Mercedes is consistently switching to its new nomenclature: with the model change, the EQB family SUV is becoming the GLB with EQ technology. While the predecessor introduced in 2021 is currently being phased out, the second edition is already warming up behind the scenes. The Stuttgart-based company announced that the high-volume model EQB was one of the best-selling electric Mercedes models for several years, and will be unveiled on 8 December. The market launch is planned for early 2026, as with the CLA, it will initially take place with a pure electric model, and later a 48-volt hybrid will follow.
The carmaker has now revealed the first official details about the SUV, which is somewhere between compact and mid-size in terms of dimensions, as well as publishing the first pictures. The Swabians are already showing the cockpit in its entirety, while the exterior is still hidden under a thick layer of ice in the photos. Test engineers are currently completing heat and cold tests with the fully electric GLB.
Improved heating capacity and efficiency
Temperatures between minus 40 and plus 40 degrees Celsius can be simulated in the Sindelfingen cold tunnel, enabling virtually all possible weather conditions around the world to be replicated. In freezing conditions, the electric GLB has already proven that it offers significantly higher thermal comfort than the EQB.
Based on a twenty-minute journey at minus 7 degrees, the interior heats up twice as fast as in the previous model. At the same time, according to Mercedes, only half as much energy is required for the heating process. The heating process starts automatically as soon as someone gets into the car.
The engineers are also testing how long it takes to defrost a completely frozen windscreen. At outside temperatures of minus 15 to minus 20 degrees, it should only take 15 minutes for the GLB with EQ technology to be ready to drive off without any restrictions to visibility.
At the heart of the improvements is a new heat pump, the development of which has incorporated findings from the efficiency-focused ‘Vision EQXX’ programme. It uses three heat sources simultaneously: the ambient air, as well as waste heat from the battery and the engine.
Inside, the model change also sees the GLB get the huge Superscreen, which stretches across the entire dashboard. The cockpit is largely familiar from the electric CLA, as is the fourth generation of the MBUX infotainment system. In future, there will be a floating centre console between the front passengers. At the same time, the new model is said to offer more headroom despite a large panoramic roof.
Mercedes also promises that legroom in the second row has been noticeably increased. The electric GLB variant is still available as a five-seater or with a third row of seats and a total of seven seats. In the latter version, the rear seat is adjustable as standard; otherwise, this is an optional extra.
Range over 600 km
The upcoming GLB with EQ technology is the second fully electric Mercedes model based on the MMA architecture, which made its debut with the current CLA. Thanks to 800-volt technology, charging times are expected to be significantly reduced. The German competitor to the Tesla Model 3 charges at up to 320 kW, allowing the large 85 kWh battery to be charged from 10 to 80 per cent in 22 minutes, for example. The SUV counterpart is likely to be on a par with the CLA in this discipline.
Thanks to the efficient powertrain and the new heat pump, the range is also increasing. In future, the WLTP standard should allow for well over 600 kilometres, with the factory specification likely to be close to the 700-kilometre mark. Like its predecessor, the GLB with EQ drive will probably be available as a rear-wheel drive model and with all-wheel drive, similar to the CLA, as the GLB 200 with EQ technology (58 kWh LFP battery and rear-wheel drive), the GLB 250+ with the 85 kWh battery and rear-wheel drive, and the GLB 350 4MATIC with the 265 kW all-wheel drive and the large battery.
mercedes-benz.com, jesmb.de (in German)
This article was first published by Elias Holdenried for electrive’s German edition.
