SPY PICS: Mercedes-Benz GLA
First GLA spy shots emerge as Merc gets ready to go after X1, Q3 and EvoqueMercedes-Benz’s first compact crossover, the GLA, has broken cover for the first time almost a year ahead of its world public debut at the 2013 Frankfurt motor show next September.
Shot here by Carparazzi in a location so secret we had to modify the background, the all-new A-Class based SUV will be Merc’s first direct rival for the BMW X1, Audi Q3 and Range Rover Evoque.
As expected, the GLA – as it’s expected to be called – follows the route of popular small soft-roaders by offering a sporty but versatile five-door wagon body (complete with ‘fast’ rear windscreen) on a mildly increased ride height.
Thus, the GLA more closely resembles the X1 and Q3 than the Evoque, which is not based on a passenger car and presents an all-new compact SUV bodyshell with the choice of both two and four doors.
As one of five model derivatives to spring from the German luxury brand’s new MFA small-car platform, the front- and all-wheel drive GLA will share many of its engines with the latest B-Class and upcoming A-Class, which goes on sale in Australia priced from under $40,000 early next year.
While the compact four-door CLA ‘coupe’ will be the next all-new Benz model to emerge, at the Geneva motor show next March, the fifth MFA-based model will reportedly be a compact roadster potentially dubbed the SLA.
It’s not yet clear whether Mercedes will produce an AMG version of the GLA, or if it will be available with all six of the A-Class launch engines in Europe, ranging from 90kW/200Nm 1.6-litre to 155kW/350Nm 2.0-litre petrol and 80kW/260Nm 2.0-litre to 125kW/350Nm 2.2-litre diesel engines, all matched with a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.
The GLA will slot in at the bottom of Merc’s expanding SUV range, which was bolstered by the new M-Class in recent months and will also be joined by a redesigned GL-Class seven-seater and facelifted G-Class hard-core off-roader next year.
Meantime, the second-generation GLK due in 2014 will be the first available in right-hand drive form, finally giving Mercedes-Benz Australia a rival for the top-selling Audi Q5 and BMW X3.
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