Mercedes-Benz GLA revealed

Mercedes-Benz has unveiled its new compact SUV - the GLA - at the Frankfurt Motor Show before it goes on sale in early 2014 with a starting price of around £25,000. The rival to the BMW X1 and Audi Q3 is based on the Mercedes-Benz A-Class has a clear family link with both the A-Class and CLA-Class.

The GLA will be the first 4x4 from Mercedes-Benz to be available with the new generation permanent all-wheel drive 4Matic system, with full variable torque distribution, although it will be an optional extra rather than standard fit. Four engines - two petrols and two diesels - will be offered. Petrol models are the GLA 200 (1.6-litre and 156PS) and the GLA 250 (2.0-litre  and 211PS).

The diesel models will be far more popular though and both are powered by the same 2.2-litre engine. The GLA 200 CDI whas 136PS and this is the most economical model with a claimed 65.6mpg with CO2 of 114g/km. The more powerful GLA 220 CDI develops 170PS with 350Nm of torque. All models come with an engine start/stop function as standard and a six-speed manual transmission while there's a 7G-DCT dual clutch automatic which is standard on GLA 250, GLA 220 CDI and the 4MATIC models.