Page 37 - Car South Africa (February 2020)

drive

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MERCEDES-BENZ GLB250 8G-DCT ETA: Q2 WHERE WE
DROVE IT
Jabu of all trades

Mercedes-Benz’s first compact seven-seater relies
on a mixture of style and versatility to carve out Marbella,
Spain
a distinctive niche in a burgeoning market

By: Gareth Dean GarethD_CARmag
*Claimed figures

Price: TBA Powertrain: 2,0-litre, 4-cyl, turbopetrol Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch Power: 165 kW @ 5 500-6 100 r/min Torque: 350 N.m @ 1 800-
4 000 r/min 0-100 km/h: 6,9 seconds* Top speed: 236 km/h* Fuel consumption: 7,4 L/100 km* Rivals: Audi Q3; BMW X1; Volvo XC40

+ chunky styling; balanced road manners; spacious interior some cheap cabin trim; optional third-row seats impractically small

t’s been some time coming as a versatile combination of SUV, smooth and multifaceted oblong A-Class’s MFA2 modular platform,
but Mercedes-Benz has nally station wagon and entertaining headlamps in place of circular the GLB’s placement technically

I plugged the long-standing gap road-goer, the GLB is faced with a units, and you’ll get an idea of sees it rubbing shoulders with
between its GLA and GLC offerings tall order of broad provisos straight what the GLB is all about. This the similarly stylish Q3 and X1
with a funky-looking riposte to the out of the blocks. So, are we look- chunky styling, along with a but, owing to a wheelbase that’s
likes of BMW’s sporty X1 and the ing at a veritable Swiss army knife, raised ride height and short stretched by 100 mm, its overall
Audi Q3. The GLB may be straddled or a awed Jack of all trades? overhangs, gives it just the right dimensions are comparable to
by two popular and well-regarded The GLB’s styling is a cross-pol- amount of purposefulness to lift it those of rivals such as the X3 and
models in the Benz range (with lination between the curvaceous out of the soft, city-slicker bracket its bigger brother, the GLC, and
a new GLA on its way) but that GLA and the angular ruggedness and will no doubt curry favour
doesn’t mean the company’s ex- of the G-Class. Imagine the latter with our SUV-obsessed market.
01 With hints of G-Class and GLA, the GLB
pectations are modest. Introduced with the hard corners sanded Underpinned by a version of the treads the line between boxy and boutique.

CARmag.co.za CAR FEBRUARY 2020 35