The second-gen Mercedes-Benz GLA is set to launch in India in the coming weeks. Showcased at the Auto Expo 2020, the second-gen small luxury SUV was expected to launch in India last year though it was then pushed forward to 2021. Sharing it’s underpinnings with the recently launched A-class Limousine, the new GLA will go on sale with a petrol and diesel engine option with an AMG variant expected to join at a later date. The GLA has always been a success here in India – the first version sold from 2014 to 2019 and constituted a healthy 10 percent of Mercedes’ sales.
- GLA 220d to come with OM654 2.0-litre diesel with FWD and AWD
- GLA 200 to get a 163hp, 1.3-litre turbo-petrol
2021 Mercedes-Benz GLA engine variant and engines for India
When it arrives early next month, the second-gen Mercedes GLA will be available in three different variants. The first, the 220d, gets a 190hp diesel engine with 400Nm of torque from 1,600rpm. The 4Matic system, or all-wheel drive, will only be available in the AMG Line trim. There will also be a regular 220d that is front-wheel-drive only and available in Merc’s Progressive Line trim. The GLA diesel delivers strong performance. 0-100kph is claimed to come up in just 7.3 seconds and the car is capable of doing 210kph.
The engine is the same OM654q (OM stands for Oil Motor or diesel and q is for its transverse placement) seen on other Mercedes products in India. It comes with a variable-geometry turbo, 2,050 bar of injection pressure, a forged crankshaft and steel pistons.
The diesel gets a twin-clutch eight-speed gearbox, like the A Limo, and the top of the line AMG edition gets 19-inch wheels.
There is a petrol in the range too. The GLA 200 actually uses a derivative of the 1,332cc Renault-Nissan direct-injection turbo-petrol developing 163hp and 250Nm of torque and is shared with the A-Class sedan. Also on the cards for India is the performance-oriented Mercedes-AMG GLA 35.
2021 Mercedes-Benz GLA rivals in India
The second-gen GLA will go up against the BMW X1, Volvo XC40, Mini Countryman and the yet-to-launch second-gen Audi Q3.
Mercedes has also lined up a number of launches for 2021 – 15 in total – with some of the notable ones yet to arrive being the new Mercedes S-class and the Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series.
You can read our exclusive review of the upcoming new GLA in the Autocar India April 2021 issue on stands now.