Autocar April 17, 2019

ONE OF SEVERAL fascinating threads to come out of Andrew Frankel’s essay on what really makes for a comfortable car (p52) discusses the impact touchscreens and other potentially distracting interior and driver assistance technology has on a driver’s concentration and alertness. Frankly, so many of today’s touchscreen infotainment systems aren’t fit for purpose. They require the driver’s eyes to leave the road to carry out the most simple of commands. Even things as fundamental as heater controls are hidden behind a menu or two on some screens. Hit a bump that moves your finger, fail to press the screen hard enough or just find a poorly developed system suffering from latency issues and you’re back to square one – eyes off the road and heart rate increasing again. Only a handful of…

ONE OF SEVERAL fascinating threads to come out of Andrew Frankel’s essay on what really makes for a comfortable car (p52) discusses the impact touchscreens and other potentially distracting interior and driver assistance technology has on a driver’s concentration and alertness. Frankly, so many of today’s touchscreen infotainment systems aren’t fit for purpose. They require the driver’s eyes to leave the road to carry out the most simple of commands. Even things as fundamental as heater controls are hidden behind a menu or two on some screens. Hit a bump that moves your finger, fail to press the screen hard enough or just find a poorly developed system suffering from latency issues and you’re back to square one – eyes off the road and heart rate increasing again. Only a…

“The GLB is a durable and practical SUV with nonetheless compact dimensions” Mercedes-Benz has previewed a new G-Class-inspired rugged compact SUV at the Shanghai motor show with its Concept GLB. Scheduled to go into production later this year, with five or seven seats, the GLB features a boxy off-road design and variable four-wheel drive that Mercedes hopes will combine to give the car some Land Rover Defender-style cachet as one of its more distinctive models. The GLB will serve as a rugged rival to the Land Rover Discovery Sport, BMW X1 and Audi Q3. As well as being offered with petrol and diesel engines, by 2021 the GLB will be available as an all-electric variant, dubbed EQ B (see page 9). The new SUV is described by Mercedes as offering class-leading levels of versatility,…

“The GLB is a durable and practical SUV with nonetheless compact dimensions” Mercedes-Benz has previewed a new G-Class-inspired rugged compact SUV at the Shanghai motor show with its Concept GLB. Scheduled to go into production later this year, with five or seven seats, the GLB features a boxy off-road design and variable four-wheel drive that Mercedes hopes will combine to give the car some Land Rover Defender-style cachet as one of its more distinctive models. The GLB will serve as a rugged rival to the Land Rover Discovery Sport, BMW X1 and Audi Q3. As well as being offered with petrol and diesel engines, by 2021 the GLB will be available as an all-electric variant, dubbed EQ B (see page 9). The new SUV is described by Mercedes as…

Given Mercedes-Benz’s penchant for exploiting model niches before anyone else, it’s surprising that the GLB has only just arrived. It’s another example of the brand seemingly undervaluing the small-SUV sector over the past decade. The first, and most prominent, was the decision not to bother producing right-hand-drive versions of the old GLK (a C-Class-based SUV now superseded by the GLC). Merc bosses admitted this was a mistake back in 2010, and it was on the back foot in the UK market for years after as rivals launched their high-riding models. In the sector below, Merc has scraped by with the GLA, a model that sold reasonably well as a jacked-up A-Class derivative but never had the same impact as the BMW X1 or Audi Q3. The GLB appears every inch a credible rival for…

Visually, the GLB is like nothing else in Mercedes-Benz’s line-up right now. What’s the message behind its design? “When we first sat down to discuss the design of the GLB, there was a very strong desire to incorporate some of the design DNA from the G-Class, and the concept reflects this. Practicality was a big consideration right from the beginning. We also wanted it to look robust, like a real off-roader. It doesn’t look that big from the outside, but its sheer sides and upright cabin deliver exceptional roominess inside.” Is it the largest model in Mercedes-Benz’s compact car line-up? “Yes, it is positioned between the GLA and the GLC. We took the longest wheelbase on offer to deliver the largest possible interior we could. One key advantage over the competition is the…