Mercedes is bringing its new generation of baby crossover to America sometime in the second half of next year. The 2028 Mercedes-Benz GLA will come in two flavors: hybrid and fully electric. Both have some pretty impressive specs to go along with their all new design and upgraded cabin tech. And while Mercedes hasn’t revealed any pricing just yet, the GLA has always been one of the brand’s most affordable cars.
Mercedes is in the middle of something of a do-over period for its EV project. The EQ line of cars, with their smooth, bulbous styling, never managed to gain much traction. Now Mercedes is overhauling its lineup with a slew of new EVs on a new, software-defined platform. In recent months it’s revealed the GLC SUV, plus the CLA and C-Class sedans, all with far better specs than the company’s previous offerings and all destined for the U.S. market. And it makes sense that it’s coming out swinging: BMW has its own Neue Klasse EVs rolling out, and both companies are fighting for share in a tough Chinese market too.
The electric GLA will have two different offerings: the GLA 250+ Electric and the GLA 350 4Matic Electric. The former gets a single-motor, 268-horsepower powertrain, while the latter gets a dual-motor setup with 349 horsepower and all-wheel drive. Mercedes doesn’t list any performance specs for the weaker car, but claims the more powerful 350 hits 60 mph in 5.3 seconds.
All electric GLA models will get an 85 kWh (usable) nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) battery pack, with a maximum of 408 miles of WLTP-rated range. The WLTP cycle is always more forgiving than the U.S. EPA, so we don’t know exactly what it’s range will be like once it gets here. It should come in at at least 350 miles. With an 800-volt architecture, the GLA is capable of charging at a healthy 320 kW, and Mercedes claims it can juice up an extra 168 miles of range in just 10 minutes. It can also charge at 400-volt stations if you can’t find an 800-volt one, thanks to a built-in DC converter.
2028 Mercedes-Benz GLA (European model)
Photo by: Mercedes-Benz
If pure EVs aren’t your bag, the GLA can also be had with a hybrid powertrain. It’s a 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder that gets some help from an electric motor that’s built into the eight-speed dual-clutch transmission (8F-eDCT). The motor itself makes 30 horsepower and can drive the GLA with the engine off in slow city driving or coasting on the highway at over 60 mph. The 48-volt hybrid system is powered by a 1.3 kWh battery pack, and regenerative braking can recoup energy at 25 kW, even with the powertrain engaged, in all eight gears.
The new GLA gets some snazzy new tech, too. If you dare take it off smooth pavement, the all-new Terrain mode features a “Transparent Hood” that uses all of the car’s cameras to give you a visual of what’s underneath the front of the car, as if the hood weren’t there. It’s a common feature on modern off-roaders, but interesting to see on a GLA that will almost certainly never see any terrain trickier than a gravel driveway.
2028 Mercedes-Benz GLA (European model)
Photo by: Mercedes-Benz
There’s also the new MBUX Virtual Assistant, powered by ChatGPT and Google Cloud’s Automotive AI Agent. Mercedes says it can deliver complex navigation information and can even hold conversations, since it has a short term memory that remembers what you recently said.
As standard, the GLA gets some impressive driver-assistance goodies, too. Eight cameras, five radar sensors, and 12 ultrasonic sensors all work together with a water-cooled control unit to make up Mercedes’ Distance Assist Distronic system. If you opt for the MB.Drive Assist Plus system, you also get Stop Light and Traffic Light functions, as long as you live in a compatible market.
As far as styling goes, the new GLA looks like a hatchback version of the C-Class Electric. So it has the same pig-snout grille and squinty eyes, and smooth, bubbly shape. The rear has a nice light bar and its taillights have little tri-bar lighting elements that remind me of the Predator’s laser crosshair. Aside from the big grille, it’s a simple, inoffensive design that should play well with typical Mercedes customers.
Inside, it’s pretty familiar, too. The steering wheel and digital gauge cluster are pretty much the same as those in every other modern Merc, and it has Mercedes’ now-signature wall of screens on the dashboard. I do like the center console, with its floating cupholders. There seem to be a few physical buttons where the console meets the dash, but aside from that it’s a mostly buttonless cabin. The seats look nice and there’s enough ambient lighting to wow customers, so it looks more premium and expensive than something like a Tesla Model Y.
If Mercedes prices the new GLA right, and its EPA range is close to the WLTP range, it can be an impressive competitor in the segment. Those are two big “ifs” but the new GLA has the looks and the interior to make it a very desirable alternative to EVs from Tesla, BMW, and Cadillac.