Your Ultimate Guide to The GLB-Class in Singapore

The Mercedes-Benz GLB is poised to become the 7-seater SUV of 2020, it’s generous with space, tech-y, utilitarian, and relatively affordable ($580 road tax per year?). But choosing the right spec and trim is not as straightforward as it might seem. There are at least 15 different variants for just this GLB-Class.

Lucky for you, we’ve done all the work and created this simple guide to help you make sense of all the trims and options available. Let’s dive right in!

(scroll down to the flowchart below for a TLDR – don’t forget to leave your contact details for our latest promotions!)

Trim – Sport vs AMG Line

Exterior

Almost all Mercedes-Benz cars come in 2 main body variants, the Sport (or Progressive) and the AMG Line. The Sport trim is the simpler one out of the 2, with less aggressive finishing and less chrome all-around. The differences can be minute, but the effect is greater than the sum of it’s parts.

The AMG Line difference is most obvious from the front. The AMG style bumpers and splitter makes the car look entirely different. The diamond grille catches the eye more and it lends a luxurious touch to the GLB’s facade.

The sport comes with 18″ rims as standard, while the AMG Line has 19″. Are bigger rims better? It’s subjective but bigger rims tend to improve ride handling.

The differences carry on at the rear of the car, the bottom has more chrome and is wider and sturdier looking.

Interior

The difference in trim spills over into the interior of the car as well. The AMG Line trim borrows elements from the actual AMG cars to upgrade your ownership experience.

The flat-bottomed steering wheel is the first thing that stands out in the AMG Line trim, it looks a lot less uncle than the Sport steering wheel. Other add-ons are the stainless steel pedals, carbon fibre trim, and door panels covered in a track-approved Dinamica finish.

The seats are completely different as well, the AMG Line seats are finished in ARTICO leather with Dinamica microfibre and tied together with a red contrast stitching. Sport seats are also ARTICO leather, but they are lined with a Albury fabric instead.

Full leather options are also available at a cost but these are non-factory options.

Options – Standard vs Premium vs Premium Plus

You might have noticed a couple of features missing in the images above – the widescreen digital display and ambient lighting. These are not included in the car by default. Mercedes-Benz has bundled these options into Packages and you have no choice in what the Packages consist of.

This means if you want electric seats you need to get the Premium Plus package. They do not allow individual configurations for the GLB-Class.

Engine

The GLB-Class comes available in 4 engine variants. For petrol we have the GLB200 and GLB250, and diesel has the GLB200d and GLB220d badges. Gone are the days where we look at the badge and engine cc to determine the power of the car. These numbers don’t really mean much these days – the GLB200 has a 1.3l engine, and the GLB250 is a 2l engine.

For a fair comparison, we need to look at the bhp and torque figures:

Which one to choose? It depends..

PETROL – more popular choice in Singapore, the trade off is a lower power output for the GLB200 engine.

DIESEL – much more torque which is useful for a 7 seater. Highly fuel efficient, but our government doesn’t favor diesel so most people irrationally don’t as well.

The petrol engine in the GLB200 produces respectable figures, and it has proven itself in the existing A and B-Class line-up. At 163 bhp it has more horses than similar models like the BMW 216 GT, Audi Q3, Skoda Kodiaq, and Subaru Forester.

For even more money you can get the GLB250, not many will require this engine size but it’s a good option to consider if you feel like splurging.

The GLB200d and GLB220d might just be the one you’re after if you compare performance figures, the torque of a diesel engine is much higher and will easily pull yourself and 6 other family members along. Modern diesel engines are quieter, cleaner, and fuel efficient as heck! Diesel fanboys (looking at you, 216 owners), will definitely be very happy with the 400Nm torque abd 190 bhp of the GLB220d.

No matter which spec you choose, one thing is certain – it’s hard to beat the space, power, looks, and drive of the GLB. It currently stands in a class of it’s own which makes this car very special.

Pricing

The lowest cost unit available is the GLB200 Sport (starting from around $15x,000) and the most expensive GLB35 is about $24x,000. Will this car be for everyone? Not really.

But, if you’re in the market for a continental 7 seater, the GLB is one car you cannot ignore. It’s probably the most affordable one in the segment right now.

Fill in your contact details below and we will send you the latest pricing information on the GLB200 and GLB220d!

Flowchart for the lazy: