Mercedes-Benz GLB-Class VS Range Rover Evoque
Mercedes-Benz GLB-Class
Likes
- Very comfortable
- Impressive practicality
- Surprisingly fun to drive
Dislikes
- Minor visibility issues
- 200 a bit gutless
- Doesn't feel small
Range Rover Evoque
Likes
- So much power!
- Incredible charging specs
- Luxury look and feel
Dislikes
- Painfully expensive
- Rude options list
- Be prepared to wait for delivery
Summary
Mercedes-Benz GLB-Class
Mercedes-Benz reckons its A B Cs are as easy as a competitor's 1 2 3s, which is why it's adding an all new nameplate to the world's ever-expanding list of premium small SUVs.
What you're looking at here is the GLB, and as the name implies – it's the latest addition to the Deutsche juggernaut's 'compact' family. Mercedes is a little late to the show, though, with its main competitors, Audi and BMW, already offering two small SUVs each.
Not to be outdone, Merc's GLB is a totally different take on the small premium SUV formula, especially since, well, it's not all that small...
Read on to find out what that's about, as well as what we made of the GLB at its international launch.
| Safety rating | |
|---|---|
| Engine Type | 1.3L turbo |
| Fuel Type | Premium Unleaded Petrol |
| Fuel Efficiency | 6.5L/100km |
| Seating | 7 seats |
Range Rover Evoque
Range Rover has developed a bit of an image problem in the last few years.
To many the brand is still the face of a quintessentially British aspirational luxurious off-roader. But to a growing group, it has become synonymous with the concept of an environmentally reckless fuel-guzzling SUV.
They’re big, heavy, and still feature V8 engines, but Range Rover knows all too well the writing is on the wall for its increasingly infamous range of combustion vehicles.
The trouble is, customers love them, and while the I-Pace from sister brand Jaguar is a big leap into the future, there needs to be a happy medium for easing some of its existing customers away from combustion, while still offering the kinds of excess and aspirational performance the Range Rover brand is associated with.
Enter this car, the Evoque HSE P300e. It’s a plug-in hybrid, notably only available in the top trim level, with top-shelf performance, too.
Is it the right car to represent Range Rover’s entry-level model at a critical time of technological transformation? Let’s take a look.
| Safety rating | |
|---|---|
| Engine Type | 1.5L turbo |
| Fuel Type | Hybrid with Premium Unleaded |
| Fuel Efficiency | —L/100km |
| Seating | 5 seats |
Verdict
Mercedes-Benz GLB-Class7.8/10
The GLB is set to mix up the Australian premium small SUV landscape by launching something a little different to most of its competitors. It's bold and interesting to look at, which is a good sign for a brand that's spent the last few years going to great pains to homogenise the styling of its main models.
Importantly, it manages to look interesting and drive well, while living up to an ambitious practicality promise.
Whether consumers warm to it or not will largely depend on its standard specs in Australia, so stay tuned closer to its second quarter 2020 launch to see exactly how competitive Benz can make its not-so-small small-SUV...
Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with travel and meals provided.
Range Rover Evoque7.9/10
The Range Rover Evoque is more highly specified and more luxurious than ever, and this plug-in hybrid version makes the most of what’s on offer with its slick but familiar feel from behind the wheel.Â
Unfortunately, it does have an eye-watering price tag to go with its classy design and the options list is a bit rude, all things considered, but the core offering is a solid luxury buy for city-slickers, nonetheless.Â
What makes the Evoque P300e stand out for me is its impressive EV driving range and excellent charging specs which make it as convenient as possible to make the most of its electrified features.
It’s up to the buyer whether these conveniences and the Range Rover badge are worth swapping into a car a full size down from its luxury plug-in rivals for the same money.
Design
Mercedes-Benz GLB-Class8/10
The GLB is ugly... in a good way. I think so, anyway. It shuns the slick lines of the GLC, and Benz sedan family in favour of something unusual.
You'll notice straight away the chunky lines and upright front and rear fascias of the GLB, along with its light fittings that are wrong, but also right?
Then there's the shutline of the bonnet which rides across the top, creating a distinct off-set line, which is rudely interrupted by a jutting bit of chrome over the rear wheel arch.
It's almost so intentionally jarring that it feels like it's meant to conjure up visions of a mini G-Class. Benz says many of these design elements were internally dubbed 'squircles' due to their blending of angles and curves.
There's a lot to look at, and admittedly I wasn't initially a fan, but like many new design languages, you have to see it in the metal to appreciate it. I found it only became more endearing with time.
Just like the rest of the Benz compact vehicle family, the GLB has a new interior full of screens and round design elements. If you're a fan of the A-Class' interior you'll be a fan of this, too, although the GLB even ups the quality with some genuinely nice materials strewn about the place.
Special attention was paid to things like the little tubular metal fittings in the dash and doors, meant to represent grab handles and the LED lighting on higher spec cars reflected inside the air vents is always one of those wow factor items.
The dual 10.25-inch screen set-up is controversial. Some will love it, some will be begging for a set of analog dials.
Once you've adjusted to it though, it's relatively easy to use – with a couple of caveats we'll explore in the practicality section.
Range Rover Evoque
The Evoque has always been a car all about its sleek, city-slicking design, an iconic piece of modern SUV art from Jaguar Land Rover head of design, Gerry McGovern.
With its shapely proportions, clever descending roofline, and a silhouette which successfully reflects a miniaturised version of the Range Rover, the Evoque is at once classy with a faint suggestion of toughness under the skin.
The blacked-out grille, slimline headlights, and contemporary strip across the tailgate all serve to add intrigue to this SUV, and the extra detailing in the front bumper, shapeliness of the bonnet, and contrast black trims (with extra contrast panels on our test car matching the gloss black wheels) serving to add to its premium appeal.
It’s important to remember, while the Evoque slides into a busy small SUV landscape now, it was one of the first to make a premium car so successfully appealing in this small SUV space way back in 2011 with the first Evoque, following Land Rover’s historic trend of being in front of the SUV curve.
Rival small SUV designs may have caught up in the minds of many with the likes of the Audi Q3, BMW X2, and Volvo XC40 shining in recent years, but few have won as many design accolades as the Evoque.
Range Rover seems to be leaning into a more upper luxury trend, not just with the pricing, but with the vibe of the car’s interiors, too.
The new generation Evoque, for example, took a big jump in the look and feel of its interior appointments when it launched in 2019, and over time has only consolidated its market positioning.
The HSE grade which our P300e hybrid arrives in is lavish on the inside, with lovely suede-like seats, intricate contrasting grey cloth trims in the doors (do I detect an influence from Volvo here?) and a plush-looking dash, all finished in soft-to-the touch materials.
Attention to detail, like the silver bezels which adorn the centre console and media screen, add to the premium flair which lifts the Range Rover badge above the Land Rover one, and I do like the way the additional function screen seamlessly melts into the piano finish and integrated dials. While it’s always a nightmare to keep gloss piano finishes clean, it looks oh-so primo.
It’s a little odd the P300e has analogue dials, which seems to miss the premium edge which a fully digital dash might provide although the 7.0-inch centre dash screen has a great resolution and speed, as well as a mostly well laid out operating system.
I found the R-Dynamic modes, which can sharpen up the accelerator response and steering buried two menus deep, unnecessarily hard to find, as were various EV information screens and other less important functions.
Practicality
Mercedes-Benz GLB-Class9/10
The GLB's thematic purpose in the Benz family is to be the practical option to the upcoming GLA's 'sportiness' and larger GLC's luxury. Although it's not that much smaller than the GLC, the GLB is packaged in a radically different way.
For one, it can be had as a seven-seater, and at this size there's not much that can compete in the luxury space. Again, that makes its closest rival the Land Rover Discovery Sport which is dimensionally similar and also offered with seven seats.
The next closest seven-seat competitors come in the form of the VW Tiguan Allspace and perhaps Skoda Kodiaq.
Audi and BMW don't quite have anything like it (despite fielding a Q2 and Q3 or X1 and X2 respectively... ), and that could well be the GLB's master stroke. It almost fills its own niche. Mercedes is heavy on the idea that this will be the perfect SUV in its line-up for growing families.
Like those VW group rivals, the GLB is a bit of a practicality wizard, too, able to make use of a huge 500-litre boot with the rear seats stowed, or 570 litres as a five-seater.
The second row is on rails, so you can either max legroom or max boot space respectively. I was genuinely surprised with how spacious the third row is.
The packaging is brilliant, I can fit in there, not only with my head completely upright (just touching the roof), but also with actual knee room! The second row seats are also designed as such that your feet can tuck under them, so you don't feel squashed.
Even with another adult in the rear row it's wide enough to not cause problems.
Keep in mind though, with all three rows deployed you'll almost be sacrificing 100 per cent of that massive boot. I couldn't even fit a basic duffel bag in the shelf of space left over.
The second row offers simply heaps of legroom for passengers, even with adults in the third row, and it's surprisingly wide and deep. I found the panoramic sunroof, fitted to some launch cars, ate into the headroom, although it was still more than enough.
Up front is upright, but comfortable in all grades, with the GLA 35 having the most comfortable seats, by far. There are a few trenches strewn about the place, decent cupholders and a centre console box which hosts USB ports.
Trim quality was a notch above the A- and B-Class across the dash, mainly thanks the the choice of materials in the GLB's design.
I do have a few minor issues with visibility though. The A-pillar is upright and, at times, takes up too much of your line-of-sight, especially when approaching corners.
In my seating position, the top of the steering wheel obscures bits of the digital dash, and vision out the back was okay but not stellar thanks to the GLB's almost flat rear window.
Benz' digital dash suite is capable of almost everything that Audi's benchmark 'Virtual Cockpit' does, although using it is a bit awkward, with many sub menus and odd touchpads for flicking through them on the steering wheel.
Range Rover Evoque
While it still plays the role of Range Rover’s smallest SUV, the current Evoque is much bigger than the car it replaced in 2019. I would go so far as to say it’s deceptively large on the inside.
Front occupants are treated to a cabin which now feels almost as wide as an actual Range Rover, with plenty of room for elbows on either side, which are, of course, met by lovely soft-touch surfaces.
The raised console helps with the upmarket feel, as does the plush dash. The standard 14-way adjust front seats help to accommodate most passengers, with my only criticism being the large A-pillars and height of the dash can make it feel a little bit claustrophobic compared to some rival luxury SUVs.
Storage is offered through a set of large door pockets, a centre console box, dual bottle holders behind the shift lever, and a healthy nook underneath the climate controls, which also hosts a wireless charging bay.
The rear seats share the same comfortable rim as the front ones, and also have large pockets in the doors. Despite the descending roofline, I had just enough room for my head at 182cm tall although it is notable the space in the PHEV feels smaller with the raised floor needed to accommodate the batteries.
I had a little airspace for my knees behind my own driving position, too. The main drawback for rear passengers is the large transmission tunnel, making it difficult to accommodate an adult in the centre position.
There are adjustable air vents for rear passengers, but it is frustrating Land Rover has chosen to make rear USB-C charging ports an arbitrary $270 option.
The boot is also deceptively large for such a small SUV, measuring in at 472 litres (VDA), it’s above average for the small SUV class and fits the full CarsGuide luggage set, provided you remove the parcel shelf as it's just a smidge too high.
You'll also need to keep your charging cables in the boot, as there's no underfloor storage, the entire space being taken up by a space-saver spare wheel.
Price and features
Mercedes-Benz GLB-Class7/10
We don't know how much the GLB will cost when it comes to Australia, but Mercedes says to expect it to fall in a sensible void between its GLA (currently $44,700 - $94,382) and the GLC ($66,100 - $168,100).
Its traditional competitors will mainly be in the form of the BMW X1, and Audi Q3, although size and spec wise it's much closer to the Land Rover Discovery Sport (from $60,500) which can also be had with seven seats.
While standard inclusions on the Euro cars as tested here were decent, we expect they will increase for base Australian cars, along with a price hike.
Prices will largely depend on the choice of engine grade and out of the six options available globally, Australians will only be offered three petrol powertrains (Mercedes has decided against bringing the three diesel options to our market, citing a relative lack of demand).
Of course, option packs will transform each car, and there are many of them, but there are some revealing downfalls in the internationally specified cars. LED headlights, lane keep assist, and blind spot monitoring are part of an option pack in Europe. We hope these items, or at very least blind spot monitoring, is added to the standard features list for Australia.
Range Rover Evoque
While we’re on the topic of excess, the Evoque HSE P300e certainly reflects it in the price tag. This plug-in starts from a whopping $105,060 price-wise putting it in the same league as luxury PHEV rivals a full size up.
Because there are no small luxury segment small SUVs in this league currently, we’re in fact forced to compare the Evoque to cars like the Volvo XC60 Recharge (from $100,990), BMW X3 xDrive30e ($107,000), or the particularly good-value Lexus NX 450h+ (from $88,323).
All are larger than our Evoque here, so it’s automatically at a disadvantage, and as is the usual case with Land Rover products, there’s an extensive and occasionally rude options list which can add thousands more to the price.
Our test vehicle, for example, had over $10,000 worth of options attached to it, only three of which (dual-zone climate with second row vents - $1000, and the additional Type 2 charging cable - $528) I would bother to add.
The included equipment at the HSE grade is good, with 20-inch alloy wheels, 14-way electrically adjustable front seats, Matrix LED headlights, a 10-inch tiltable ‘Pivi Pro’ touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, as well as built-in navigation, and a second screen for the climate and car functions.
There’s also a semi-digital dash (oddly, with analogue dials for engine rpm and road speed, but a 7.0-inch digital element for everything else), the choice of either leather or suede interior trim, a leather-bound steering wheel, and keyless entry with push-start ignition.Â
It’s nice to see the Matrix LEDs as standard here, as well as a swish set of screens and a premium feeling interior. But it’s also frustrating things like digital radio ($520), a head-up display ($1690), data plan ($1040), and USB-C for the rear seats ($351) are optional on a car north of $100,000, especially since most of these are standard on its rivals.
One major catch is how long you might be waiting for one. Some dealer sources tell us customers will need to wait up to 12 months for delivery at the time of writing, so be prepared for this if you want one.
Under the bonnet
Mercedes-Benz GLB-Class8/10
The GLB has an almost confusingly extensive list of engine options. In Europe it's offered with three petrols and three diesels in either front- or all-wheel drive.
We'll only address the petrols as they are the only units destined for our market. The entry-level car is the GLB 200 which has Mercedes' familiar 1.3-litre four-cylinder turbo engine (120kW/250Nm) shared across the A- and B-Class, as well as various Renault models. In this case it's mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic.
Next up is the GLB 250. The 250 is a 2.0-litre engine with significantly higher outputs (165kW/350Nm). It is offered only with Benz' '4Matic' all-wheel drive. It is offered with an eight-speed dual-clutch auto only.
Then there's the star of the petrol-powered show, the GLB 35 AMG. Powered again by a 2.0-litre engine, the AMG-tuned GLB ups the ante to 225kW/400Nm. It is offered with an AMG tuned eight-speed auto, and adds the 'Sport +' drive mode.
Range Rover Evoque
The Evoque now sports Jaguar Land Rover’s hybridised ‘Ingenium’ engine family across the range, and the set-up which appears in the plug-in hybrid model might be the most interesting.
It consists of a 1.5-litre three-cylinder combustion engine which is said to produce 147kW/280Nm, and an electric motor powering the rear axle producing 80kW, the two of which combine for an impressive quoted total output of 227kW/540Nm, driving all four wheels.
The motor sources its power from a 15kWh lithium-ion battery pack under the floor of the car, which provides a claimed 62km of fully-electric driving range.
Land Rover also replaced the mechanical brake pedal with a drive-by-wire one to allow for improved ‘blended’ regenerative braking.
Efficiency
Mercedes-Benz GLB-Class8/10
Fuel consumption figures are as varied as the engine choices, the base GLB 200 will consume 6.2L/100km on the combined cycle, while the GLB 250 adds more than a litre to that number at 7.4L/100km, and despite its performance focus, the GLB 35 will supposedly do 7.6L/100km on the combined cycle.
Real-world figures will have to wait until we get our hands on Aussie-spec GLBs to do a fair week-long test. Stay tuned for that.
It is yet to be confirmed, but we'd be surprised if the GLB required anything less than 95RON mid-grade unleaded petrol.
Range Rover Evoque
Claimed energy consumption on the combined WLTP cycle for the Range Rover Evoque P300e is 2.0L/100km. As with all plug-in hybrids though, this will heavily depend on how it is driven.
The 15kWh battery is said to provide a 62km driving range (again, on the WLTP cycle), which seems healthy for a PHEV, and I was pleased to find that my car was reporting about 56km on a full charge, not far off the claim.
Importantly, the Evoque has stellar charging specifications, which make it ideal for a city-slicker with minimal time to conveniently charge.
I was shocked to find a DC charging port when I flipped open the panel, which is capable of charging the tiny battery up in just 20 minutes (at a peak rate of 35kW), while on a slower but easier-to-find AC charger, it can extract 7kW allowing a charge time of around two hours.
This is well above par for a plug-in hybrid, and makes charging quick, painless and convenient, even for those who can’t charge at home.
As a result of this ease-of-charging and therefore minimal time spent in the hold or hybrid modes, my car reported an astounding 1.0/100km of fuel consumption during my week, covering mostly urban kilometres.
The only drawback is the need to fill this small turbo engine with mid-shelf 95RON fuel.
Driving
Mercedes-Benz GLB-Class8/10
Driving the GLB was surprising. It's comfortable! It doesn't seem to matter which grade you pick, either. In fact, the GLB 35 rides the best, with its ridiculous wheels overcompensated for by impressive active dampers.
Families will love the plush seats and ultra-compliant ride. Some Benz magic must have gone into the suspension calibration, but we think the ride is also helped along by the long wheelbase.
The position of the wheels also helps prevent the GLB from feeling too nose happy. You don't feel at risk of understeer at all, and this is probably due to the fact that the front wheels are actually quite far ahead of the A-pillar.
In terms of handling, the GLB is great. The steering is light, but direct in Comfort mode. Sport mode is more of a mixed bag, with the wheel feeling a bit too artificially heavy. In 'Individual' mode you can set it up to have the suspension and transmission set to Sport, with the Comfort steering.
Obviously the GLB 35 is a hoot in terms of power available. It's fun, if a little silly. I was surprised how sedate the exhaust is, even in Sport +, a show-pony the GLB 35 is not.
That goes for all grades, too. The cabin is generally well refined.
The 250 is the right car for most drivers, with plenty of power on tap, and a reasonably smart eight-speed dual-clutch. This transmission's major drawback was how annoying it was in Sport mode, sticking in gear and revving the engine out unnecessarily.
Surprisingly, we also had the chance to sample the base model 200. This car rode just as well as its higher-spec counterparts, and it was just as quiet, too, but the 1.3-engine took a long time to get to its sweet spot.
The extra weight of the GLB over the A-Class and B-Class was evident, and the seven-speed auto seems a little less intelligent and slick-shifting than the eight-speed on the other two grades.
There was a long waiting time for peak torque, meaning foot to the floor for several seconds before anything really happened.
That having been said, the 200 is still an attractive option to cut the cost of a GLB for someone who will mainly use it for city or urban driving.
Which leads to one of the GLBs drawbacks – it doesn't feel like a 'small' SUV behind the wheel. You feel every last bit of its dimensions when negotiating a three-point turn with its almost 12-metre turning radius or trying to navigate tight city streets.
Overall though, the GLB offered a surprisingly comfortable, quiet and even entertaining drive experience for an SUV.
Range Rover Evoque
The second-gen Evoque is still the lovely, luxury, small SUV it was when it launched in 2019, and this plug-in hybrid version only serves to improve the formula, adding sleek electric driving characteristics to the already-smooth turbo engine and torque converter automatic.
Interestingly, and like its Volvo XC60 rival, the electric motor is located on the rear axle, giving this car the odd characteristic of being rear-wheel drive when driven electrically, or predominantly front-wheel drive when driven in combustion mode.
Speaking of modes, this car does the bulk of the management, with only three driving modes available to the pilot. These include the default ‘hybrid’ mode, which as the name suggests, blends the two power sources with more of an emphasis on electric driving when the battery is charged.
There's also an electric mode, which will only use the rear axle motor until the battery runs out, and a ‘Hold’ mode which will still blend the two sources but predominantly rely on the combustion engine to maintain the car’s state of charge.
You might want to use the last mode if you're travelling long-distance, to maintain the electric range for where it is most efficient - in low-speed stop-start driving.
The regenerative braking is not adjustable, having just a single mild level. It’s far from the single-pedal driving you can experience in a fully electric car, but Land Rover has made the brake pedal fly-by-wire so it can blend increased regen with the mechanical brakes.
It makes for a familiar experience from behind the wheel for those coming straight out of a purely combustion vehicle.
The electrified brake pedal does have the consequence of removing a bit of feel for a keen driver, and the same can be said for the rather slow steering tune in the default settings which makes the Evoque feel more luxurious and less sporty or reactive than it could be.
It’s a shame, because the two power sources combine to make for a thumping amount of power when you stick your boot in, and the all-wheel drive system and nicely balanced suspension keep this little SUV well under control in the corners.
As with my original Evoque range review in 2019, though, it is notable how heavy this SUV feels, particularly compared to some rivals like the Audi Q3.
The heftiness suits the Evoque's expanded dimensions and even more upmarket feel, but despite the power on offer it’s not an agile SUV to be carving corners in.
At least the ride quality and quietness is superb, making the Evoque an ideal SUV for driving around the centre of pothole-stricken Sydney, with a notable amount of poise. At the end of the day, isn’t that what this Range Rover was built for?
Safety
Mercedes-Benz GLB-Class7/10
Thanks to those kooky Germans and their love for high-speed freeways, every GLB will ship with high-speed auto emergency braking with standard pedestrian and cyclist detection.
It also gets lane departure warning (delivered by vibration through the steering) and a limited version of lane keep assist that works on solid lines and helps swerve away from oncoming vehicles.
Additionally via an option pack on the Euro cars we tested is 'Pre-Safe Plus' which adds blind spot monitoring, improved lane keep assist with lane change assist, and a system which uses a rear radar to detect incoming collisions and lessens the risk of whiplash.
We don't know what will be on Australian-specified cars yet, so stay tuned for an update.
The GLB has a total of six airbags, and in case you're wondering, the GLB's side curtain airbags are capable of protecting even the third row.
ISOFIX and top-tether chid seat mounting points are available on both the outboard seats in the second row, and in the third row in seven-seat variants – for a total of four child seat ready positions.
We'll have to wait and see what ANCAP rating the GLB scores (with standard safety equipment for this market to be confirmed), although it already wears a maximum five star Euro NCAP rating.
Range Rover Evoque
Despite its long options list, thankfully all key safety equipment is standard on the Evoque. Active items include auto emergency braking, lane keep assist with lane departure warning, blind spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, traffic sign recognition, driver attention alert, a clear exit monitor, and adaptive cruise control.
Only two items which could be considered under the safety umbrella remain on the options list (the options list becoming a recurring theme in this review), a 360-degree parking camera ($500), and the ‘ClearSight’ rear view mirror, which is able to show a camera view out the rear if the mirror is obscured by luggage or people in the cabin ($1230).
Elsewhere, the Evoque scores two ISOFIX child seat mounting points on the outer rear seats, and three top tethers across the rear row.
There are six airbags, and despite notably missing a front centre airbag, which is often required for a maximum safety rating to today’s standard, the Evoque maintains the maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating it was awarded in 2019. For the record, it scored very highly across all categories.
Ownership
Mercedes-Benz GLB-Class7/10
Like Audi and BMW, Mercedes persists with a three-year/unlimited km warranty. If you believe BMW, they say consumers in this price bracket don't expect longer warranties, but it would be nice, no?
The first German to do it will win a distinct advantage, but for now the GLB's warranty promise is par for the course.
Service pricing has not been plotted out for the GLB in our market yet but expect to be able to package in several years at a fixed price on finance, as you can on other Benz vehicles.
Range Rover Evoque
As of April, 2021 all Land Rover products are finally covered by an industry-standard five-year and unlimited kilometre warranty, matching its key rivals, and beating out BMW which persists with an old three-year warranty promise. Five years of roadside assist is also included for the duration.
When it comes to servicing, the P300e is available to be purchased with a five-year plan ($2650 - $530 annually) which covers 102,000km of visits.
This pack is well worthwhile as Land Rover servicing is generally quite expensive when purchased a-la-carte.