The New Mercedes GLA Debuts Next Week

The GLA is hardly the most exciting model in Mercedes’ sprawling portfolio, but it’s one that the company’s accountants favor. Not necessarily because it delivers hefty profit margins, but because it’s among the brand’s best-selling models. It’s been around for 13 years and is about to enter its third generation, taking the fight to other established players in the segment, such as the BMW X1 and Audi Q3.

Although Mercedes doesn’t say what we’re about to see next week, the GLA is likely to debut with both combustion engines and electric drivetrains. The latter will replace the EQA as the German luxury automaker finally does what it should’ve done a long time ago: merge its ICE and EV lineups instead of giving them distinct designs based on the powertrain.

Camouflaged prototypes have been a common sight in the car paparazzi world, with both mild-hybrid and electric test vehicles spied on numerous occasions. Love it or loathe it, the three-pointed star motif is coming to the GLA, with both the headlights and taillights getting the starry treatment seen on so many recent Mercedes models.

We’re not surprised since car bloat is still in full swing, but the disguised test vehicles appeared slightly larger than the current GLA, although it still looks like an oversized hatchback on stilts. There’s a good chance front and rear light bars are hiding beneath the camouflage because they’ve become a recurring design element across the latest Mercedes models.

The work-in-progress crossovers also had flush door handles to help improve aerodynamics and extract a bit more range from the electric model. Some would argue the electrically operated pop-out setup also cleans up the vehicle’s profile. On the flip side, there are safety and usability concerns that conventional door handles easily avoid.

Like its bigger and boxier seven-seat sibling, the GLB, the new GLA will feature a triple-screen setup dominating the dashboard. Expect a 10.3-inch digital instrument cluster joined by a pair of 14-inch touchscreens, one for the infotainment system and the other for the front passenger. An optional panoramic glass roof that switches from opaque to transparent is also likely, complete with countless illuminated stars.

While the mild-hybrid version is expected to have a turbocharged 1.5-liter gasoline engine under the hood, the electric GLA should feature a front trunk, as in the GLB. Don’t expect a three-row version, as that role belongs to the GLB. Mercedes has engineered its entry-level crossover with front- and all-wheel drive for the combustion-engine model, while its electric twin is expected to come in rear- and all-wheel-drive configurations.

This yellow wrap comes off July 29 during a special event Mercedes will host on its website at 1:30 PM ET (7:30 PM CEST or 5:30 PM GMT).

Motor1’s Take: The new GLA clearly won’t set your pulse racing, but hopefully enough people will buy it to fund the development of more exciting models. Mercedes could make the GLA more fun by giving it the AMG treatment in the same mold as the ludicrously powerful electric AMG CLA 45.

We wouldn’t count on Affalterbach developing another gas-powered version, though, since only the larger AMGs from the C-Class and up are sticking with combustion engines. We haven’t forgotten about the A45 hot hatch, which is still on sale, but its days are numbered as an A-Class successor is already in development.