2024 Mercedes-AMG A35 4Matic+ sedan, the best AMG that isn’t one?
Or so a lot of so-called “Facebook Specialists” told me (the “isn’t one”-part).
A long time ago -2019-, my colleague Ward took the Mercedes-AMG A35 for a spin and what he liked and disliked about that car, that you can find here! But now, the Mercedes-Benz A-Class has been given a facelift, which means the Mercedes-AMG A35 didn’t need to wait long to get one. A good time to send an email to the nice people at Mercedes and start begging for the keys.
Of course, it’s an AMG!
AMG was founded in 1967 and started developing racing engines. It expanded its business by improving the performance of existing/standard Mercedes models. Let that be exactly what this Mercedes-AMG A35 is. A normal A-Class that has been improved suspension-wise, power-wise and presence-wise!
Our Mercedes-AMG A35 4Matic+ sedan is powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged petrol engine that puts out 306 hp and 400 Nm of torque sending it through an 8-speed automatic gearbox to the four wheels. This power output is pretty similar to that of a Volkswagen Golf R and you will not be shocked to know that the 0-100 time is identical to that of the Golf R: 4,7 seconds. And yes, also the top speed is limited to 250 km/h.
Nothing world-changing about those numbers, especially if you know there’s a Mercedes-AMG 45 S with 421hp/500Nm. But -yes, there is a but-, the Mercedes-AMG A45 S is only available as a hatchback and I love the looks of the sedan! But Kenny, you can opt for the Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 S and you will have the looks -some kind- and you have the power. You’re correct but that car has a rear suspension that can brake your back and our lovely A35 sedan doesn’t. Just that makes the car a great allrounder. You have more than enough power and acceleration (in Belgium) while keeping a car that’s perfect for daily use.
The car feels alive when you’re pushing it in the corners and keeps its 1580 kg perfect in balance. It doesn’t need a ridiculous hard suspension and the suspension it gets is rather firm but more than adequate enough to call it comfy! We tested the car at the beginning of the winter and a blessing in disguise: we had snow! A great way to see if the A35 sedan was playful and controllable enough to call it an “all-year” allrounder and it was! The car was so easy -even in those circumstances- that my blind dog could pull it off!
Power: good, suspension: good. It’s looking pretty nice for the A35 sedan to call it a real AMG.
Virgin white
There are two colors I really like on cars! Blue and … white. White is a hard color for designers to make the car look good, but the people at Mercedes-AMG know what they're doing and just look at this beauty. The compact sedan styling combined with the white color and black details, it gets me gretty.
At the front, it’s impossible to spot a difference between an A 35 hatchback or sedan, but the difference between an AMG and a non-AMG couldn’t be clearer. The new headlights -in the style of the GLE and GLC-blend in perfectly with the aggressive bumpers and typical Panamericana grill. Moving to the side, it’s impossible to not spot the difference between the hatchback and the sedan. Be honest, the sedan is ten times cooler! Or am I getting older? It’s definitely cool, with a height of 1408 mm and a length of 4570 mm the car looks sleek. Combine it with the black spoilers (on the front bumper and on the booth) and the 19-inch 5-double spoke black AMG-rims, that is what you call “picture perfect”. Not convinced? The booth space grows from 370 liters to 420 liters when you choose the sedan above the hatchback.
Looking at the rear, the diffuser, spoiler and exhaust (1 tip on each side) are present but give a subdued appearance.
Yes yes yes, that steering wheel!
If you went to take a look at our previous test of the Mercedes-AMG A35 -you haven’t? Click here- then it’s possible you have noticed the pretty average steering wheel on that car. But not on this one, on this one, you get the awesome steering wheel with a driving mode selector and “traction control” button on it! We know, it’s geeky but we really love those things! Just like we like all the safety tech (360° camera, lane departure, blind spot detection, adaptive cruise control, …)
That next big chance is the cleaner styling of the center tunnel between the 2 front seats where you lose the touchpad. The car is still equipped with two 10.25-inch displays for all your driving information and an infotainment system. While Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are standard on the car.
So is it a real AMG?
The Mercedes A sedan starts at 36.300 euros and the A 35 starts at 59.290 euros, but if you combine it to get the Mercedes-AMG A35 sedan and it will set you back a hefty 60.500 euros! Thank god that the white color is free. AMG Aerodynamic Pack, Premium Pack Plus, … and adding 10-15k of options isn't a hard thing to do.
The A35 is the cheapest (don’t read cheap) way to get your ass into a new AMG. And don’t be bothered by those Facebook heroes that know shit about the car! The Mercedes-AMG A35 sedan is a real AMG and is a pretty good one as well! We enjoyed the time behind the wheel of this little powerhouse.
