2020 Mercedes-Benz GLB-Class

Pros: Good interior room within tidy overall dimensions; broad range of available comfort and technology features; flexibility of available third-row seat; fine road manners

Cons: Optional equipment really drives up bottom-line prices; third-row seat is sized for kids

CG Says: Mercedes-Benz introduces an all-new compact crossover SUV for 2020. The GLB-Class slots between the subcompact GLA-Class and compact GLC-Class in Mercedes’s SUV lineup, and is unusual in the premium compact SUV segment in that it offers an available third-row seat–something that the larger GLC-Class doesn’t. For now, only a GLB 250 with front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive (which Mercedes calls 4MATIC) is available; a more powerful AMG GLB 35 is expected for the 2021 model year. The GLB 250’s sole powertrain is a 221-horsepower turbocharged 2.0-liter 4-cylinder paired with an 8-speed automated-manual transmission. The broad range of available features includes Active Steering Assist, Evasive Steering Assist, Active Lane Change Assist, Active Parking Assist, adaptive suspension, surround-view camera display, and selectable-color ambient interior lighting. The GLB-Class is spacious inside for its size and offers the flexibility of an available third-row seat, although that third row is only suitable for children. The GLB also boasts a long list of available features, but be careful, as all those options can make the reasonable starting prices escalate quickly.