A Mercedes-Benz GLB prototype was spotted testing at the Nurburgring recently, trying to hide the Panamericana grille with vertical slats and the rest of its details with a smattering of camo.
Now, given that the AMG GLB 35 was already unveiled last month, it follows that this should be the 45 version, either in “base” or top 45 S guise. Compared to the 35, it has differently styled front and rear bumpers and different exhaust pipes, although this probably won’t be its final form.
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Other vinyl stickers are found on the lower part of the doors, side sills, roof spoiler and the portion right above the headlamps, suggesting that Mercedes-AMG has concentrated some of its efforts on slightly updating these parts. If this is indeed the GLB 45 or GLB 45 S, then expect bigger wheels with a different pattern, larger brakes and a slightly lower ground clearance to further enhance its handling.
The icing on the cake will be the 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder, which produces a massive 421 PS (415 hp / 310 kW) and 500 Nm (369 lb-ft) of torque in the A45 S and CLA 45 S. The lump is matched to an eight-speed automatic transmission that channels the output to the all-wheel drive system. If the company sticks to that pattern, then expect the lesser GLB 45 to produce 387 PS (382 hp / 285 kW) and 480 Nm (354 lb-ft) of torque.
We don’t know when the top-of-the-line GLB will debut, but it might launch sometime next year, probably as a 2021MY.