Civilised Merc not quite tame
Mercedes-AMG’s A35 is not the most powerful A-class, but it’s also far from sedate, writes Richard Bosselman.
Hot hatches are such cheeky little monkeys: Petite, playful and totally pumped. None more so than this one? That’s a question AMG fans will debate long and hard because, as is well known, there is another A-class in the AMG catalogue that’s more feral.
The A45 is a legend, and even though it’s currently not represented in the latest bodyshape, that format is coming next year. So why not go for that little monster, rather than this newly-released little brother?
As much as it’s a certainty some will be happy to sit on their chequebooks in expectation that the whole hog will be better, AMG and Mercedes also recognised that the previous A45, despite becoming a considerable sales success – especially drawing younger buyers – is positioned high enough, price and performancewise, to allow a slightly diluted car to sit underneath.
That’s the A35. While it’s hardly fair to call it a white flag car, it is obviously less fiery than the first-gen A45 and will be distinctly less feral than the next-gen, which, while being a 2020 product for New Zealand, has already been unveiled internationally. So we know what to expect – a car that, in packing 310kW/500Nm and promising a supercar-threatening 0-100kmh time of 3.9 seconds, has a 85kW, 100Nm and one second advantage over today’s test car.
So, you’re getting less, but will be paying commensurately, too. The new A45’s pricing has yet to be announced, but given the old one placed well above where the A35 positions, it’s hardly likely the margin will narrow.
Anyway, rest assured this new baby is not as much of a runt of the litter as you might think. No, it won’t scare the pants off you as the A45 does, but while avoiding being an outright berserker, it’s still genuinely a bit of a goer. Think taco night with different levels of hot sauce, five chilli versus three. Either way, give me water.
The fundamentals are akin in either choice. A turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol engine – though in this case a development of a unit you’ll find in the A-class, but using a twin-scroll turbocharger to improve throttle responsiveness – powering down through a dual-clutch transmission (seven speeds here) ultimately to all four wheels in a variable split though powers the front axle in normal driving and only starts sending up to 50 per cent of the available torque aft when conditions necessitate, via an essentially unobtrusive electromechanical clutch.
While the outputs are lower, they still warrant it having a launch control. And that 4.7-second 0-100kmh time leaves it well-placed to rile up the Audi S3, BMW M135i and Volkswagen Golf R, plus front-drive radicals such as the Honda Civic Type R, Renault Megane RS and impending Ford Focus ST.
And it’s not just the engine. This car has a bone fide credential in having been entirely AMG-ed. The team at Affalterbach overhauled the whole chassis, including the steering, suspension and brakes. They attest the depth of engineering is even greater here than it was five years ago when the first-gen A45 was new.
By the same token, there’s been as much restraint shown with all that stuff as has occurred under the engine bay, because the whole concept of the A35 is to make it a bit more amenable for daily driving than the more potent alternate.
Hence it delivers substantial cornering aptitude yet the ride, while firm, dials well back from the A45’s optimal ‘‘teeth-smash’’ setting. When you floor it, the
power comes in fast, yet in a more manageable flow than with the A45; when you brake, it hauls in quickly, but not so abruptly as to strive to pull itself into the surface.
AMG’s approach within the interior delivers steering wheel dials to set the transmission and driving modes, but otherwise it’s not too overt. So, racy but not race-ready chairs, just a touch of carbon fibre, and otherwise presenting as a particularly plush mainstream A-class, with quality fittings and all the usual tech, such as the full-width MBUX infotainment system and steering wheel mounted thumbpads to operate it.
The whole experience smacks of composure. Too much? Well, true, you’ll need to switch the driving mode into Sport or Sport Plus to engage the expected AMG sharp-edged eagerness. It feels all too every day in anything less and, in fact, even when switched into full-action mode, the engine can seem a little flat until the rev counter is more than halfway toward the redline. From thereon, it’s much more beastly.
As enlivening as the performance settings are, it doesn’t make a big noise about going there. Quite probably, the exhaust tuning has been tailored to bear in mind toughened driveby noise rules about to be enforced in the European Union. Still, if you expect something akin to the first-gen A45’s outright aural belligerence, disappointment awaits. There’s a touch of boomy rasp, but no crackle-pop defiance.
Taking it out for a cheeky run is rewarding. It quickly puts up very decent speed and carries that pace nicely through bends. The engine develops its maximum outputs in all-drive settings and is all the more revhungry when run in manual mode.
The 4Matic four-wheel drive offers awesome traction yet, as only 50 per cent goes to rear axle at most anyway, it also feels frisky in a controlled way. Another way of saying it needs a little dose of insanity to really earn the name? Potentially, some will say just that.
Keep it in perspective, accept it’s not the biggest banger in the A-class box and steer clear of meeting the new A45. Do all that and life will be happy enough. Particularly if you think $86k is quite enough to spend on a car of this size.