Mercedes-Benz’s compact family has never before been
so vast. You have the A-Class hatchback and sedan, B-Class MPV, CLA four-door
coupe, CLA Shooting Brake and seven-seater GLB. One model that’s still in the
development phase is the GLA. The second generation of the brand’s BMW X1, Audi
Q3, Jaguar E-Pace and Volvo XC40 rival is still hiding behind wraps, but with
the help of some image editing software, Kleber Silva is attempting to uncover
its design secrets.
The rendering isn’t fully accurate, though, as the
headlights appear to have the wrong shape and pattern, the grille is oversized
and the lines that span across the hood and sides seem different compared to
the actual prototypes.
All modern compact cars made by Mercedes share the
same MFA platform between them, which supports the addition of several gasoline
and diesel mills, as well as the 4Matic all-wheel drive system. The GLA will
mirror the engine family of the A-Class, getting the 1.3-liter, four-cylinder
co-developed with Renault-Nissan in its most humble offering, as well as the
2.0-liter petrol in the GLA 250. The base diesel will put the 1.5-liter dCi to
use, but you will also be able to get the larger 2.0-liter oil burner in Europe
too.
Should you want your GLA with AMG fire power, you’ll
have to wait for the GLA 35 and GLA 45, which will mirror the rest of the 35
and 45 models of the range, with up to 415 horsepower in the 45 S. Mercedes should drop the veil off
the new GLA at the 2019 Frankfurt Motor Show, in less than two months, before
launching it in Europe and other markets by the end of the year.
