GLB-Class

Segment
SUV

Once Mercedes unveiled the GLB Concept after teasing it to the high heavens, it was time for that process to start again, only this time with the production version. That means more teasers and sightings of heavily camouflaged GLB test mules out in the wild. And while we've seen plenty of the latter, Mercedes had yet to give us a taste of the former…Until now.

In what's likely a big hint that the GLB's official reveal is right around the corner, Mercedes has taken to social media to tease what will soon become the newest member of its SUV family. It left us a single darkened shot of an uncovered GLB with an outstretched palm holding a Swiss Army knife with a Mercedes logo on it.

Mercedes may be trying to make the point that holding the key to a GLB is like having a Swiss Army knife in your hand, or it could also be alluding to the car's technology, with the knife taking the place of a smartphone. Mercedes' caption tells it all, though, since it reads, "The new Mercedes-Benz GLB: intelligent like a smartphone and as practical as a multitool!"

And though the tool steels the picture (it's actually in focus, unlike the GLB in the background with its door open), we can infer a few things about the GLB from the darkened silhouette in the distance. On it, we can see taillights that feature a design similar to the lights on the 2020 GLS SUV, a muscular roofline that looks like it makes vast improvements over the GLA in terms of interior space, a digital gauge cluster, and ambient lighting giving the cabin a soft hue, much like the A-Class' ambient lighting system.

Given that the GLB will share a platform with the A-Class, it should borrow a lot of that car's technology, which includes the latest MBUX infotainment software, ambient lighting, and a few engine options including an AMG-built power plant. These will all center around a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, which could be boosted beyond 350 horsepower in AMG applications.

But the GLB will differentiate itself from the A-Class by having lots of room inside, enough to fit three rows of seats. And if Mercedes decides to turn the crossover into a baby G-Class as it has implied, then the GLB may truly become one of the most lust-worthy Mercedes SUVs on sale. Considering how great the GLE and G-Class are, that's saying a lot.