2028 Mercedes-Benz GLA Is A Particularly Big, Beefy Subcompact With EV Or Hybrid Power

Looking through my notes, the first impression I jotted down when I saw the redesigned 2028 Mercedes-Benz GLA in person was to write "that's one beefy boy!" And you know what? I'm sticking to that opinion. I call 'em like I see 'em. The GLA is supposed to be a subcompact, but the new fully electric and gas-hybrid models feel huge for the segment, and that's by design. As Mercedes puts it, the GLA has grown in almost all of its dimensions to gain a more "confident" stance. 

If it seems like there's a lot of Mercedes news this year, you're right. Mercedes has been on a tear since 2025, kicking off a new model every few weeks since the third-generation CLA. The company has the goal to introduce dozens of new or redesigned models in the next few years — at least 40 by 2027. While in Finland for the first drive of the 2027 C-Class, the company gave us journalists a sneak peak at the third-gen 2028 GLA ahead of its debut in Poland on Wednesday, though sadly we did not get a chance to get behind the wheel.

Full disclosure: Mercedes flew me to Finland, fed me and put me up in a hotel so I could see drive the new C-Class and see the new GLA.

First, let's address this small SUV's bigness. It's six inches longer than the last GLA overall, 2.4 inches of which was added to the wheelbase. That means rear passengers get an extra 1.5 inches of legroom in the back, and good for them, they deserve something. Headroom has increased nearly an inch. The rest of the hard-won space in the new GLA goes to storage in the rear cargo area and, if you go for the EV, a small frunk. In person the GLA looks so chonky it seems to count as a subcompact based on automaker lineup alone. The wheels are wider apart, and it's also lower by almost an inch, making the car more aggressively stanced.

The new electric GLA goes on sale on July 30 in Germany (it replaces the EQA we never got, which was already just an electric GLA with a different name), but in the U.S. we'll have to wait until the second half of next year. We won't get pricing until close to showtime, and, unfortunately, we can't infer much from its German starting price of 48,600 euros, especially considering shifting tariffs and inflation. With the electric CLA starting at just under $50,000, the GLA EV will probably be a little more expensive than that.

We don't have any U.S.-spec details yet, but the electric GLA will launch in rear-wheel-drive GLA250+ and all-wheel-drive GLA350 4Matic guises. The GLA250 has 268 horsepower while the dual-motor GLA350 gets 349 horses, which will send it to 60 mph in 5.3 seconds, and the rear motors of both models have a two-speed transmission. Every electric GLA has an 800-volt architecture with an 85-kWh nickel-manganese-cobalt battery pack, which offers a range of 408 miles on the European WLTP cycle. (For reference, the CLA250 has 492 miles of WLTP range, with the EPA rating it at 374 U.S. miles, so expect a range in the low 300s.) It can be fast-charged at up to 320 kW, adding back 168 miles in ten minutes.

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Meanwhile, the 48-volt hybrid gets a turbocharged 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine that's paired with a 1.3-kWh lithium-ion battery, an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission and a 30-hp electric motor integrated inside it. In driving conditions requiring under 30 horsepower, the car runs on only electric power. The system is capable of recouping energy for the car in all eight gears, and it's able to coast for longer than its predecessor at speeds of over 60 mph to harness that sweet, sweet untapped momentum. The hybrid can seamlessly switch from electric in the city to relying on its gas tank for longer hauls. Sadly, while the electric GLA is rear-drive, the hybrid is front-wheel drive, unless you go for the 4Matic AWD.

Every all-wheel-drive GLA, whether powered by gas or electricity, come with a new Terrain mode. It gives the driver a virtual view beneath the car and adjusts the powertrain tuning to deal with looser materials under the tire. You know, for all the off-roading you're going to do in your subcompact SUV.

Mercedes' new bulbous design language works better on an SUV, probably because I've gotten so used to the rounder, softer modern SUVs that favor crash readiness requirements. The electric versions of the GLA wear the same smoked glass–effect mesh grille introduced on the GLC EV last year, with the option of 158 micro-LED lights that can create a light show for actions such as charging or when someone with a key approaches. Meanwhile, the hybrid (shown above and below) has a similar grille to the new GLB with which it also shares its platform and powertrain, with a bunch of three-pointed stars and more inlets to let its turbocharged engine breath.

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Along with the fancy new grilles and design language comes some more color options. The electric version on display for journalists was fitted with — stop me if you've heard this one before — the blackout Night Package and satin black paint. While Mercedes is experimenting with a light purple on the C-Class, it went full send with a new green color for the GLA called Liquid Crystal Green. Seeing this green in person would have been way more exciting than another blacked-out edition, but not everyone has my excellent taste in car colors. Sky Blue Metallic also joins the color wheel for the new GLA.

After gazing at the light-up grille and pretty new paint, when you step inside the GLA looks pretty much the same as its CLA and GLB siblings. The tri-display Superscreen that stretches the full length of the dash is optional, and there are plenty of moody options for the optional ambient lighting. The large standard panoramic roof has the option for Sky Control, which features 162 three-pointed stars embedded in the glass above your head.

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The GLA will come in four trims: Style Line, Progressive Line, the AMG Line and the AMG Line Plus. These "lines" are basically difference appearance packages, giving the customer access to exclusive colors, trims and wheel options. It's available with Mercedes' full suite of advanced driver-assistance systems, including a new automated parking option that can get into tighter spaces. It also comes with the updated MBUX AI assistant, which is a bit less thrilling if you've had to deal with AI recently.

We'll learn more about the GLA's features, packaging and details when it gets closer to the U.S. launch next year. Following the launch of the GLA250 and GLA350 models, there will be a new AMG version with the same tri-motor 671-hp electric powertrain as the recently revealed CLA45. Hopefully the GLA45 will come to America, as we won't be getting the CLA45.