Meanwhile, there are four levels for the regenerative braking including a very firm ‘strong’ mode that allows for one-pedal driving – which is great in town – and an adaptive ‘intelligent’ mode for those who aren’t used to regen yet and just want to ‘set it and forget it’.
Interestingly, the new GLB is able to receive data from other suitably equipped Mercedes on the road and will warn the driver of any potholes or large imperfections in the road coming up, which it does so by sporadically saying the word “bump”. If you still go over one, this can send a noticeable thump into the cabin, but the suspension does a very good job of absorbing the impact.
The car does fidget slightly too, but overall it feels like a composed SUV. Combined with only a small amount of road and wind noise penetrating into the cabin, the GLB is a soothing and calm place, as you’d expect a family car or indeed a Mercedes to be.
If you get bored of the quiet, the EV also gets ‘sound worlds’ to accompany the driving experience with some of the most bizarre names imaginable including Vivid Flux, Roaring Pulse and our personal favourite, Granular Fuzz, which makes it sound like you’re being chased by a swarm of angry hornets, which is sure to amuse your passengers.
The new Mercedes GLB is on sale now, with prices starting from £42,070 for the hybrid version and £46,100 for the EV. That makes it more expensive than compact premium SUVs including the BMW X1 and Audi Q3, but they don’t have seven seats or full-hybrid tech as standard. The same goes for the similarly sized X3 and Q5, which both start from over £53k.
The GLB Electric’s most direct rival is the Tesla Model Y 7-Seater, but that costs nearly £55k and has a very similar range of 372 miles.
Prices for a fully loaded GLB can reach around £60k, which puts the new EV in the same price bracket as the larger, even more advanced Mercedes GLC Electric or BMW iX3 that offer more range, too. Picking between them simply comes down to whether you really need seven seats or not, but if you do, the Mercedes GLB is a compelling option.
| Model: | Mercedes GLB 250+ Electric AMG Line Premium |
| Price: | £53,700 |
| On sale: | Now |
| Powertrain: | 85kWh battery, 1x e-motor |
| Power/torque: | 268bhp/335Nm |
| Transmission: | Two-speed automatic, rear-wheel drive |
| 0-62mph: | 7.4 seconds |
| Top speed: | 130mph |
| Range: | 363 miles |
| Max. charging: | 320kW (10-80% in 22 mins) |
| Size (L/W/H): | 4,728/1,860/1,689mm |
