GLB Delivery

Yesterday, the long-awaited Mercedes-Benz GLB finally arrived at our home.

It’s a GLB200d 4MATIC, in Iridium Silver, fully loaded with the AMG Line Package, AMG Leather Exclusive Package, Advanced Package, and a panoramic sliding roof.

Since the beginning of this year, we had been thinking about replacing our family car, considering options like the Taycan, waiting for the new Cayenne release, or going for the BMW X7… but all those cars turned out to be too big for our current family needs. (I’ve also written about the size issue in this article)

車幅の広い車は本当に日常使いできる？ポルシェカイエンとパナメーラを所有してみた感想

Then around summer, my husband had the chance to test drive a friend’s GLB200d, and he was deeply impressed by its performance.

“It has a comfortable ride, great road-holding, handling I love, minimal body roll on mountain roads, fun to drive, and yet it’s under 1850mm wide with seating for seven!”

With that, the GLB quickly became a top candidate for our family car.

Just then, there was a lottery for models scheduled for winter delivery. Thinking “the competition is fierce, so there’s no way we’ll win,” we entered anyway—and to our surprise, we won.

That said, we were told delivery would be around February next year, so we prepared to wait patiently.

However, since we had already sold the Cayenne, we were relying on our only 5-seater Swift for every trip, and while it can fit all five of us, with the baby seat and the somewhat cramped front passenger seat, we were really looking forward to the GLB arriving soon… Then, much earlier than expected, it was delivered in November.

I don’t think our whole family has ever been this excited waiting for a car delivery before, haha.

First Impressions of the GLB

The weather on delivery day was clear and sunny. (I think it was because I, a notorious rainmaker, hadn’t planned to go, haha.)

Actually, until delivery day, I had never driven the GLB even once, but I got to drive it a little after delivery. I’ll share a detailed review in a future article, but for now, I’d like to share my first impressions.

In short, it’s a driving feel I really love. The seating position is high, yet it has a solid road-holding feel. The initial acceleration isn’t too light, and it moves forward exactly as much as you press the accelerator.

I’m not a fan of overly light driving feels, but with the GLB, I felt no discomfort at all. It really suits my taste.

I like cars that are a bit firm with strong road contact, like the Golf 7 we used to have. Cars you can trust and feel safe driving.

So for those who prefer a smooth, soft ride, they might think, “The GLB’s ride is a bit firm….”

Even on the steep hill right in front of our house, it climbs steadily, and I feel the 200d is more than enough without needing the AMG version. (Though I haven’t driven it much yet.)

Also, sitting in the back seat, the sunroof creates a spacious, open feeling inside, with no sense of confinement. It’s hard to believe such a compact car can feel so roomy inside.

The modern dashboard and comfort features are, as expected from Mercedes-Benz, impressive, and even my daughters, who aren’t really into cars, were excited and said, “Wow, this is amazing!”

My husband said, “We’re going to drive this GLB hard without worrying about mileage!!” He’s already planning a round trip to Tokyo soon as part of the break-in drive, so please look forward to his impressions as well.