Mercedes GLB Replaces EQB as the New Seven-Seat Electric SUV

Mercedes has dropped another model from its EQ line-up: the seven-seat EQB is gone, replaced by the new GLB. As with the latest CLA and GLC, Mercedes is introducing the GLB as an electric vehicle first, with hybrid versions arriving soon afterwards.

Mercedes GLB electric range and performance

Range anxiety should not be a major concern in the electric models. The rather long-winded GLB 250+ with EQ Technology is claimed to cover 631 km between charges, while the GLB 350 4Matic with EQ Technology is said to manage up to 615 km. Each uses an 85 kWh battery and an 800-volt electrical architecture, allowing rapid charging at up to 320 kW. A 10-minute charging stop can add as much as 261 km of range.

The 250+ uses one electric motor mounted on the rear axle, producing 268 bhp and 335 Nm of torque. It completes the 0-100 km/h sprint in 7.4 seconds. The 350 adds a front-axle motor for part-time four-wheel drive, cutting that time to 5.5 seconds. Its outputs are 349 bhp and 515 Nm. For caravan owners, the more powerful model can tow up to 2 tonnes.

Further electric GLB versions will follow later, while the hybrid models will use the same 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine fitted to combustion-engined CLA variants.

GLB cabin, MBUX screens and seven-seat space

Inside, the new GLB takes considerable inspiration from the CLA. An optional ‘Superscreen’ combines a 26 cm driver display, a 36 cm central infotainment screen and a further 36 cm display for the front passenger. As Mercedes design chief Gorden Wagener told TG earlier this year: “When you have a small screen, you automatically send the message ‘congratulations, you are sitting in a small car’.”

The GLB’s displays use the fourth-generation MBUX system. Its virtual assistant now draws on generative AI from Microsoft and Google, with Mercedes describing it as “intelligent, easy to talk to and empathetic like a friend”. Apparently, real human friends are no longer enough.

Those with actual friends can carry plenty of them, too. Seven seats are available as an option, and the GLB offers more space than both its predecessor and the EQB. It can accommodate five child seats and features a sliding centre bench. A 60 mm wheelbase increase brings extra legroom for all occupants, while the standard panoramic roof improves headroom. That roof can also be specified with 158 illuminated stars for night-time use.

With the rear seats folded, the seven-seat version provides 480 litres of boot capacity, rising to 540 litres in the five-seat model. There is also a 127-litre front boot.

New Mercedes GLB styling and prices

The exterior retains much of the previous GLB’s boxy look, although it now gains a huge star-pattern grille and additional stars integrated into the rear light bar. Flush-fitting door handles and relatively compact door mirrors are also included.

In Germany, prices for the GLB 250+ are expected to begin just below €60,000, or about £52,000. The GLB 350 4Matic will cost a few thousand euros more.