Snow show: 2026 Mercedes-Benz GLB breaks cover, cabin of new-gen electric wagon revealed
The 2026 Mercedes-Benz GLB is almost ready for launch, with the German car giant releasing teasers of the mid-size SUV undergoing cold weather testing.
It has also issued pictures of the EV’s cabin ahead of its global debut on December 8.
Primed to land in Australian Benz dealers next year, it’s been confirmed the Mercedes GLB will remain a seven-seater with the three-row SUV designed to sit above the closely related and equally new 2026 GLA.
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Both are set to live in Benz’s line-up below the larger GLC that was unveiled earlier this year at the Munich motor show.
Inside the cabin, Benz promises the new GLB will be more flexible with fold-flat seating and also offer the option of an almost full-width MBUX Superscreen infotainment and digital instrument cluster for the first time.
Shown off undergoing its final phase of testing in sub-zero temperatures, our first look at the second-generation GLB shows that it will have a pair of slimmer headlamps and pop-out door handles for enhanced aerodynamics.
At the rear there’s a full-width light bar, a pair of slimmer lamps and a tailgate spoiler designed to cut drag and enhance the range.
Beneath its slippery skin, the all-new GLB share plenty with the advanced new CLA sedan and shooting brake.
The mid-size SUV is based on the same new Mercedes Modular Architecture (MMA) platform that has been developed for both all-electric and mild-hybrid power.
From launch, expect the entry EV to come with a single e-motor to drive the rear wheels and produce 200kW and 335Nm of torque.
A punchier powerful dual-motor version will pump out a muscular 260kW and 515Nm.
Combined with a nickel-manganese-cobalt 85kWh battery pack, it’s thought the new GLB will offer a range of around 650km.
Meanwhile, a cheaper 58kWh lithium phosphate iron (LFP) power pack should deliver a range of more than 500km.
Dropping the last gen’s EQB designation, the new EV GLB will carry the ‘with EQ Technology’ badging.
For those not ready for the switch to EV, the new GLB also gets a mild-hybrid turbocharged 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol that’s blended with an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission that incorporates a 20kW e-motor within the casing.
EV power comes from a small 1.3kWh lithium-ion battery.
In Europe, it’s thought the GLB hybrid will be offered with 100kW/200Nm, 120kW/250Nm and 140kW/300Nm. All-wheel drive will be an option.
Within, the GLB picks up where the latest CLA leaves off, adopting cutting edge tech that is spearheaded by the optional MBUX Superscreen. It works with Benz’s latest MB.OS operating system and uses the firm’s MBUX interface.
A new AI-powered virtual assistant is said to improve the tech’s usability with the tech continually improved by over-the-air updates.
Other details include circular air vents, a floating centre console and a new steering wheel that features buttons and a roller for the volume control.
Tipped to be bigger in all directions, the GLB should come with more space in all three rows. The second row also now slides and gets longer thigh cushions for better comfort.
Access to the third row has been improved, says Benz, while the third row now folds flat when not needed.
Other improvements include a panoramic roof with an infrared coating that keeps the cabin warm in cold climates and cool under the hot sun.
The same glass can switch from transparent to opaque at the touch of a button, while at night an optional star pattern illuminates to complement the in-car ambient lighting.
Equipped with the latest driver-assist tech, the new GLB comes with eight cameras, five radar sensors and 12 ultrasonic sensors that will provide for level 2++ supervised autonomous driving in urban environments.
Ensuring the GLB is fit for extreme climates, the mid-size SUV is currently being subjected to simulated blizzards, desert heat and extreme levels of wind and rain to ensure the EVs climate control works to keep occupants comfortable, while the powertrain continues to operate at temperatures as low as -40°C in 200km/h wind speeds.
The same facility can also bake the GLB in a heat chamber at more than 60°C, while a new ‘Hot Road’ heats the surface below the Benz SUV to more than 70°C, to ensure the EV’s electronics perform without a fault.
The result is an electric car that can defrost its windscreen in just 15 minutes at -15°C.
Boosting efficiency on the move is an advanced heat pump first developed for the pioneering Vision EQXX that draws heat from the drive system, battery and ambient air.
This sees it consume around a third of the energy a conventional heater draws.
It’s still not yet known where Australian-bound GLB SUVs will be made, following the closure of the current car’s Mexican plant. Both pricing and specification of the cars we’ll get Down Under will be released closer to the all-new Mercedes GLB’s launch.
