Mercedes GLB 250+ Electric Walkaround: What Surprise Is Hiding Under the Hood?
I walked around the new Mercedes GLB 250+ with EQ Technology in a showroom: the dashboard screens, the sliding rear bench, the trunk, the panoramic roof and a frunk far bigger than I expected. Plus what the car showed about its battery, and the official range and charging specs.
I walked into a Mercedes showroom planning to take a quick look and ended up spending far longer than expected next to the new electric GLB. It's a family SUV built on the brand's new 800-volt architecture, and the car I saw was the GLB 250+, with a single rear motor and just 10 km on the clock. I went through the cabin, the rear seats, the trunk and the charging menus, and in the end the thing that surprised me most was the part I expected least from: the front hood.
What the new Mercedes GLB 250+ with EQ Technology is
The new GLB drops the EQB name used by the previous generation and is now sold as the GLB with EQ Technology. According to the "Mercedes-Benz" press release, the electric lineup launches with two versions: the rear-wheel-drive GLB 250+ and the all-wheel-drive GLB 350 4MATIC. Both use a lithium-ion battery with 85 kWh of usable capacity.
The version I saw makes 200 kW (272 PS, about 268 hp) and 335 Nm, does 0–100 km/h in 7.4 seconds and offers up to 631 km (about 392 miles) of WLTP range, according to the "Mercedes-Benz UK" spec sheet. Official combined consumption for that configuration is 16.4 kWh/100 km. The GLB is 4,732 mm long, and an optional third row with two seats turns it into a seven-seat electric SUV.
The cabin: few buttons, lots of screens
The first thing I noticed was how simple the door panel is. The driver's door has just two window switches plus a toggle that switches them to the rear windows. I use the front windows almost exclusively, so I think it's a smart solution: fewer buttons, less clutter.
The dashboard is the opposite, in a good way. The showroom car had three screens across the full width, including one for the front passenger that can run apps. The display is bright and sharp, and the ambient lighting includes an LED strip that flows down to the center console. The air vents are adjusted manually with fine controls, and the steering column adjusts manually too, which is enough for me.
The leather seats are soft and comfortable, and the console has a tray that slides back and forth plus the cupholders. Overhead, a panoramic roof stretches all the way back to the rear bench.
The sliding rear bench and the trunk
There's plenty of room in the back, even behind my own driving position, which is low and fairly far forward. I noticed you sit a little higher back there, and found out why: the rear bench slides fore and aft using a handle. Pull it forward for a bigger trunk, push it back for more legroom.
The tailgate is powered, and the trunk looked roomy even without moving the bench all the way forward. "Mercedes-Benz UK" lists it at 540 liters. One practical detail I liked: the doors wrap over the sills, so you don't get your trousers dirty getting out.
The surprise up front: a real frunk
The hood opens manually with two pulls on the release. Underneath is a genuinely large front trunk, not just a slot for cables. I put my hand inside to show the scale, and I think a child's stroller would fit without trouble. Officially, the frunk holds 127 liters and up to 20 kg, and "Mercedes-Benz" calls it the largest in the new model family.
What the car showed about its battery and charging
The charging menu is one of the most complete I've seen. At 67% charge, the car estimated 409 to 415 km of range. With the charge limit at 90%, it projected about 543 km, and around 603 km at 100%. Those estimates naturally change with your driving style.
I really liked that the car shows battery temperature, something I wish my own car did. There's also a setting for preconditioning the high-voltage battery. When I filmed, at 67% and with a cold battery, the screen showed a maximum charging power of about 87 kW, explaining that state of charge and battery temperature were limiting it.
That says nothing about what the system can do in good conditions. According to Mercedes, the 800-volt architecture supports DC fast charging at up to 320 kW, 10 to 80% in about 22 minutes, and up to 260 km of WLTP range in 10 minutes. A standard DC converter also allows charging at 400-volt fast chargers, and on AC the car accepts up to 11 kW.
On the showroom car I also spotted optional wheels and Michelin Primacy 5 Energy tires with the MO marking, developed specifically for Mercedes.
What it means for drivers
For a family that wants a practical electric SUV, the GLB checks a lot of important boxes: a big battery, fast 800-volt charging, an optional third row, a sliding rear bench and a frunk that holds far more than a charging cable. The official specs make it a strong road-trip candidate, and the fact that it shows battery temperature and lets you control preconditioning helps a lot in winter.
There was no price on display in the showroom, so my advice is to build one yourself on the "Mercedes-Benz" configurator, where options change the final number quite a bit. I'm very curious about its real-world consumption on this new platform, and I hope to get one for a long test drive so I can show you my own numbers.
