2020 Mercedes-Benz GLA Prototype Strips 2 Days Before Official Reveal

A little over six years have passed since the original Mercedes-Benz GLA (X156) was unveiled as the smallest crossover in the Mercedes-Benz lineup and its replacement's reveal is just around the corner.

Unless it gets leaked, we will get to see the 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLA without any camouflage in less than 48 hours, as the crossover is set for a December 11 online reveal, and Mercedes-Benz has already teased the model on more than one occasion.

Caught by our collaborating spy photographers being tested around the streets of Stuttgart alongside a pre-facelift Mercedes-Benz GLC, the new GLA seems quite a bit bigger than its predecessor.

Slightly longer and taller, the car also seems to have much higher ground clearance, almost identical to the more SUV-like GLC that's following close behind. Mercedes-Benz might have responded to the first-generation GLA's criticism, with many people seeing it more like a raised hatchback than the crossover it so desperately tried to be.

The current generation had a so-called “off-road package” as an option on some markets, which raised the ground clearance a further 2 cm (0.8 inches) alongside other “rugged” modifications. That said, the car in the spy photo gallery looks like it's ready for some off-roading at the mall parking lot with those 21-inch wheels and minuscule tire walls.

Based on the same MFA2 (Modular Front-wheel-drive Architecture 2) platform as the latest A-Class, B-Class, CLA and the first generation of the GLB 7-seat crossover, the all-new GLA will feature similar interior design and an identical engine lineup.

This translates into an assortment of 1.3-liter and 2.0-liter turbocharged gasoline engines and 1.5 and 2.0-liter diesels, paired with either front-wheel-drive for the less powerful versions and AWD for the others. A plug-in hybrid version and two Mercedes-AMG versions will become available later on in the product-cycle.

You will get the choice of rowing your own with a six-speed manual transmission but two dual-clutch transmissions will also be available - a 7-speed and an 8-speed one for the more powerful engine versions. 🏁