2025 Mercedes GLB Looks Like A Tired Stormtrooper

After more than five years in production with a facelift in 2023, Mercedes is finally ready to replace the GLB. The brand’s premium subcompact crossover is getting a new generation, likely due sometime in 2025.
 

The model was recently spied in a premiere and will retain its boxy appearance up to a point. It features a horizontal multi-slat (three?) pattern on the grille, which does not seem to have grown in size, new headlights with LED DRLs that have a star-studded appearance, large glasshouse, new taillights that extend across the rear quarter panels, and regular door handles.
 
Its digital gauge cluster was partially visible through the window in the scoops, and it appears that the German car manufacturer will retain the dual-screen layout behind a single pane of glass. That’s our initial thought, anyway, as there is also a small chance that the upcoming Mercedes GLB will feature a separate screen for the infotainment system, perhaps with a portrait orientation, yet you should take this with a pinch of salt.
 
Beneath the skin lies the MMA construction, which will be shared with the next-gen CLA. Mercedes will launch both EV and ICE versions of the upcoming GLB, with the former featuring an 800-volt electrical architecture and charging speeds of up to 320 kW. Thus, they will add around 248 miles (400 km) of range in around 15 minutes at fast charging stations. The electric GLB should launch with two battery packs, and the range-topper might have around 465 miles (750 km) of range.
 

A mild-hybrid version will also be available, likely mixing a 1.5-liter four-pot with a tiny electric motor housed inside the transmission, which should be a dual-clutch eight-speed unit. Different outputs of this setup are expected to be available. The range-topping AMG is understood to launch with hybrid assistance for extra oomph, and chances are that it will arrive later.
 
Given that the all-new Mercedes-Benz GLB is in the testing and fine-tuning phase, it was only natural that someone somewhere would try and peel the fake skin off by using a healthy dose of photo editing. That someone is Kolesa, which recently shared a few digital illustrations of this model. The vehicle has an entirely new face with a Stormtrooper-like appearance, a full-width light bar, a two-slat grille, and more discreet air vents.
 
It has flush-mounted door handles for a more modern appearance, vertical taillights linked together by a light strip in the middle of the more upright and larger tailgate, and a new rear bumper with a shiny diffuser trim attached to it. The rendering artist went for a white paint finish and typical Benz wheels with a five-spoke pattern, rounding everything off with plastic cladding on the lower parts of the body and the occasional chrome touch. So, do you dig the look?