Mercedes-Benz is already working on a bigger, more chunky-looking front-wheel-drive crossover, rumored to be called the GLB. However, engineers have also been tasked with making a mid-life facelift of the GLA-Class.
According to the internal Daimler product plan, the "GLA Coupe" is supposed to debut in 2017. However, so was the E-Class All-Terrain, but it's already been revealed, so we suspect they are actually referring to the GLA we already know.
This facelift has been testing for quite some time, and it's either going to debut next week during the Paris Motor Show or during this November's Los Angeles Auto Show.
The X156 GLA-Class seen in the first video is wearing less camouflage than usual. It's not like they are going to make radical design changes anyway, but some new bumpers and lights will be installed just like with the A-Class facelift.
A good indication of when a Mercedes model is ready to debut is if you see prototypes with bright paint instead of regular black. We have an earlier video from the beginning of September showing the GLA facelift in bright green, so we've got all our bases covered.
Any new engines?
The safest bet is "no." Mercedes-Benz updated all the engines for the entire MFA family, which is why the GLA 45 AMG has just as much power as the A45 without the cosmetic updates.
However, there is a small chance that emissions regulations and competition within the segment will force the company to stop working on the 2.2-liter diesel fitted to the 200 and 220 d models. In their place, we could see a horizontally arranged version of the E-Class longitudinal 2.0-liter mill.
Other than that, we could see something like a GLA 250 AMG Sport with 218 PS. Inside, the GLA facelift will likely get a slightly bigger screen and convenience features like keyless access and start.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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