And the accolades just keep piling on

to the point where I'm saying, this is the next class leader.

For more information on the GLB as well as its competition,

head on over to edmunds.com.

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