The Mercedes-AMG A35 Saloon Is A New Reason Not To Buy An Audi S3
If you want a shiny new AMG that won’t break the bank, you now have a new option. It’s called the A35 Saloon, a four-door version of the existing five-door A35, not to be confused with the anticipated CLA 35. We may well be seeing ‘45’ versions in all three body styles too.
Confused? We don’t blame you. But thankfully, the A35 Saloon is nice and straightforward, being mechanically identical to the A35 hatch we reviewed last year.
That means it’s powered by a 2.0-litre inline-four turbocharged engine derived from the A250’s mill, fettled to produce 302bhp and 295lb ft of torque. Thrust is sent to all four wheels via a seven-speed dual clutch gearbox.
Although Mercedes hasn’t given any weight figures for the car, it’s presumably slightly heavier than the A35 hatch, with the 0-62mph time dropping a tenth to 4.8 seconds. Top speed remains the same - it’s electronically-limited to 155mph.
As with the hatchback, the ‘AMG Ride Control’ adaptive damper setup is available as an option. Braking, meanwhile, is taken care of by four-piston calipers and 350mm discs on the front axle, with 330mm rotors and single-piston calipers bringing up the rear.
Keen to hammer home the A35 Saloon’s practical nature, Mercedes points out that the car has class-leading headroom. Meanwhile, you have 420 litres of boot space to play with, which is 50 litres more than you get in an A-Class, but curiously, 60 litres less than the more stylish CLA.
We don’t have UK pricing for the car just yet, but it’s safe to expect a small increase on the £35,580 starting price of the five-door A35. Judging by examples of the hatch we’ve tested, it’ll be shockingly easy to punt the cash price close to £50,000 once options are selected.
Would you have one of these over an S3 saloon, or would you rather wait for the CLA 35?
Growing up on a diet of World Rally Championship highlights and lengthy Gran Turismo 2 sessions, a life in cars was as good as inevitable for Matt.
Comments
IS IT ME OR THE BACK SIDE OF THE CAR LOOK JUST LIKE REGULAR LEXUS ?
This car has one of the most hideous front ends in all of history.
Mercedes be like:
Surprise motherf cker
That tail looks like someone already rear-ended it
Mercedes: “Hey Suzuki, can I copy your homework?”
Suzuki: “Yeah, just change it up a bit so it doesn’t look obvious…”
I’m I the only person who thinks the interior looks bad?
I’m with you on that - the big screen looks like an iPad hastily glued to the dashboard
You’re not. It’s hilariously tacky and will date itself very quickly.
it already looks like it has been rear ended
Looks like a Suzuki Kizashi in the second picture
oh cool someones already said that
why does the back looked so squashed lmao
I understand the idea behind the design of the new a-class, as the proportions are remotely similar to those of first concept sketches, but on an actual car that looks a little like it’s been put into a vacuum bag.