Mercedes GLA-Class Facelift Spied Lapping The Nurburgring

The Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class has a refresh in the works. The example in these photos gets a workout around the Nürburgring for some testing.

 As the camouflage indicates, Mercedes is not making significant changes to the revised GLA. The design revisions consist of an updated grille and new taillights. The small tweaks are allegedly because the automaker is preparing for a new generation of the little crossover riding on the MMA platform, rather than the current MFA underpinnings. It doesn't make financial sense to make a big investment into a vehicle that has bigger changes on the horizon.

The vehicle in these photos appears to be the standard version of the GLA-Class, rather than an AMG trim, because of the horizontal bar in the grille. The updated crossover appears to have new headlights. The camouflaged wrap hides the vehicle's lower fascia, but we're expecting some design tweaks there.

At the back, there's a strip of camouflage across the hatchback. The covering only appears to be hiding revised taillights.

We don't have photos inside the refreshed GLA-Class. The model might receive the latest version of Mercedes' MBUX infotainment software. The updated A-Class gets a new steering  wheel, so it would make sense for the revised crossover to have it, too.

 We aren't expecting any powertrain changes for the updated GLA-Class, which fits with the cost-saving strategy for the refreshed model. At the top of the range, there's the GLA45 that makes 416 horsepower (310 kilowatts) and 369 pound-feet (500 Newton-meters) of torque from a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder. The lesser GLA35 has 302 hp (222 kW) and 295 lb-ft (400 Nm).

It's not clear when the refreshed GLA-Class debuts. The existing version is from the 2021 model year, which is recent enough for Mercedes not to be in a hurry to update it.

Mercedes reportedly plans to simplify its compact-vehicle lineup for the next generation of offerings. The A- and B-Class are not getting new iterations. The GLA-, GLB-, and CLA-Class get new versions. For folks who want electric versions of vehicles like this, the EQA and EQB are available.