Mercedes squeezes into compact SUVs with the new 2015 GLA-Class

Among all the prayers being answered for the global auto industry that's gorging itself on profits, the most satisfying may be the advent of customers willing to pay luxury car prices for ever smaller vehicles. Buick's diminutive Encore SUV stands as its hottest product, and today Mercedes-Benz revealed this, the 2015 GLA-Class — a testament that even the world's oldest luxury automaker sees gold in front-wheel-drive softroaders.

Built from the bits of the new CLA, the GLA250's specs fit into expectations of value. A 2-liter, four-cylinder turbo engine churning 208 hp and 258 lb.-ft. of torque sends power through Mercedes' 7-speed dual-clutch automatic to either a permanent 4Matic all-wheel-drive system or, for those value-sensitive American shoppers who still want a new three-pointed star on their grill, the front wheels only.