The Mercedes GLB and CLA may sound like they come from the same family. But they are as different as Hansel and Gretel.
The GLB crossover and CLA sedan occupy the same entry-level compact segment. Both offer front- or all-wheel-drive. Both feature the same state-of-the-art self-driving system. Yet Mercedes sees SUV and sedan buyers as entirely different people.
So it has given the entry-level vehicles two entirely different personalities.
Like siblings that take after mom or dad, the GLB gets its DNA from Papa G-wagon — Mercedes’ top-of-the-line SUV patriarch. The comely CLA learned its lessons from the top-dog S-class coupe.
GLB is square and chunky like the off-roady G-wagon, its giant greenhouse giving excellent, 360-degree visibility and comfortable rear seating for your giraffe-legged reviewer. I could easily sit behind myself in the GLB with headroom to spare.
Elsewhere in its SUV lineup, Mercedes has been pushing the envelope trying to make its SUVs look more sedan-like with racy, “coupe” designs on the GLC and GLE. Well, the GLB won’t be turning any heads.
The little Merc takes its design cues from a shoebox. This sport utility is all about utility.
Strangely, my GLB 250 came equipped with paddle shifters which were as useful as tennis shoes on a fish. The GLB is not a vehicle you want to row hard. It’s 2.0-liter turbo-4 has enough pep to get around town, but the turbo lags and the car’s top-heavy appearance (all that greenhouse glass!) translates to healthy body roll in the twisties.
Homely it may be, but you can throw everything and the kitchen sink inside its big square hatchback — and the GLB middle seats fold flat for easy loading. Its wheelbase stretches a healthy four inches beyond the CLA. Got more stuff? Load it on the roof rails.
If you want a stylish Merc, forget the GLB and check out runway model CLA.
With is long, shark nose and swept lines, the sedan will get entry-level buyers’ attention. Papa S-class would be proud. Interestingly, the boxy GLB is adorned with jewelry — chrome exhaust valance here, a dab of rocker panel chrome there — in order to let you know it’s a Merc.
The gorgeous CLA doesn’t need superfluous jewelry. Its lean bod is visual enough.
It’s even prettier than CLA’s first-gen car which I swooned over in 2015. Especially in the rear quarters, which drooped in the 2014 model like it had been held too close to a flame. The 2020 model sports a firmer derriere.
That’s important because CLA is a companion sedan with the Mercedes A-class. Like the S-class and its S-class Coupe stablemate, Mercedes offers entry-level sedan buyers two body styles. Though the CLA has four doors, its raked roofline echoes that of the two-door, S-class coupe.
The A-class is attractive to look at — but for a couple grand more, you can score a date with the homecoming queen.
Speaking of a couple grand more, I would recommend the upgrade to CLA’s AMG performance trim.
Like the GLB, the standard, 221-horsepower, 2.0-liter turbo-4 in the CLA feels a bit uninterested. The AMG 35 trim gains 81 ponies and a taut, all-wheel-drive suspension.
Luffing along state Route 250 in Ohio, a hungry, 232-horse Mazda RX8 suddenly loomed in my mirrors. I toggled into the AMG 35’s SPORT PLUS mode — tightening the suspension and steering. The engine lowered an octave as if clearing its throat.
With a flick of the shift paddle (useful in CLA as opposed to the GLB), I dropped the transmission a gear. Then floored it. BLATT! BLATT! Went the lightning-quick upshifts as I sped through a pair of ess curves, the chassis solid as a rock.
Exploding out of the last corner, I glanced in the rear-view mirror for my RX8 friend. He was barely in sight, struggling to keep up. OMG AMG.
If anyone challenges you at a stoplight, the AMGs launch control is also useful. Floor the brake. Bury the throttle. Wait for the revs to level at 3,000 RPM. Lift brake. ZOT!
As different as the SUV and sedan look outside, the cockpits are similar inside. Both vehicles come with a standard 7-inch gauge cluster. Upgrade to a 10.25-inch cluster like my testers and you get one of the industry’s best digital experiences. Where Tesla has inspired a generation of cars with big center screens, Merc has innovated the horizontal dash screen stretching from driver’s instrument panels across the console.
Note the Kia K5, Hyundai Sonata and 2021 Cadillac Escalade as disciples of Merc’s design lead. Managing the wealth of information on these graphically rich screens is a beautifully engineered steering wheel. Without removing my hands from the wheel, I used tiny mouse pads on the spokes to negotiate between menus.
For the ambitious, there’s self-driving capability, too. Merc’s system is reliable on a divided interstate, even changing lanes automatically when you pull the turn signal stalk. Unfortunately, the voice recognition system struggled with my navigation commands, whereas the available Android Auto (ahem, Mercedes, if Kia can do wireless Android Auto why can’t you?) responded perfectly.
I continue to use phone apps for my in-car navigation.
The Mercedes’ consoles offer useful storage space for phone and water bottles — but the real estate could be even more useful were it not for the giant touchpad that occupies valuable space and proved clumsy to operate. I didn’t use it.
Perhaps my favorite ergonomic feature on the Mercs is the location of the engine Stop/Start button (the most annoying feature in autos today) right next to the ignition button. Turn on the ignition key — and turn off STOP/START in one motion. Thanks, Mercedes!
Aft of the front thrones, the two vehicles change significantly. The CLA sedan gets cramped — the coupe roofline bearing down on my noggin while I had to splay my long legs to sit behind myself.
So different are GLB and CLA that Merc fanatics might consider buying both for the garage. One for daily chores, one for weekend getaways. One for Hansel, one for Gretel.
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2020 Mercedes CLA
Vehicle type: Front- or all-wheel drive, five-passenger, compact sedan
Price: $37,645, including $995 destination charge ($66,340 AWD AMG CLA35 as tested)
Powerplant: 2.0-liter, inline turbo-4
Power: 221 horsepower, 258 pound-feet of torque; 302 horsepower, 295 pound-feet of torque (in CLA35 as tested)
Transmission: 7-speed automatic
Performance: 0-60 mph, 4.8 seconds (mnfr.); top speed, 155 mph
Weight: 3,505 pounds
Fuel economy: EPA 23 mpg city/29 highway/25 combined (as tested)
Report card
Highs: Sexy bod; sporty AMG dynamics
Lows: Useless touch pad; cramped rear seat
Overall: 4 stars
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2020 Mercedes GLB
Vehicle type: Front- or all-wheel-drive, five-passenger, compact SUV
Price: $37,595, including $995 destination charge ($55,340 AWD GLB 250 as tested)
Powerplant: 2.0-liter, inline turbo-4
Power: 221 horsepower, 258 pound-feet of torque
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Performance: 0-60 mph, 6.9 seconds (mnfr.); top speed, 130 mph
Weight: 3,891 pounds
Fuel economy: EPA 23 mpg city/31 highway/26 combined
Report card
Highs: Roomy interior; state-of-the-art electronics
Lows: Boxy exterior; sleepy turbo-4
Overall: 3 stars
(Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne.)
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