► One of the smallest seven-seaters
► Baby G SUV driven in the UK
► Diesel and AMG 35 tested
In a world of SUV-coupes and all-electric Tesla pick-up trucks that hit 62mph in less than three seconds, a seven-seat Mercedes-Benz A-Class doesn t actually seem that unreasonable.
Clearly, someone at Merc had the same idea, as what you re looking at is the new 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLB – a car that s based on the same platform as the A-Class and B-Class, yet looks more like a mini-SUV and has space a family of seven.
Understandably, rivals are thin on the ground. There s the not-long-for-this-world BMW 2 Series Gran Tourer (even then its MPV body style differs from the GLB) and any number of five-seat SUVs that don t offer the same level of flexibility as the GLB, plus some larger (and cheaper) true seven-seaters, such as the Skoda Kodiaq and Kia Sorento. Hell, there s even an AMG version – not even Skoda s Kodiaq vRS can come close to offering the same performance.
12 October 2020 9:32 am / 3 comments
To say that BMW’s front-wheel drive strategy has been a hit-and-miss affair so far would be putting it mildly. While MINIs continue to be the ultra-hip, ultra-desirable runarounds for wealthy youngsters, Munich’s offerings have struggled to find their identity, having yet to achieve the same level of success as Mercedes-Benz’s incredibly popular compact car range.
It is perhaps the inevitable consequence of having a people carrier as your first front-wheel-drive vehicle. The 2 Series Active Tourer and its even frumpier Gran Tourer sibling were so far away from BMW’s core of building Ultimate Driving Machines (and the intrinsically sporty nature of the rear-drive 2 Series Coupé and Convertible) that it might as well have built an actual boat.
autoevolution 2 May 2021, 12:35 UTC ·
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Despite a lot of false flags surrounding the 2 Series nameplate, mostly because of the apparition of models like the 2 Series Active Tourer, Gran Tourer and especially the 2 Series Gran Coupe, BMW is not going to make its entire compact lineup FWD-based. 46 photos
Despite no less than four models wearing the 2 Series moniker nowadays, most of them using the MINI-based UKL2 platform with transverse engines, the 2 Series Coupe will remain an old-school, rear-wheel-drive model, with longitudinal engines and a nearly perfect weight distribution on its two axles.
The 2022 BMW 2 Series Coupe has had a rather long gestation period and was nearly killed off for more FWD compacts with transverse engines, but BMW has gone against the tide with the model, keeping it alive despite the somewhat lackluster sales numbers it might bring in a market that has become almost overcrowded with compact crossovers.
When it comes to picking up the children from school, driving the dog to a walking spot or loading up for a holiday, large sports utility vehicles (SUVs) are the cars of choice for modern families.
And for those with busy and active lifestyles, five seats just aren t enough. They need the flexibility of seven often including two that pop up from under the boot floor at the back.
But loud voices in the green lobby have such a dislike of SUVs they often ignore that many now run on electricity or are hybrids.
TV presenter Nicki Shields tries out a sporty seven-seater Audi SQ7 SUV which can rocket from rest to 62 mph in just 4.1 seconds up to a top speed limited to 155 mph