Mercedes A35 AMG Lands With 306 HP 2.0L Turbo

Under the hood of this German hot hatch is a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine making 306 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque. The four-cylinder is paired with Mercedes-Benz’s 4Matic all-wheel-drive system and its seven-speed automatic transmission. The hatch will do 0-62 mph in just 4.7s and scoot all the way to an electronically limited top speed of 155 mph. Helping to slow things down are vented discs measuring 13.7 inches out front and 12.9-inches in the rear, along with silver-painted AMG calipers.

Joining the turbocharged powertrain is AMG’s Dynamic Select drive mode system, which features a variety of driving modes including Comfort, Slippery (for greasy or icy surfaces), Sport and Sport+. There’s also an individual mode that allows the user to select their own preferred settings for the engine, transmission, electric steering rack and optional adaptive dampers.

You won’t be mistaking the A35 for a non-AMG A-Class thanks to the black exterior trim, heavily vented front fascia, rear hatch spoiler, lower rear diffuser and 18-inch AMG alloy wheels. The exhaust system will also let it be known this is no normal AMG, featuring large black-painted tips and a standard exhaust flap for adjusting the volume.

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Inside, the A35 looks mostly like the regular A-Class, but gets some exclusive equipment such as an AMG steering wheel, Dinamica AMG upholstery, contrasting stitching and exclusive AMG themes for the digital dashboard display. Speaking of the digital display, which runs Mercedes’ new MBUX operating system – it will also support an optional new mode called AMG Track Pace. Described as a virtual race engineer, the system will record data when you’re out on track and save it for later, allowing you to analyze your brake, throttle and steering inputs and improve your driving technique. It can also record and display track sector times.

Mercedes says the new A35 AMG will serve as the entry-level AMG model going forward, as there will also be a more powerful A45 AMG variant. The CLA is set to get a next-generation model too, which will slot just above the A-Class in the automaker’s lineup and is expected to spawn AMG models of its own. So if you’re in the market for a compact Mercedes-AMG, you’ll have an abundance of choice in coming years.

The A35 AMG will debut in Paris in just a couple of weeks before going on sale in Europe in 2019. It’s not clear if North America will receive this entry-level model, or if we’ll only be getting the faster, more expensive A45 variant.

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