Another day, another Mercedes-Benz prototype! This time around, the future Mercedes-AMG GLB 35 was caught by spy photographers from Carscoops.com.
The suspicion that this is a Mercedes-AMG GLC 35 is mainly fed by the larger wheels and brakes and the exhausts that protrude outwards on both sides of the rear bumper. There is still little to see otherwise, since the camouflage is as heavy as ever. No fancy bumpers, no huge spoilers. That is not surprising, because also the recently introduced A 35 is quite subtly decorated.
Like its smaller brother, the Mercedes-AMG A 35, the future GLB 35 will be powered by a two-liter four-cylinder turbo with 306 hp and 400 Nm, an AMG DCT7 box and four-wheel drive. This impressive spec sheet should make it a quite competent contender in its compact segment… And let us not forget the real top version A 45 is also in the pipeline. The A-Class sprints with this engine in 4.7 seconds from 0 to 100, so the GLB will probably do the same in just over five seconds.
The spotted prototype also brings more news, because the optional LED headlights and rear lights are clearly visible for the first time in these spy images. The last GLB we saw was equipped with the standard halogen headlights. At Mercedes this also has consequences for the taillights, which have a simpler layout in standard trim than with more expensive models. With the GLB, this is reflected in rear lights that are divided into two ‘boxes’, as is the case with the new GLE.
The GLB is an SUV built on an the basis of the A-Class, which will complement the next-gen GLA in Mercedes’ compact line-up. That model also gets a successor, which, just like the outgoing model, is a real crossover and not an SUV. The Mercedes-AMG GLB 35 will instead play that part and gets a sturdy bodywork styling that is somewhat reminiscent of that of the bigger G-Class.
