Mercedes-Benz GLB-Class AMG® GLB 35 2021 Review

Mercedes-Benz offers ever more inventive ways of exploring the spaces between existing car segments, and the 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLB-Class is a textbook study. As its three letters suggest, the GLB slots in between the tidy GLA and the larger, pricier GLC, and it's a bit like a middle sibling in between hand-me-downs: too big to be subcompact, not quite large enough for a compact.

But the GLB stands apart with distinctive style, its upright boxy shape looking more like the rugged, celebrity-favorite G-wagen (G-Class) than its mainstream counterparts on either side of the product lineup. It's also exceptionally comfortable, suitably luxurious and loaded with appealing technology. The GLB even offers an available third-row seat, which is pretty much unheard of in this class. The seat is cramped to the point of being unusable, but the GLB gets credit for at least offering one.

The standard GLB isn't a particularly rousing car to drive, but that all changes this year with the introduction of the high-performance AMG GLB 35. Overall we'd recommend the GLB over its BMW X1, Audi Q3 and Volvo XC40 competitors — just mind the options list lest the reasonable base price spiral out of control. Read on for a deeper dive into the Mercedes-Benz GLB from our Expert Rating team.