2028 Mercedes-Benz GLA Debuts With 408-Mile WLTP Range, US Arrival Set for Late 2027

Mercedes-Benz has revealed the redesigned GLA, and the compact SUV that anchors the brand’s US lineup is switching to a dedicated electric platform for the first time. The all-new GLA arrives at American dealerships in the second half of 2027 as a 2028 model, offered with two electric powertrains and a high-tech hybrid option for buyers who aren’t ready to go fully electric.

Two Electric Powertrains and 800-Volt Charging

The electric GLA lineup opens with the 268-horsepower GLA 250+ Electric and tops out with the 349-horsepower GLA 350 4MATIC Electric, which Mercedes says will sprint from 0-60 mph in 5.3 seconds. Both versions share an 85-kWh usable battery and a new 800-volt electrical architecture, a jump up from the 400-volt systems still common in this segment.

Mercedes rates the electric GLA at up to 657 kilometers on the WLTP test cycle, which converts to roughly 408 miles. WLTP figures typically run higher than the EPA numbers American buyers are used to seeing on window stickers, so treat that conversion as a ceiling rather than a promise until the EPA rating lands closer to launch. What is confirmed: the 800-volt system can add 270 kilometers, or about 168 miles, of range in ten minutes at a charging station capable of 320 kW, and a built-in DC converter lets the car also use slower 400-volt chargers without an adapter.

A Hybrid Option for Buyers Not Ready for Electric

Alongside the electric models, Mercedes will sell the GLA with a newly developed 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder paired to a 48-volt mild-hybrid system. An electric motor built into the transmission adds up to 30 horsepower of boost and can drive the car on electric power alone in low-speed city traffic, when less than 30 horsepower is needed to keep it moving. Above 60 mph, the drivetrain can disengage entirely for electric coasting, and the system recuperates energy in all eight gears of its dual-clutch transmission. A 48-volt battery with roughly 1.3 kWh of usable capacity powers the setup.

A Dashboard-Wide Screen and an AI Assistant That Talks Back

Inside, Mercedes has replaced the outgoing GLA’s rounded dashboard with a flatter, more minimalist layout built around an optional MBUX Superscreen: a 10.25-inch driver display, 14-inch center touchscreen and 14-inch front-passenger display, all sitting under a single sheet of glass. The passenger screen can stream Disney+ or Sony’s RIDEVU service while the driver focuses on the road.

The bigger change is under the hood of the software. The MBUX Virtual Assistant now draws on ChatGPT, Microsoft and Google models simultaneously, described by Mercedes as a “multi-agent” approach that lets the assistant hold multi-part conversations and remember context from earlier in the chat. Route planning runs on Google technology too, with Google Cloud’s Automotive AI Agent handling conversational questions about charging stations and directions through the Google Maps platform. An optional 16-speaker Burmester 3D surround system with Dolby Atmos rounds out the cabin, including a setting that can direct sound only to the front row when the back seats are empty.

More Room Without a Bigger Footprint

The new GLA rides on a wheelbase stretched by 2.4 inches, which Mercedes has funneled almost entirely into rear-seat space: back-seat passengers gain 1.5 inches of legroom, while front occupants get a smaller 0.3-inch bump. Maximum headroom rises by 0.9 inches front and rear, helped by a standard fixed glass panoramic roof with an infrared-reflective coating designed to keep the cabin cooler in summer and warmer in winter. Fold the 40/20/40-split rear seats and the cargo floor sits nearly flat.

Off-road-minded buyers get a TERRAIN drive mode on 4MATIC models, which retunes the drivetrain, steering and brakes for dirt and gravel, plus an optional “Transparent Hood” camera view that shows what’s underneath the front of the car while parking or crawling over rocks.

Standard Driver Assistance and a Smaller Carbon Footprint

Every new GLA ships with Distance Assist DISTRONIC and a sensor set that includes eight cameras, five radar units and 12 ultrasonic sensors, feeding a water-cooled onboard computer capable of 254 trillion operations per second. Mercedes says that processing power leaves headroom for future over-the-air updates rather than requiring a hardware swap down the road. Buyers who want more can add the optional MB.DRIVE ASSIST PLUS package, which brings market-specific features like automatic response to stop signs and traffic lights, plus a 360-degree parking camera with a rim-protection warning that flags when a wheel is about to scrape a curb.

Mercedes also points to a roughly 40 percent cut in the electric GLA’s lifetime carbon footprint compared with the outgoing combustion GLA. About 40 percent of the aluminum in the new car comes from electrolysis plants running on renewable power, a change Mercedes says saves close to 400 kg of CO2 per vehicle, and the interior uses more than four times as much recycled material as before, including bumper structures with nearly 55 percent recycled content and carpets woven from recycled Econyl yarn.

Where the GLA Lands in a Crowded Segment

The redesigned GLA will compete against a growing field of premium compact electric SUVs, including the Audi Q4 e-tron, BMW’s iX1 and Genesis’s electrified crossovers, all of which have already established EPA-rated range figures in the 250-to-300-mile band. Mercedes has not released a price for the US market, and the second-half-of-2027 arrival window leaves plenty of time for that segment to shift further before the GLA reaches showrooms. For now, the headline numbers are the 800-volt charging speed and the option to skip the electric powertrain entirely in favor of the hybrid, a choice not every rival in this class offers.