2023 Mercedes EQB250 Review: Electrified GLB

The 2023 Mercedes EQB250 is what you get when you put a GLB through the EQ treatment. My loaner was painted in the Night Black color which I loved at first, but then realized it was the reason why I probably didn’t like the exterior styling. I say that because the hero EQB on the Mercedes is in a white color that helps give definition to the front grille. It’s a much needed definition since in typical EV fashion, the front grille is blocked and virtually flat. This made the front a magnet to any and every bug. Although the wheel design and size was not something I liked from a design aspect, they did perform great at softening any bumps on the road.
Hop into the EQB250 and you wouldn’t be able to tell that it is an EV and that’s a good thing. It was nice to see that it looked like a regular GLB and not some super over technological nightmare that I’ve experienced. With that being said, the seats were a little on the plain side but I kinda of expected it considering it was the base model. Like the wheels though, they weren’t pretty but were extremely comfortable on long drives.
I did like seeing that the infotainment system is the previous version and not on the newer, yet more complicated system. The only downside is that you’ll need to plug in for Apple CarPlay integration. This EQB250 was not equipped with the additional 2 seats in the third row as I found out is available when I was researching it. The third row would 100% be used for pets as it basically has no space for leg room. I personally think it works better as a 2 row SUV and the back benefits as a large storage area.
Under the hood I was surprised to see that the front mounted electric motor didn’t have plastic covers, but rather completely naked. It was refreshing to see since although I wouldn’t recommend doing repairs to the electric system itself, you still have easy and clear access to maintenance things like the coolant, windshield washer fluid, brake fluid, and 12v battery. Even though EV acceleration can be fun, for everyday driving, it isn’t practical. Thankfully the EQB250 didn’t have a massive amount of low end torque and made drivability extremely easy. When it came to regenerative braking, I could not find a way to smoothly and consistently do so. I tried virtually every type of configuration and i kept getting different results even when I stayed in the same mode.
Overall, I’d probably look elsewhere for an electric CUV. The inability to have a smooth regenerative braking made me dislike driving the EQB250 in stop and go traffic. It did excel on an open highway where it was extremely smooth and relaxing to drive.