Mercedes-Benz GLA compact crossover revealed; More details emerged

Couple of days back, Mercedes-Benz teased the official sketch of the much awaited GLA compact crossover on its Facebook fan page, and now the first official images and details of the production version are officially out, ahead of its debut at September's Frankfurt Motor Show.

The production version of the GLA compact crossover looks totally different to what we saw the concept model unveiled in April, however, it now looks more appropriate compact crossover. The vehicle is based on the A-Class hatchback platform, and seems like a bigger or an elevated version of the hatch. The GLA will go on sale in the European market in late 2013, and is expected to arrive in the Indian showrooms by the early 2014.

Mercedes-Benz GLA compact crossover is expected to be priced around Rs. 30 lakh, and will compete against its arch rivals Audi Q3 and BMW X1. It is based on the MFA platform, and looks more practical than the concept model, offering five standard seats. The vehicle gets plastic sills and wheel arches to give the SUV a more rugged appearance.

Mercedes-Benz GLA compact crossover is 125mm longer, 24mm wider and 61mm taller than the A-Class hatchback. Boot space of the crossover is also 80-litres more than the A-Class hatch at 421L.

The interiors of the new GLA is directly sourced from the hatchback, as it features the same iPad-style display, air vents, and infotainment and heating/ventilation sections. The upper-dash styling is the major difference between the GLA crossover and hatchback cabins. The front seat are also jacked-up by 40mm than those in A-Class to create the better seating position for SUV buyers.

The pictures out are of the Mercedes-Benz GLA250 4Matic, that will be powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder engine, capable of churning out 208bhp. For the Indian buyers, the GLA compact crossover is expected to house the same 2.2-litre diesel and the 1.6-litre petrol engine that also power the A-Class and B-Class in India. The engine will be mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox. The company might also bring the 4Matic system, which will be fitted to the top-of-the line model of the vehicle.

This is all what we have for now, stay tuned to CarDekho for more updates on the same.

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