• Cheapest 7-seater from the brand
• Surprisingly practical
• Bang for the buck over the GLC

It used to be that a solid business plan gravitated around fulfilling the needs of your customer base. If they had a specific set of requirements, you made something that ticked all their boxes. After all, the customer is king right?

Somewhere along the line, fuelled by consumerism no less, carmakers started to deviate and turned the tables a little. We’re pretty sure the revolution started with someone in marketing slamming the table during a meeting and stating, “What is a thing you didn’t know you wanted until you knew it existed?”

Loosely translated, how would the consumer know they wanted something that didn’t exist yet? Cue the barrage of niche body styles such as 4-door coupes, SUVs with coupe rooflines and 2-door SUVs.

Of course, the popularity of SUVs meant that became the lab rat for designers and marketers to bring something new into fruition with the hopes that consumers would suddenly decide they’re lives were incomplete without it and parted with their money.

Truth be told, it’s quite a successful experiment. Now, the Mercedes-Benz GLB isn’t exactly one of the uglier creations from the Victor Frankenstein design studio but when it first popped up on our radar, you can understand the amused looks its appearance received.

More importantly, people wondered if there was a need for the GLB. We won’t even deny it, we were one of them. But after a few days with this boxy people-mover, we came to a realisation that while it might be rather pointless, it was quite practical proposition.

You see, Mercedes-Benz has quite a range of compact cars that make ownership a much more tempting proposal. But all of them are 5-seaters. They soon realised there’s demand for an entry-level 7-seater in their successful compact portfolio.

While the GLE and GLS could easily fit 7, the premium in price over the GLB wouldn’t easily fit the bank accounts of some prospective owners.

Lastly though; and we’re pretty sure this factor weighed in a lot as well, there’s really not much competition for the GLB. From a business standpoint, this was increasingly leaning towards being a no-brainer.

Exterior

The GLB might not be the handsomest thing to come out of Stuttgart’s design studios unless you play dirty and include the Unimog but that’s a punch below the GLB’s kinked beltline, something unique to it among all current Mercs.

It looks like someone threw the flagship GLS in the dryer and left it there overnight. Boxy and rugged but with a slightly lower ride height, the GLB is neither here nor there in terms of bodystyle. That’s perfectly fine though because looks was secondary anyways.

There’s no sloping roofline here, it’s as flat as a table to the rear but that translate into some decent headroom. Function over form prevails here and I think the designers were fine with that because the GLB was never going to be an all-out looker.

We’ll readily admit though that over time, the looks did grow on us. Maybe it’s the Denim Blue shade as well. Old age has softened us.

While it wears a “B” in its nomenclature, the GLB is very much part of the Mercedes-Benz compact range oof “A” models, seeing that it’s built on the MFA2 architecture.

Don’t let the boxy dimensions fool you though, this is very much a compact. In fact, it measures smaller than the GLC everywhere except the roofline. That also makes for a much easier parking experience with the smaller footprint though it does pack auto-parking to be safe.

Interior

Step into the cubicle-shaped cabin and it’s very much familiar Mercedes-Benz ware from its compact range. That means a cabin that looks every bit like a modern Merc; cool and tech laden.

Headlining the interior as always is the Mercedes-Benz User Experience (MBUX) system. You know the drill, twin 10.25-inch displays with one serving as the infotainment command centre and the other as the digital instrument cluster. Mercedes me connect, Touchpad, Voice Control, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay ensures your entertainments needs will be met.

The interface is rather intuitive and you’ll pick it up in no time. We didn’t bother too much with the voice controls, not that it’s a disaster but the button-laden steering could carry out everything with ease.

However, being a compact Mercedes-Benz is another way of saying it’s an entry-level model. One of the downsides with the compact cars from them is the smart use of less than desirable materials in the low-contact zones.

Yes, everyone does it and so do the premium carmakers. We’re not calling them out for it, consider this more of a reminder that this isn’t a GLE and the fancy interior is there to overlap the lack of nicer materials in certain spots.

That ambient lighting, the Artico leather upholstery and those air-conditioning vents that change colour when you adjust the temperature all scream “look at me I’m so cool” and most of the time, they are.

While the GLB might look a little awkward from the outside due to the boxy shape, it’s a great contributor to the headroom fund. Ingress and egress into the third row is little of a tight squeeze but the simple one-touch mechanism that drops and slides the second row is perfect.

Once you’ve shimmied your way in there though, there’s an abundance of headroom. As for legroom however, well this is essentially a 5+2 and not a full-fledged 7-seater. Nonetheless, the second row benefits from plenty of legroom so you can slide the 40:20:40 split-folding second row forward without worrying about your knees contacting the front seats.

Storage space with all rows up is a paltry 130 litres. That climbs to a cavernous 1,680 litres when you drop the second and third row

Surprisingly however is the lack of USB-C charging ports for the second row. It might be a 7-seater but the second row will obviously be utilised more. Strangely, the third row has charging ports.

Driving Experience + Practicality

We got to sample the GLB 250 4Matic AMG Line. That’s the M260 2.0-litre turbo four under that elongated bonnet. It delivers 224 PS and 350 Nm of torque. With 4Matic, all the wheels get fed by the 8-speed DCT.

It’s perfect for those light family camping getaways that don’t require a G-Wagon. It definitely looks the part with the beefier body cladding and more prominent roof rails.

Sitting between the GLB 200 and the aimless GLB 35, the GLB 250 is the sweet spot of the trio.

There’s sufficient power and grunt for town and highway use, even with 5 people inside. Nonetheless, the DCT does take a bit of a prod to get going in low-speed situations but nothing you won’t adjust to quickly. Bear in mind most dual-clutch boxes are a little quirky at low-speeds so it’s a matter of getting used to the throttle application.

Having had to make an impromptu drive out of town as well as carry a mid-sized working table while moving homes, we can pretty much pinpoint those moments in particular to when our initial impression of the GLB switched sides.

First, old age means we have developed an affinity for SUVs. So, we appreciated the 200 mm ride height that meant a clear view of the road. Additionally, it also makes for a vehicle that’s easy to get in and out of.

Secondly, the ride was expected of a Mercedes-Benz. Meaning a pinch on the harsh side, especially with those 19-inch AMG rollers, but nothing to get upset over. You’ll barely notice it as the 55-series run-flat tyres do help soften the imperfections.

It swallowed the highway miles with ease although we’d caution against taking those sweeping highway corners with gusto. Granted, you’re probably ferrying a family in there with you so you won’t, but the comfort-tuned suspension and ride height don’t make for autobahn-friendly cornering.

An annoyance that developed relatively early too was the obvious wind buffeting near the wing mirrors at highway speeds. It annoyingly crept up rather early as well.

No, we didn’t forget that working table that needed to be moved. When the time came, we dropped the third row as well as the middle and right portions of the split second row. The table easily slid in together with a small swivel chair.

There was even space for an adult in the left side of the second row. The GLB carried a mid-sized working desk, a swivel chair and 3 adults. Colour us impressed.

We believe that despite the longer length of the GLC, its sloping roofline would’ve made the same task in its more contemporary SUV shape something for Ethan Hunt and his team; in other words, impossible.

Conclusion

Initially branded redundant, our opinion has since made a 180-degree turn and has warmed up towards the GLB. As an entry-level 7-seater in the Mercedes-Benz compact range, it needed to prioritise function over form and it did so effectively.

It looks unmistakably a Merc and that’s essentially what the buyers will prefer. Something practical but for the peasants around them to still know they’re rolling up in something with the tri-star badge; albeit not the handsomest one in the family photo.

The main point however is the fact it’s a practical SUV that delivers three rows of seating and more cargo space than the equivalent GLC for about RM 20k less at RM 318,009.26.

For a budding family, that should carry more weight than the good looks of the GLC; which at this point is about all it’s got going for it, apart from driving dynamics that’s a bit sharper.

Think of it this way, with a GLC you might find yourself needing to carry an extra adult or two or even some furniture once in a blue moon. With the GLB, you get what’s essentially a 5-seater with 2 additional seats and more cargo space that can do more… except drive as well.

Is that a deal-breaker for you? If you're already considering a GLC, it probably shouldn't be.