The new Mercedes Benz GLB, which has made its world debut today, will be launched in India, but not anytime soon. Based on the new-gen ‘MMA’ platform used by the new-gen Mercedes Benz CLA, it too will be available in EV and ICE versions globally. However, unlike the CLA, which will only come to India as an EV, the GLB will only come to India in petrol and diesel guises.
- New Mercedes GLB gets both EV and ICE powertrains globally
- Is underpinned by the MMA platform also used by the Mercedes CLA
- India expected to get petrol and diesel versions only
New GLB will be a full CBU import, ICE only
Like its predecessors - the first-gen GLB and EQB - the second-gen model will be brought in as a CBU import. While its platform sibling, the CLA Electric, will likely be locally assembled further down the line, there are no such plans for the GLB. This is likely because Mercedes isn’t expecting the same kind of volumes as it is with the CLA Electric, which the brand intends to be its entry level EV driving force.
Moreover, the GLB is a unique offering in the market - a relatively compact 7-seat luxury SUV - and as such has no direct competitors, save for perhaps the ageing Land Rover Discovery Sport, which is from a segment above.
It’s likely for similar reasons that we will get the ICE version only in India. Interestingly, while globally, the internal combustion GLB is being launched with hybrid powertrains, for India we will likely get conventional petrol and diesel engines, at least at first.
New Mercedes GLB: Bold new design
The first GLB was something of a departure from the rest of the Mercedes range, which gave it a unique and distinctive style, and the new version does something similar. There is a link to its sibling - the new CLA - at the front, with connected headlamps that house LED three-pointed stars sitting above a huge grille, but obviously here the nose is taller and the grille even larger.
Both versions have a bold three-pointed star at the centre of the grille from which two horizontal bars move outward. The ICE version features tiny chrome stars in the grille, while the EV, whose grille is a plastic shroud, mimics this with illuminated stars.
As with the last car, the new GLB gets a unique side profile different from the rest of the model range. While here too there is a thick D pillar, the wraparound rear windscreen is far more prominent, and the distinct kink in the window line is replaced by a more generic treatment.
The rear is the greatest departure, and while it does have an upright tailgate as before, you now get a Kia-esque inverted-U-shaped connected tail-lamp unit. You can tell it’s a Mercedes, though, by the LED three-pointed stars in the tail-lamps.
New Mercedes GLB to get 5 and 7 seat interiors
As before, the GLB’s USP is its three-row layout in a relatively compact footprint. That said, it is 98mm longer, 27mm wider, 14mm lower and with a 60mm longer wheelbase, so overall, interior space should be greater.
Up front, it is virtually identical to the new CLA, albeit with a taller seating position. You get a dashboard made of three screens (the passenger screen being optional) that run on the brand’s new MB.OS operating system. There’s a tall centre console with storage underneath, and while Mercedes has brought back some hard buttons on the steering wheel and dashboard, the majority of vehicle functions are still inside the touchscreen.
The second row slides and reclines to give access to the third, and new to the electric GLB is a sizable 127-litre frunk for added storage.
New Mercedes GLB with EQ technology gets up to 631km of range
Globally, Mercedes is leading with the GLB EV and initially it will be launched with an 85kWh NMC battery pack capable of up to 631km of range in the 2WD GLB 250+ and 614km in the AWD GLB 350 4Matic, on the WLTP cycle. The MMA platform’s 800V architecture allows for DC fast charging at up to 320kW.
The 250+ uses a single motor on the rear axle, and produces 272hp and 335Nm, while the 350 features an additional front motor for a total system output of 353hp and 515Nm, allowing the latter to accelerate from 0-100kph in just 5.5sec.
New Mercedes GLB 48V mild hybrid can run on e-power temporarily
While the engines for India are yet to be confirmed, arguably more interesting is the GLB’s mild hybrid powertrain, which uses a 48V system, and is expected to launch a few months after the EV.
Full powertrain details aren’t yet available, but it is expected to pair a 1.5-litre, four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine with an electric motor integrated in the 8-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.
Though technically a mild hybrid, it’s capable of running on electric power alone under light loads. At speeds under 100kph, the engine decouples from the gearbox and motor, and the 48V lithium ion battery can deploy up to 1.3kWh of energy, with up to 20kW (27hp) of power.
New Mercedes GLB India launch
While we know the new Mercedes GLB will be launched in India, there is no concrete timeline, though we don’t anticipate it will be any time soon. Until then, you can expect to see a lot of what is to be expected - particularly the interior design and MB.OS infotainment system - in the new CLA electric, which will be launched early next year.
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