The upcoming all-electric GLB is currently undergoing final testing. Ahead of the presentation announced for early December, Mercedes has now released the first official information and images of the family SUV.

Mercedes is consistently switching to its new, not-so-compact 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.

Best-seller

The car manufacturer announced that the high-volume EQB model was one of the best-selling electric Mercedes models for several years, and its successor will be unveiled on 8 December. The market launch is planned for early 2026. As with the CLA, a pure electric model comes first, followed later by a 48-volt hybrid.

The carmaker has now revealed the first official details about the SUV, which is somewhere between compact and mid-size in terms of dimensions, and published 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.

Range of 600+ kilometers

The upcoming GLB with EQ technology is the second fully electric Mercedes model based on the MMA architecture, which debuted with the current CLA. Thanks to 800-volt technology, charging times are expected to be significantly reduced. This CLA charges at up to 320 kW, allowing the large 85 kWh battery to be charged from 10 to 80% 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 the future, the WLTP standard should allow for well over 600 kilometres, with the factory specification likely to be close to 700 kilometres.

Like its predecessor, the GLB with EQ technology will most likely be available as a rear-wheel-drive model and in all-wheel drive, similar to the CLA. There will be a GLB 200 with EQ technology (58 kWh LFP battery and rear-wheel drive), a GLB 250+ with the 85 kWh battery and rear-wheel drive, and the GLB 350 4Matic with 265 kW to all four wheels and the large 85 kWh battery.

Higher thermal comfort

Temperatures between minus 40 and 40 degrees Celsius can be simulated in the Sindelfingen cold tunnel, enabling virtually all possible weather conditions worldwide to be replicated. In freezing conditions, the new 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 heating. 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, the GLB with EQ technology should take only 15 minutes to be ready to drive off with no restrictions on 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: ambient air and waste heat from the battery and the engine.

Superscreen

Inside, the model change sees the GLB get the huge Superscreen, which stretches across the entire dashboard. The cockpit is familiar mainly from the electric CLA, as is the fourth-generation MBUX infotainment system. In the 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, accommodating seven people.