2021 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: The 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLB-Class adds a new high-performance GLB 35 with a 302-horsepower turbocharged 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine. Blind-spot alert and a 115-volt outlet are now standard. Mercedes-Benz introduced this compact crossover SUV last year. 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. The base GLB 250 is powered by a 221-hp turbocharged 2.0-liter 4-cylinder and is offered in both front-wheel and all-wheel drive. The previously mentioned GLB 35 has standard all-wheel drive. Both models have 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.