Officially revealed at the tail end of last year, Mercedes-Benz has released even more images of the all-new GLA on top of the official images which all but serves one purpose – to entice us – and you know what, it’s working, on us at least.
Personally, I’ve not been a fan of how the GLA looked from the very beginning. It was a blessing that the GLA 45 we reviewed was real quick, so no one could see me in it. It looked like it had a body builder’s physique, paired to my scrawny legs so you can understand if I wasn’t too ecstatic when news came that an all-new model had arrived.
You know what though, it seems the GLA required a little more time before it starts growing on you. Looking at it four months on, almost every inch of its exterior seems to please the eye. It’s just more proportionate when you compare the old and new side by side.
The new GLA is now significantly taller than its predecessor but is shorter and narrower. That said, it’s wheelbase has been extended slightly and couple that with the height increase, Mercedes-Benz says there’s now more head and legroom than before. Boot space however has grown a negligible 14 litres, to 435 litres.
Inside, the new GLA adopts the company’s new design approach with a free standing screen made up of two 7-inch displays – one for the instrument cluster and the other for the infotainment system. The latter now features the MBUX operating system, with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity.
Globally, there are a few variants available for the new GLA – the 200, 220d, 250 and GLA 35 with 306 hp and 400 Nm from a 2.0-litre turbocharged engine. 0 to 100 km/h will only require 5.1 seconds. The all-mighty GLA 45 S however, makes 421 hp and 500 Nm of torque – good for a 0 to 100 km/h time of 4.3 seconds.
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