What kind of car is the 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLB-Class? What does it compare to?
The 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLB-Class is a crossover SUV with up to seven seats. It taps a turbo-4 for power, and adds on some of Mercedes’ latest infotainment and safety technology. It’s a rival for vehicles like the Mazda CX-9, Volvo XC60, and Land Rover Discovery Sport.
Is the 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLB -Class a good car?
Review continues below
We think so, and give it a TCC Rating of 6.8 out of 10, before crash-test results are factored in. (Read more about how we rate cars.)
What’s new for the 2021 Mercedes GLB?
Blind-spot monitors are now standard.
The GLB is Mercedes’ lowest-priced three-row crossover SUV. It’s one that reads more like a traditional SUV, with a boxy and upright shape graced with a few rounded corners to plant it squarely in the Benz SUV-verse. It looks a little more at home on dusty trails than the smaller GLA-Class and bigger GLC-Class, but that’s only from the outside. Inside, the GLB drapes big digital displays, leather, metallic trim, and 64-shade ambient lighting to give it an extroverted and spacious feel that wouldn’t be out of home in a South Korean luxury car—and that’s no backhanded compliment.
A 2.0-liter turbo-4 sends 221 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque to the front or all four wheels through an 8-speed dual-clutch automatic. The GLB drops brisk acceleration, with 0-60 mph runs that take about seven seconds—and that’s before the 302-hp GLB35 AMG comes along. The GLB steers with confident heft and damps out the worst of the road, but it’s better with the spend-up adaptive shocks. Off-road pioneering isn’t exactly in its wheelhouse, but all-season traction? Handled, with the $2,000 AWD upgrade.
At about 182 inches long and 72 inches wide, the GLB’s as long as the old Benz M-Class, but it’s a lot more narrow. Four adults fit well, but a fifth in the second-row seat will need to be a sample size. An available third-row seat can be accessed by sliding row two forward, but even Benz admits row three’s for smaller passengers and short trips. It’s better flipped forward for cargo space, which maxes out at about 62 cubic feet.
Crash-test scores aren’t in, but the 2021 GLB-Class comes with automatic emergency braking and blind-spot monitors, with options for a surround-view camera system and a head-up display.
How much does the 2021 Mercedes GLB cost?
It’s $39,100 for the base GLB 250, which has keyless start, 18-inch wheels, LED headlights, and a power tailgate. With options from Burmester sound to adaptive dampers to twin 10.3-inch screens, the GLB-Class can run into the high-$40,000 range.
Where is the 2021 Mercedes GLB made?
In Aguascalientes, Mexico.