Mercedes Benz A35 AMG!

Mercedes has released official photos of its new A35 AMG.

The flagship model of the previous generation A-class was the A45 AMG. That was the third generation of the A-class but the first to look like a conventional hatch. The A45 AMG was one of the quickest hot hatches around (actually it was the quickest) with a highly strung 2.0L 4-cylinder turbo making around 355 bhp and 332 lb-ft (265 kW / 450 Nm). It did 0 to 100 km/h in 4.6 seconds, thanks to its 4MATIC all-wheel drive. The facelifted A45 (2015) made even more power, 376 bhp and 350 lb-ft (280 kW & 475 Nm) and could hit 100 km/h even faster, at 4.2 seconds!

I have driven the A45 and while it did not feel thattt fast it certainly felt special, especially with the pops and bangs from the exhaust on downshifts, a lot like a 1980s rally car. Needless to say it cost far too much money for a small hatch, almost A$100k in Australia when all said and done.

Fast forward to 2018 and the 4th generation A-class was revealed a few months ago. Chassis has been thoroughly updated, exterior wearing the current Mercedes design language and the interior… well the interior looks damn good and really is the highlight of the car. Just compare it to the previous gen A45…

Mercedes has recently (1 year ago?) gone in the direction of offering a two-tier AMG line-up. For example, you can get a C63 AMG and a C43 AMG… a GLC63 and a GLC43, an E63 and an E43… like a halfway-haus between the most powerful regular models and the full-fat V8 63 models. Even though I feel like this approach is diluting the exclusivity of the AMG brand, it gives folk with some money access to AMGs. I would happily buy a 43 model AMG myself if I had the cash.

So with that philosophy in mind, the AMG A-class will come as a A35 and a A45.

The A35 will be powered by the same 2.0L turbo as used in the regular A250, but with the power wound up to 300 bhp and 295 lb-ft (225 kW / 400 Nm) thanks to a new turbo. Its 7-speed dual clutch transmission will come with launch control which, together with a similar 4MATIC system to that of the previous gen A45, will see it hit 100 km/h in 4.7 seconds! That’s is just a tenth of a second off the pace of the pre-facelift A45. Cars are getting faster and faster! Mind you even though it’s a 4MATIC, it will be front wheel drive most of the time (saves fuel) with power being sent to the rear if the front starts to slip at an even 50-50 split.

And it looks rather appealing, with the aggressive bumpers, spoiler, wing and the big wheels. The large 4 piston brake calipers in the front with the AMG logo on them look even cooler! The interior has been upgraded too with AMG seats and steering wheel. It will come with the two large digital gauge cluster and infotainment displays which can be configured to offer 3 display styles.

The most obvious rivals for the A35 are the Audi S3 and BMW 140i but there will be other hot hatches competing with the baby Benz, such as the Volkswagen Golf R, Renault Megane RS and so on……the list is never-ending.

Looks are subjective, but the A35 looks the freshest and its interior is certainly the coolest of the lot. The BMW 140i has a spectacular and more muscular engine / transmission combo but both the exterior and interior are looking dated now. Yea the S3 was recently face-lifted and looks nice enough… whole new A3 / S3 coming soon though…

Now if the A35 is this quick and cool, imagine the new A45?? Can’t wait.

Official debut for the A35 is at the Paris Motor Show on October 4th, 2018 and it will go on sale in January 2019 in Europe.

NewsDemos BessiosSeptember 30, 2018mercedes benz, AMG, A35