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2019 Mercedes-Benz GLA Hits Nurburgring, Prototypes Look Composed

With the 2018 Mercedes-Benz A-Class hatchback and sedan haven broken the Internet in uncovered form yesterday, it's time to return to the three-pointed star's entry-level family, as we need to discuss the 2019 Mercedes-Benz GLA.
2019 Mercedes-Benz GLA Hits Nurburgring 6 photos
Photo: Automotive Mike/YouTube
2019 Mercedes-Benz GLA Hits Nurburgring2019 Mercedes-Benz GLA Hits Nurburgring2019 Mercedes-Benz GLA Hits Nurburgring2019 Mercedes-Benz GLA Hits Nurburgring2019 Mercedes-Benz GLA Hits Nurburgring
The second incarnation of the crossover, which comes with the X157 internal code, has now moved past its early testing stage, with the test cars currently lapping the Nurburgring.

Zooming in on the piece of Green Hell spy footage below, it seems we're dealing with both an A-Class-based GLA test mule and a heavily-clad tester hiding the body details of the next-gen GLA.

Underneath the skin of the (moderately) high-riding model, we'll find the MFA2 (Modular Front-Wheel-Drive Architecture 2) platform. The architecture is set to deliver a torsional rigidity boost, thus bringing benefits on both the comfort and the driving dynamics fronts.

The new structure of the car will also help the GLA leave its most important drawback behind, delivering a more spacious cabin. Nevertheless, since Mercedes-Benz is expected to deliver a crossover slotted in between the GLA and the GLC, which should wear the GLB moniker, you shouldn't expect too much of a size increase for the second-gen GLA.

Under the hood of the new GLA, we'll find a host of turbo-four mills. On the gas front, things will range from a 1.6-liter engine to multiple output versions of 2.0-liter units, mild-hybridisation included.

As for oil burners, the Renault-borrowed 1.5-liter powerplants will be replaced by the French automaker's new 1.6-liter mills.

At the top of the range, the obvious Mercedes-AMG GLA45, which has earned plenty of praise, should receive a slightly less hot sibling, in the form of the Mercedes-AMG GLA 40.

Until we get our hands on more info regarding the X157 Mercedes-Benz GLA, you can check out the prototypes doing their thing on the Green Hell in the video below.

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About the author: Andrei Tutu
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In his quest to bring you the most impressive automotive creations, Andrei relies on learning as a superpower. There's quite a bit of room in the garage that is this aficionado's heart, so factory-condition classics and widebody contraptions with turbos poking through the hood can peacefully coexist.
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