I purchased a used 22’ GLB-250 on 12-15-22 so I thought I’d share “my observations”. I already own a ’14 ML350 Blue Tec that I purchased used 5/2016 with several upgrades. Other than the Diesel refit recall, its quality remains at 61K miles. I store that vehicle during the NH Winters so when my wife’s RX300 died, we turned to Mercedes.

The GLB-250 offers a smaller size vehicle comparable to the RX-300 and it allowed us to place a Large Dog Travel Crate in the back. The BMW X3 and X5 did not provide a flat surface with the rear seats fully retracted. I came to this forum to see the comments and at that time they looked pretty go so the purchase was made. I did visit a local dealer and took one for a test drive but as you know, not much time to observe everything about a car so this year long adventure has taught me a few things. I know some will not agree but here is my take.

NAV – I found the Nav System Presentation was not even close to the ML, the graphics especially, “The Car” ICON is a huge, oversized arrow that often obstructs a clear view of where you are. Also, the touch pad on the center console and/or the touchscreen is a distraction while driving, you will find that a constant theme of mine in the review. Just give me a knob like the ML that I can turn to pan in or out.

Heating and Cooling – Again, give me a simple knob with hot and cold settings and fan speed. Nope, this car incorporated those settings into a sub-menu and while I’m driving, I don’t need to be looking at the display to direct the flow. The default settings always reset themselves when you turn the car off.

Auto Stop Start – Porsche has a great idea, living in NH I want to go when there’s an opening, I always have to deactivate that function before heading out, how about a switch where I can disable it permanently and if needed in Boston’s grid-lock I can reactivate it.

Sun visor – My Ophthalmologist and Eye Surgeon direct me to avoid UV Exposure, a hard task with the visor design, you’d think MB would have employed a slide function because the visor when moved to the side window leaves about a 5-6 inch gap, just enough for sun penetration. I had 3M Crystalline Tint installed to block the UV but who wants the sunlight (although filtered) blasting in your eyes. Also, the tree lined roads in NH during winter months creates a strobe effect as the sun penetrated through the trees. This issue also goes for the gaps in the front windshield coverage, a good 2-3 inch gap to the sides of the visors, I always seem to be tilting my body to avoid the sun.

Seat Warmer – It appears my vehicle was one of those where the chips were scarce so instead of the electric seat, they placed the seat warmer control in it’s place. Extremely hard to see when sitting upright (distracted driving).

Dash Toggle Switches – Not a fan, I find then very hard to read (distracted driving) and especially at night. There is no distinct feel to them if I want to keep my eyes on the road.

Center Console Flat Buttons, Nav and Radio. No distinct feel to either of them, again I find myself looking down to switch between the radio and nav (distracted driving).

Transmission – Very Choppy in low gears slowing down. Accelerating from a complete stop with the Auto Stop Start disengaged, there always seems to be a slight hesitation when accelerating quickly (pedal to the floor)...... Cars coming over crests, many crests in NH……..



OK Fire Away

 

Your comments are actually quite useful to those coming out of an older model Mercedes. We have a ‘21 GLB250 and it is the most “un-Mercedes” of the ones we’ve had in the past 20+ years.
-Front wheel drive
-Dual clutch transmission
​​​​​​-Mainstream interior.

That said, we really like it for its utility. It was a great replacement for our ‘15 GLK. And it goes twice as far on a gallon of gasoline as our ‘05 ML.

Suggestions to improve the “experience.”
-The start/stop function as compared to the one in the GLK was awful. Find an indie shop with a coder and get it defaulted to off with the option to turn it on with the button (dealers won’t do it).
-There are a number of transmission programs that most dealers will flash load at no cost. You can also try switching driving modes yourself from the console and the dealer can also help you select a custom one if you want.
-The touch pad is mostly a distraction IMO. Go to settings and reduce its sensitivity.
-For most of the comfort settings, you can talk to the car. “Hey Mercedes, it’s too warm/cool in here” will get the cabin temperature turned down/up. Just ask it… hands are not needed for most things and it will tell you if it can’t do it.
-We haven’t used in-car navigation in years. CarPlay and MAPS works fine for us, and we drive a lot.
-Remember, too, that the GLB is 2 steps down the ladder from an ML, which is now a GLE.

 

Old Piggy,

Thanks for your response. I’ll definitely search-out an INDIE with a coder and have the Stop Start defaulted set to off with the option to turn it on with the button, this function drives me crazy.

Since purchasing this used from a dealer in New Jersey (their loaner fleet) my local servicing dealer certainly would charge for a transmission flash load. Besides the deceleration “rough” gear changes, I find while travelling in New Hampshire the transmission is shifting late and “Drags” as my father would say when learning on a manual transmission. “Shift before the engine drags” drilled into my head, those were the days. I will call and see what they say, I am forever paddling it to a lower gear.

I agree the touch pad is a distraction, I’ll try what you suggested, every time I want to zoom in or out, I’m in a battle and that’s not good while driving.
The temp setting seems simple, without looking push up or down but the “Hey Mercedes” function does not adjust airflow. BTW that’s the slowest voice interface on the planet. FYI - I had two contacts in my iPhone HOME and HOME DEPOT, I'd do the old “Hey Mercedes” and then “call home”, it always went to Home Depot, it could not distinguish between the two… so I made it simple for the GLB, deleted Home Depot…. Why-I-Ought-ta

 

I know exactly what your transmission is doing. It’s seeing the downhill grades and using engine braking. I think it switches at around 6% grade and you probably have a lot of 8% in NH like we do toward the uplift. You’ve probably figured out that it actually is a manual transmission. The ECO setting allows it to freewheel on deceleration, but it starts in 2nd, so not so great in the hills.

Ours didn’t seem to have a problem finding who to call, maybe it’s how we have our numbers stored. “Home” vs “Home Depot” is pretty basic. But it can’t do anything on the left side of the instrument panel, like check the oil level, so it’s sort of a background application for us. We usually use Apple CarPlay for phone calls, texting, and navigation.

Our daughter has an AMG GT (about 3x the price) and the cockpit isn’t a whole lot different, so that’s apparently where “driver interfaces” are headed. Kind of makes me want my ‘64 Olds 88 back. 😉

 

Owner of a 21 GLB 35 chiming in, bought it used about a year ago, and there's a few niggles you'd listed that get me irked a bit. I also own an 07 E550 Sport, SO drives an 06 E55 - mentioning them only for the dual sun visor set up with a sliding "main" visor and much smaller fixed visor that are much nicer to use than the visor in my GLB.

So, there's a few tweaks to be had.

For the visor, I have vision issues as well. There's a company in Eugene OR that makes visor "solutions" - we have a common client in the Oregon DOT, ODOT uses their visors on its snow plows and that's how I found out about Rosen, which also makes visors for airplanes. I have one of these in my GLB: https://www.rosenvisor.com/store/p18...or_System.html - not pretty but it works for me. The Lite version (https://www.rosenvisor.com/store/p18...aFit_Lite.html) may suit you. Not cheap, but I like my eyes working as they currently do.

Thanks for the laugh with the "Home" bit. I have my local HD and Lowes tagged as "Big Orange Box" and "Big Blue Box" in my contacts. That fixed it. If you have the Mercedes Me Connect app, opt in to the ChatGPT Beta and also check your app too as there is a new voice recognition feedback option. I've found that my commands to the MBUX are more accurate since opting in. I have my house dialed into my nav unit too, works for the short and the long press for the Voice Command switch on my steering wheel and with "Hey Mercedes".

IMHO use the Hey Mercedes "Help" command to see which voice commands work for the seat heater and ventilation systems, I use them regularly and don't have to use the buttons often. My 2¢.

There are a couple of coders that advertise on MBWorld. Building on the suggestion, I plan to use RJAutomotive (https://rjautomotive.net/pages/coding-options) for a few tweaks, there's a couple that should address some of your niggles. The Sport+ option might address the hilly sections of country you drive through, it's on my GLB and I prefer its throttle response to any other option on my GLB. Defeating Start/Stop was at the top of my list, it's an option there.

For switching settings, again I'll refer you to the Help command I alluded to earlier. The ChatGPT Beta broadens the language one can use with their Benz. I also prefer knobs tho' I've successfully used Voice Control to adjust seat heating, ventilation, and cabin lighting. Do check out the Help command of Voice Control. Do adjust the Trackpad settings, I've tweaked mine a few times - in the 2024 GLBs the trackpad is done and dusted IIRC.

Not sure what you're alluding to the Nav icon, I've seen it a few times but it disappears after a few seconds. I don't know if you're aware (or Odd Piggy for that matter) that MB moved away from HERE's solution to the brand new Google Cloud Services setup in late September for traffic/POIs/navigation for MBUX 1 vehicles. I worked with MB for 6 months up to deployment as an end user, it's better than it was before the updated rollout. I am an IOS user but find that GMaps has a more-comprehensive answer to navigation. Again, my 2¢.

 

Benz Driver, GREAT INPUT, thanks. I'll have to re-read carefully and see what I can do especially with the Visor. Yes, we do have the Connect app but expiring soon so I need to act fast!

 

benz driver, Took a look at your “Tweaks” this morning, here’s my feedback:

The Insight Versafit Clip-On visor is a sun filtering device. The 3M tint I added to the side windows has that function while blocking heat and UV. I’m really looking for a sun blocker, I’m about to add rubber bands around the driver’s side visor and slip-in a piece of cardboard that I can physically move. Who cares about the aesthetics, at this point.

I did see this Mercedes news release Mercedes-Benz takes in-car voice control to a new level with ChatGPT (mbusa.com)

Yesterday it appeared I did receive an MBUX update, first noticed because it blew-out all my stored radio stations + added some icons to the basic map graphic.At start-up it did ask me to set-up my personal assistant.So, later today I will investigate what enhancements/functions and probably see the ChatGPT functions you alluded to.

Went to the rjautomotive site via the link you provided, seems my ’22 GLB250 falls into the “MBUX 1 / NTG5.5” category and they didn’t have any coding list or options for that vehicle soi not sure about your comment to defeat the stop/start.

 

For the start/stop function, you just have to find someone who knows how to do it. Ours is completely disabled. Maybe you could try @BenzNinja who advertises on this site.

 

Should we reprogram after warranty expires? Will MB honor warranty if start-stop is disabled?

 

Never stopped to consider that. Still a valid question, though.

 

Hi, getting back into town for a couple of days.

The coders Option 3 "Start-Stop remember last setting" is the coding option I was alluding to - if the option is disabled, it stays disabled. One of my friends had this code enabled, exactly what you're alluding to wanting. It's not a "disable" setting but, rather, a toggle that recalls the last setting as opposed to having it return to "on" at every start - it's disabled until it's enabled. He's been in for two Services, an A and a B, nary a comment by the Benz dealer that both of us go to.

Their visors aren't just a filtering device IME. Their visors diminish glare and artifacts, with my open-angle glaucoma I get the need for elimination of glare. Keep in mind that their products aren't the visors you find in an auto parts store - I've sat in ODOT snow plows and maintenance vehicles as a passenger facing dozens of vehicles at night in the snow through one of their visors with no fatigue and hours the following day in bright sunlight reflected off vehicles and snow. I was sold, it's not cheap PRC-made polycarbonate I trust my eyes to. My 2¢. Give them a call, it's what they do for a living. Or, don't. My GLB 35 has no window tinting, the visors in my ride preclude my wont for it. Not defending their product, happy with their product IME.