Mercedes-AMG GLB 35 Gets A 390-HP Upgrade

TheMercedes-AMG GLB 35is a strange attempt at making a people carrier faster, but the upgrade wasn't fast enough for tuning house Vath's, which came up with a new package promising more go and more stick.

We quite like it, even though it's aimed at a niche audience. It fits in with AMG's ethos of making everything faster, even though it's not a true AMG. Mercedes says its engine is "AMG-enhanced." Translated from marketing into English, it means it's not a true hand-built unit like other AMG products.

If you do want a fiercer GLB, more closely aligned with AMG's usual crazy antics, Vath Automobiltechnik just introduced a new tuning package for the GLB. Vath is like Brabus, but a little less famous. It tuned the previous-generationE63 AMG up to 750 horsepowerand gave the 2016C63 enough grunt to hit 199 mph.

The standard GLB 35 turbocharged 2.0-liter four already packs an impressive 302 hp and 295 lb-ft punch, which is enough to get the kids motion sick within a mile of the house. Vath's upgrades will allow you to reduce that zero to vomit time in less than it takes to go a quarter-mile, thanks to a new total of 390 hp and 369 lb-ft. To put this power output in perspective, it's almost the same asthe famous E39 M5, which had a 5.0-liter naturally-aspirated V8.

The increase in power is mostly the result of an ECU tweak, though the transmission's software has also been updated to cope with the extra shove. A new air filter is also part of the package, as is a ribbed exhaust to improve the four-pot's soundtrack. Finally, the 155-mph speed limiter is removed, though Vath doesn't supply a new claimed top-speed figure. The press release only states that it is capable of more than the Mercedes-allowed 155 mph.