Mercedes-AMG A35
WE SAY: CAN’T WAIT FOR THE A45? A250 TOO BORING? STEP THIS WAY...
Having sold about twice as many A45s as it initially expected, AMG won’t be killing it. Another one will be along in a year. But first, AMG is sharing the love with a cheaper addition, the A35. This deploys 306bhp to drive headlong into the not inconsiderable gap between the fervid A45 and the pedestrian A250. The gap hitherto occupied most excellently by the VW Golf R.
Progress, eh: the claim is it’ll corner and stop as well as the old A45. It may not accelerate as hard, but 0–62mph in 4.7 is hardly shabby, is it? Keenly shaking off any off-boost lethargy, the engine’s well up for any trip to the red line, albeit one that’s only at 6,500rpm. The underlying sound is less AMG GT and more vacuum cleaner, but the overtones aren’t a bit unpleasant.
You can trick the seven-speed dual-clutch box into stumbling a downchange it wasn’t expecting, but mostly it’s usefully snappy. Its ratios are well chosen, with a usefully short third. AMG has been borderline obsessive in its chassis and even body strengthening mods – I tried listing them here, but that ate another page. Mind you, the base Mercedes A-Class chassis never feels good enough for this particular job.
Few corners or conditions upset the A35’s precision and grip. It’s pretty neutral, especially in the Sport setting, which is keener to send drive rearwards, and it’ll rocket around and out. But it’s not playful. The steering is mute, and the chassis declines to be drawn by throttle inputs.
The ride is no punishment, even with the adaptive dampers in Sport, so they might not be a critical option. There’s some engine boom and wind noise on the motorway, but stability is good for cruising. And the seats are terrific, either for high- g swerves or long-hours hauls.
Spend extra and you get Mercedes’ multiplex widescreen dash. It elicits wows from passengers, but can be a distraction for the driver. Other options include a massive spoiler kit. But really this car doesn’t have the mouth to match that visual trouser. In its chassis even more than in its performance, you sense they’re holding back some drama for the A45.