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2020 Mercedes-Benz GLA Mule Starts Testing as an A-Class on Stilts

Ever since it was unveiled, the Mercedes-Benz GLA was seen by many as a jacked up A-Class and not a truly independent Mercedes-Benz model.
2020 Mercedes-Benz GLA prototype 17 photos
Photo: S.Baldauf/SB-Medien
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They weren't exactly wrong, since both the GLA and the current A-Class share the MFA (Modular Front-Wheel-Drive Architecture) platform, including engines and transmissions.

That said, Mercedes-Benz probably wants to reinforce that opinion once more when the next generation of the small crossover hits the market. This is probably why Stuttgart engineers have started testing the 2020 GLA-Class using a mule that's dressed in the body of a 2018 A-Class.

Both future models will be built on the MFA2 platform, so this somewhat odd mashup mule wasn't too complicated to create. The next GLA-Class is expected to be unveiled sometime in 2019, so there is still plenty of time for prototypes that use the production body to be spotted by our spy photographers.

Meanwhile, we'll have to settle to a speculation about the model's innards instead of commenting on the overall looks, since it's clear that this is just a raised up A-Class.

Just like its MFA2 platform brothers, Mercedes' smallest crossover will benefit from a more severe weight reduction thanks to the use of high-strength steel and aluminum parts. Engine-wise, we should see the introduction of mild-hybrid engines across the more powerful gasoline engine range, along with a new generation of diesels.

A plug-in hybrid version isn't out of the question, and we do know for sure that the downsizing trend will continue, but without dropping certain versions to three cylinders instead of four, like its Bavarian rivals.

The Mercedes-AMG GLA45 will continue to use the same powerplant as the A45 but expect it to top 400 hp by the time the next Mercedes-Benz compacts hit the market, maybe even thanks to a 48-Volt mild hybrid system.

Keeping the sporty credentials, the 2020 GLA may get a slightly more spacious and more rugged brother in the shape of the GLB at some point, although nothing has been confirmed officially as of yet.

Just like on the current generation, the lower spec models will get front-wheel-drive as standard, while the more powerful ones will come with AWD. There are rumors about a GKN Driveline system being integrated into the FWD-based 4Matic system, which would make the car as satisfying to drift as the Ford Focus RS, but we wouldn't hold our breath for becoming a reality.
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About the author: Alex Oagana
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Alex handled his first real steering wheel at the age of five (on a field) and started practicing "Scandinavian Flicks" at 14 (on non-public gravel roads). Following his time at the University of Journalism, he landed his first real job at the local franchise of Top Gear magazine a few years before Mircea (Panait). Not long after, Alex entered the New Media realm with the autoevolution.com project.
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