2028 Mercedes-Benz GLA First Look: Little SUV Gets a Big Glow-Up

• What's new: Mercedes' subcompact GLA SUV is getting a major redesign, with electric and hybrid versions arriving in the second half of 2027.
• Why it matters: Starting prices should come in around $42,000 and $45,000 for the hybrid and EV, respectively, putting the new GLA squarely in line with competitors like the Audi Q3 and BMW X1.
• Edmunds says: With its cute styling, spacious cabin and loads of tech, the new GLA could be a front-runner in the extra-small SUV class.

It's a lot more attractive

The GLA shares its underpinnings with Mercedes' other small cars, the CLA sedan and GLB SUV, and I think it's cuter than both. I like the way the company's new grille design blends into the GLA's face, and the taillights give the back end some real character.

Compared to its frumpy-looking predecessor, the GLA is 0.8 inch shorter in height, but it has a 2.4-inch-longer wheelbase and a 1.2-inch-wider rear track (the distance between the wheels). In person, the stance is less hatchback-on-stilts and more cohesive as a crossover, especially with the optional 20-inch wheels (18s are standard). A bevy of colors will be offered, and a matte-black Night Edition will be available, if that's your thing.

Expect long range and fast charging from the GLA EV

The first GLA models to arrive will be the single-motor GLA 250+ Electric and dual-motor GLA 350 4Matic Electric (hooray for the death of Merc's "with EQ Technology" naming convention). Both use an 85-kWh battery, and thanks to 800-volt vehicle architecture, can accept DC fast charging at a maximum rate of 320 kW.

Official range estimates aren't yet available, but I'm expecting good things. We've run the CLA 250+ and CLA 350 4Matic through the real-world Edmunds EV Range Test, and both far exceeded their official EPA ratings. The CLA 250+ has a 374-mile EPA estimate; we observed 434 miles. The more powerful CLA 350 has a 312-mile estimate, but we got 385 miles in our testing.  

My best guess? I think the GLA 250+ will come in right around 400 miles and the GLA 350 4Matic will do about 350. Mercedes-Benz EVs have historically always overperformed on the Edmunds EV Range Test.

There's a hybrid coming too, and I hope it's better than the CLA

After the fully electric GLAs go on sale, Mercedes-Benz will launch hybrid variants with both front- and all-wheel drive. These GLAs will use a combination of a turbocharged 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine with a 1.3-kWh battery and an electric motor. While Mercedes-Benz hasn't published official specs yet, I expect the GLA hybrid to have the same 208 horsepower and 280 lb-ft of torque as the CLA 220 hybrid I drove last year.

My big hope for the GLA hybrid is that Mercedes took feedback about the CLA hybrid to heart and spent some time fine-tuning this powertrain. When I drove the CLA hybrid, the handoff between electric and gas power was rough, the eight-speed dual-clutch transmission was problematic, and the whole experience just felt, well, unrefined.

Surprisingly spacious cabin for such a small SUV

The GLA is what we classify as an extra-small luxury SUV, so if you're looking to regularly put lots of adults in one of these things, I recommend getting something larger. Still, for singles, couples or young families, the GLA has enough space inside, with decent cargo volume and flat-folding second-row seats. I'm 5 feet, 8 inches tall, and I have no trouble getting in the back seat and sitting comfortably.

Like the CLA sedan and GLB crossover, the GLA has nicer materials quality than its predecessor, with a focus on keeping inexpensive hard plastics to places where they're least likely to be seen and touched. The seats are comfortable and there's plenty of storage space, with wide door pockets, large cupholders and a capacious center console. There's a large glass roof, too, but you'll definitely want to opt for Mercedes' Sky Control tech that'll let you turn segments or the whole thing opaque on sunny days.

There's a ton of tech inside

The GLA has an in-your-face approach to tech, especially with the optional MBUX Superscreen that spans the width of the dashboard, incorporating a 10.3-inch gauge cluster, a 14-inch central multimedia touchscreen and a 14-inch passenger display. This huge black panel is flanked by backlit air vents on either side.

Mercedes' new MB.OS operating system powers the infotainment software, which integrates features like Google Assistant, Google Maps, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and a natural-language AI search and vehicle command bot that pulls its knowledge from love-'em-or-hate-'em companies like Microsoft and Open AI (ChatGPT). On the driver assistance front, the GLA gets the lot, with everything from a 360-degree camera system to Mercedes' upcoming MB.Drive Assist Pro feature that'll soon provide hands-free point-to-point driving in select areas. 

Pricing is TBD, but expect it to land around $42K

We're a year away from the 2028 Mercedes-Benz GLA hitting U.S. dealers, so things like pricing, EPA range and fuel economy estimates are still TBD. The current GLA starts right around $42,000, and I don't expect the new one — the hybrid, anyway — to come in much higher than that. The EV should be a little more expensive, though, falling somewhere between $45,000 and $50,000.

Overall, the GLA looks and feels like a major improvement over what's on sale right now, and the electric version is likely to have long enough range and fast enough charging to make a compelling case for itself, even if the hybrid ends up being the volume seller.