The GLA has been one of the most popular compact German luxury SUVs, selling at a good pace worldwide. The current GLA is in its second generation, introduced for 2021, and we have already started seeing camouflaged prototypes implying a facelift is in development. However, it is in its initial periods of testing, so don’t expect further announcements until 2023.

Update 9-7-2022: The Mercedes GLA has been spied again, though there are no changes since the last spotting. See the new images below!

Mercedes GLA Spy Shots 9-7-2022

Original Story

The spy shots of this GLA prototype were taken near the Stuttgart factory, however, only the front face was fully camouflaged, along with the rear taillight area. So expect minor design changes to the front and rear LED lights, but we still don’t have a clear vision of what kind of changes Mercedes is planning for the interior and even the powertrain.

The camouflaged prototype seems to have a different front LED headlight set-up and a compact intake grille design. The grille, however, reminds us of the current AMG GLA, with the three-pointed-star logo covering the sensors for the driver assistance system. In addition, the new headlight design looks familiar to the W206 C-Class. The camouflage hides the infamous fake air vents and other aggressive styling elements of the GLA we know, but Mercedes might redesign the bumper to look more unique.

A couple of the spy shots reveal a familiar cabin design to the current GLA. However, unlike most of Mercedes’ updated cars, the portrait-style infotainment display wouldn’t make it to the facelifted GLA. If the cabin remains untouched, we expect the price bump to be nothing major.

The sides show no changes, but expect a couple of new wheel designs. Furthermore, the rear taillights look similar to the current generation GLA, but more unique graphics are possible, as we see with the new GLC. The lower bumper still has horizontal exhaust tips similar to the Acura TLX.

As for the powertrain changes, little will change if anything changes at all. The current model is offered as the GLA 250 with a 2.0-liter inline-four that's good for 221 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. Stepping into AMG territory gives you the option of the GLA 35 or GLA 45, with the former tuned to deliver 302 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. The range-topping GLA 45 is still powered by a 2.0-liter engine but is tuned to deliver 382 horsepower and 354 pound-feet of torque. Considering this is a facelift, power output is likely to remain the same across the range.

There is, however, the EQA EV that's set to arrive on the U.S. market soon. It's essentially the fully electric version of the GLA, which will be offered in its own range of trims and power outputs. The upcoming GLA is still in its initial testing phase, and it was unexpected to see that Mercedes is already making efforts for a facelift of the GLA, which is just two years old. But we think the upcoming GLA will launch sometime in 2024 or 2025.