Four years in, the tiny (roughly the same dimensions as a Honda CR-V) Mercedes-Benz GLB and its AMG variant, the GLB 35, get some minor tweaks and that's about it.
The front and rear styling has been freshened, the LED headlights and taillights have been revised, there are a couple of new wheel choices, and as you can see from these photos, the Starling Blue Metallic paint just pops.
Under the hood, it's the same 302-horsepower, 295 lb-ft of torque from a 2.0-liter turbo four as the '21 GLB 35 I reviewed two and a half years ago, but with a bonus 13 horsepower boost from a 48-volt mild hybrid system. The EPA fuel economy estimate remains 23 mpg combined city/highway.
And as with my previous review, my recommendation is to put the adaptive drive mode into "S+" and leave it there. The "Sport Plus" setting raises the shift points, tightens the suspension and steering response and the exhaust snarls to let you know the GLB is ready for action. Sixty from a standing start happens in 5.1 seconds.
The base price of the 2024 Mercedes-AMG GLB 35 is $59,050. The window sticker that came with the vehicle lists destination and delivery as $0.00, so we'll take their word on that for now (those charges are usually anywhere between $950 and $1500 on most vehicles).
Standard at that price are everything we've discussed so far apart from the Starling Blue Metallic paint (a $750 option), as well as AMG Performance 4MATIC all wheel drive, twin 10.25-inch screens, one for driver information, the other for infotainment, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a SiriusXM Platinum Plan trial, ambient lighting, power heated front seats with lumbar support, split-folding rear seats, rain-sensing wipers, keyless start, dual-zone automatic climate control, a Burmester surround sound audio system, a panoramic sunroof, carbon-structure interior trim, black MB-Tex and microfiber upholstery with red stitching and a comprehensive suite of active safety features.
In addition to the Starling Blue Metallic paint, extra-cost options on our tester included the Exclusive Trim (power folding mirrors, hands-free liftgate and passive keyless entry) for $2,150, an upgrade from there to the Pinnacle trim (adding a head-up display, MBUX Interior Assistant and animated logo projectors) for an additional $950, 21-inch matte black AMG multi-spoke wheels for $2,450, and the Multimedia Package including augmented video for navigation at $1,300.
All told, the as-tested price of the 2024 Mercedes-AMG GLB 35 is $66,650.
If you're one of the drivers who needs an SUV instead of a sedan or coupe, but for whom speed trumps size, the 2024 Mercedes-AMG GLB 35 is a small package of very good things.
