2020 Mercedes Benz GLB250 4Matic SUV: All-New and (Goldilocks) Just-Right
For those of you looking for some midsized, mid-priced luxury and are hardcore, lifelong Mercedes Benz fans, the brand new GLB 250 may be just right for you.
This is a new offering (sorta) from Mercedes, and it fits in between the GLC and the GLA. It’s a smaller vehicle than the bigger boats than you can get, so think of this as something that’s perfect for your inner-city life where parking is tight and everything else is at a premium. Prices start at $36,600 – a bargain for a Mercedes – and mileage is a respectable 23 city and 31 highway. Across the board, the GLB is described at a ‘luxury’ vehicle (can’t imagine a Mercedes being anything else) and for the starting price, that is impressive.
What can I say, I truly enjoyed driving around town in this car, even though anymore, unless you look at the badging, you are hard-pressed to distinguish one car from another. As you can see from the pictures, it does stand out with a certain amount of elegance, even on a busy street. While a bit cramped for some of your larger friends and relatives (yes, I have put on weight since the pandemic began), this should work well for most of your family.
I did a few trips to Costco and found there was plenty of room for all my bulk purchases. Not that you would need a Mercedes for your pandemic shopping, but in these uncertain times (ain’t that the truth), you never know if this will be or become your one and only car. Shudder.
There are two trims: the base GLB250 and the GLB250 4Matic, which adds All-Wheel Drive and adds about $2K to the price. Both have a turbo 2.0-liter 4-cyliner engine with 221 horses. (A third row of seats is optional, but, yeah, well …. not sure that even your poodles could get back there.)
There are a host of options packages that make the GLB an even more fantastic car – and this is where the costs start to add up. Driver assist, multi-media, sunroof …. the cost can easily double – and now we are getting into the regular MB price range.
And yet, even without all those add-ons, you will still get that unquestionable Mercedes Benz luxury and style that happens every time you step inside. Driving a Mercedes has always had a certain cache and that has not changed one bit since Halle Berry was a Stone Age princess in The Flintstones movie. The addition of the GLB, which is a very smart addition, just gives buyers another means by which to attain that.
I am still old-fashioned and feel you should go to your dealer (or broker) and get inside and test it before you buy it. I know you can order one and have it delivered as you like, and if you can, well, bully for you. But I still think it’s very important you drive it before you buy it – just as you would before marriage.
You just never know if it’s a lemon even after you’ve squeezed it – but trust me, the GLB is no lemon. Still, drive it. You’ll like it.
Reminder: This model is GLB, as in Gay Lesbian Bisexual.
