Mercedes GLB-Class Spied On Video Looking Ready For Production

The cabin looks straight out of Mercedes’ other compact models.

The new Mercedes-Benz GLB-Class continues its gradual striptease of removing camouflage ahead of a future debut. This spy video also provides another glimpse inside the boxy SUV, in addition to providing a great look at the exterior.

The GLB-Class is Mercedes’ answer for anyone who wants a compact, premium crossover but prefers a more traditional, utilitarian appearance than the GLA-Class offers. The one in this video appears to have all the final production parts, but they are underneath camouflage. The vehicle has an upright aesthetic, including a broad, flat grille and rectangular headlights. These cues combine to create a crossover that looks like a shrunken version of the much bigger GLS-Class.

The GLB-Class will ride of Mercedes’ MFA2 compact vehicle platform that underpins models like the A-Class and GLA-Class. This will allow the SUV to take some tech from these vehicles. For example, the brief look inside the cabin in this video shows a wide screen that looks straight out of the brand’s other small vehicles.

The powertrain range would also come from Mercedes’ compacts. This means that potential customers can expect a range of turbocharged four-cylinder engines, including diesel choices for Europe. Performance-oriented AMG variants are also a possibility later in the model’s life. Base models might come with front-wheel drive, but expect higher level trims to be all-wheel drive to fit with the vehicle’s utilitarian nature. 

The GLB-Class will likely debut in 2019. A dealer presentation already confirms that the boxy, little SUV arrives in America in the fourth quarter of 2019. Examples sold in the United States would come from the Mercedes factory in Aguascalientes, Mexico, that also produces the A-Class Sedan for the region.

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