Carmakers absolutely love a niche at the moment. If there’s a gap in a line-up it’ll be plugged, filled with crossover and mid-size SUVs catering for all manner of buyers. So it was little surprise when Mercedes introduced the GLB, a compact seven-seater designed to slot neatly between the GLA and GLC in the firm’s range of slightly smaller SUVs.
And, following suit from the rest of the range, we’ve now got an AMG version. Badged as the Mercedes-AMG GLB35, it packs the same punchy engine as you’d find in the A35 hatchback, but brings a more practical bodystyle which should make it a better option for families. But is this a niche too far? We’ve been finding out.