Mercedes-Benz GLA

 

The Mercedes-Benz stand here in Frankfurt was indeed buzzing following the debut of the swoopy S-Class Coupe Concept, but another big debut from the German automaker came in the form of this, the 2015 GLA-Class compact crossover. As its nomenclature would suggest, the GLA is essentially a high-riding version of the A-Class (or CLA-Class) compact, and thus, a lot of the architecture and powertrain offerings are carried over.
For the US, that means power will come from a turbocharged, 2.0-liter inline four-cylinder engine, good for 208 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque, mated to a seven-speed, dual-clutch transmission. Mercedes-Benz estimates a 0-60 time of 6.4 seconds for the GLA250 with 4Matic all-wheel drive. A front-wheel-drive version will debut after the 4Matic model's launch, and while the company hasn't officially confirmed it, a hotter GLA45 AMG is expected to follow, as well.
We like the look of the GLA – the curvaceous design language of the CLA sedan translates nicely to this raised-up hatchback version. To our eyes, it's certainly prettier than the BMW X1, but not as avante-garde or stylishly refined as a Range Rover Evoque. And the matte paint seen on this show car is pretty darn cool, if overplayed these days. In any case, we're sure it'll find a nice home in the Mercedes lineup beneath the GLKwhen it goes on sale in 2014.