Drive Notes: 2024 Mercedes-Benz GLB35 AMG 4Matic

by Tim Healey

Published: March 6th, 2024

drive notes 2024 mercedes benz glb35 amg 4matic

Every time I drive an AMG-massaged Mercedes-Benz crossover/SUV, I get a sense of déjà vu.

They're all quick, fun to drive, and bestowed with the latest in Mercedes-Benz dash tech. That last bit means lots of screen space, enough customization options to make your head spin, and haptic touch that mostly works.

Here is my short-take snapshot of the 2024 Mercedes-Benz GLB35 AMG 4Matic.

Pros

This little one can move. Floor it, and after a half-second of thinking it over, the powertrain will comply and catapult you forward in a manner that's relatively rare among compact luxury crossovers. You can even seen how much of the 302 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque you're summoning via one of the screen options.
MBux infotainment works well, though there can be too many menus. The "hey Mercedes" voice assistant generally understood my asks, but occasionally failed.
Rear headroom isn't bad, but you can notice a subtle slope.
It's cool that these cars have a "car wash" mode.
Mercedes has the best haptic-touch buttons out there. They're still not perfect, and I sometimes wonder if this tech should even be used in cars, but if one has to use it, this is as good as it gets at present.
Slapping the dial into Sport or Sport+ brings about a growling engine and some sharp handling.

Cons

I don't love the dainty column shifter that feels like it will break if you sneeze on it.
There was some low-speed clunkiness from the powertrain. Not sure if the hybrid assist was acting up or if the eight-speed DCT transmission was confused, but it wasn't Mercedes smooth.
Engaging either Sport mode similarly causes wonky powertrain behavior at low speeds and light throttle.
Sixty-eight grand seems too high, even for an AMG-massaged Mercedes. That's as-tested, to be fair, but the base price was a still dear $59,050.
Apple CarPlay sometimes would not connect.
As much as I like MBux, changing radio sources or channels requires too much menu-diving. Please, automakers, please, make certain functions simple, no matter how dazzling your infotainment tech is. Tuning radio stations or changing audio sources should be quicker and easier.
Wet roads led to seriously squeaky brakes. The binders still felt stout, though.

See you next time.

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Tim Healey

Tim Healey grew up around the auto-parts business and has always had a love for cars — his parents joke his first word was “‘Vette”. Despite this, he wanted to pursue a career in sports writing but he ended up falling semi-accidentally into the automotive-journalism industry, first at Consumer Guide Automotive and later at Web2Carz.com. He also worked as an industry analyst at Mintel Group and freelanced for About.com, CarFax, Vehix.com, High Gear Media, Torque News, FutureCar.com, Cars.com, among others, and of course Vertical Scope sites such as AutoGuide.com, Off-Road.com, and HybridCars.com. He’s an urbanite and as such, doesn’t need a daily driver, but if he had one, it would be compact, sporty, and have a manual transmission.

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2 of 27 comments

Ezekieri on Mar 21, 2024

hello

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Ezekieri on Mar 21, 2024

many money the car

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