Mercedes-Benz has been snapped testing the new GLB on the Nurburgring, with fewer false body panels than previously.
For the first time we have a good idea of what the final shape of the grille, headlamps, tail-lights, and wheelarch protectors will be.
Although the car has stronger visual links with the now-defunct GLK than the GLE Coupe, it's not quite as boxy as we initially believed, with the upright shape tempered by rounded corners and smooth-looking shoulders.
With its boxier shape, the GLB should prove to be more spacious and practical than the GLA, which in its current guise is more of a high-riding hatchback.
Although photos of the interior have yet to surface, we expect it to feature the same design elements as the A-Class hatch and sedan.
The odds are very short the new GLB will feature an fully digital instrumentation screen and an MBUX infotainment display housed within a single floating black slab on the dashboard.
Under the skin, the GLB will ride on a version of the front- and all-wheel drive platform we've already sampled in the fourth-generation A-Class. Propulsion should come via a selection of turbocharged four-cylinder petrol and diesel engines.
Although we've yet to hear about the car's launch date, the level of camouflage would seem to indicate a debut some time in 2019. The GLB will be one of eight models spawned from the latest A-Class platform.
