Some Mercedes-Benz AMG cars sort of get a bad rap. With such beasts as the AMG C63 S, E63 S Wagon, and GT on sale today, anything lesser and not rear-wheel drive (or at least, drift-able all-wheel drive) is seen as mildly inferior. Modern AMG usually means brutally torquey, twin-turbo V8 power. And with the exception of the GT, said power is wrapped up in a non-descript, sleeper-status package. Anything smaller, forget about it.
But I don’t think that’s fair.
Further down the line, at the top of the A-Class, lives the 2021 W177-generation AMG A35. It might not have rear-wheel drive, drift-able all-wheel drive (at least not in North America), or a twin-turbo V8. but the rest of the above formula balances out. It makes big power for its size, as well as turns, brakes, and steers with the best of its segment. Mercedes-Benz USA recently gave me a whole week to come to this conclusion; allow me to explain why it’s a solid addition to their performance lineup.
Major thanks to Mercedes Benz for tossing me the keys to this Denim Blue Metallic example, which after options and delivery came out to an all-day price of $52,990. Base pricing starts at $45,850.
Unassuming, Sleeper Looks With Subtle Performance Accents
A quick glimpse at the AMG A35 parked on the street is probably all most people will give it. From the rear, it sort of resembles a compact Japanese sedan, from the side it's got a nice profile but doesn’t exactly stick out, and the front-end is pleasantly upscale looking (just look at the size of that emblem!), but isn’t terribly different from the lesser, non-AMG A220. But I think that’s one of the best things about this angry German compact.
Like its distant elder the 190 Evolution—you know, the legendary, developed-for-DTM monster—it has just enough performance molded into its appearance to set it apart for those in the know. Well, it doesn’t have a massive wing like the 190, but it does feature some nice accents. Like the small rear decklid spoiler, front lip, rear diffuser piece, dual exhaust, and sporty AMG wheels. It does the sleeper thing quite well, which is quintessential AMG. There isn’t too much AMG badging on it to give it away, either—props to Mercedes for that.
It’s truly smaller in real life than one would think, and that’s very much a good thing. Sport compacts have suffered the miserable affliction of getting more and more bloated over the years; it’s nice to see a legitimately small one for sale brand-new in 2021. The A35 has very nice proportions for its size.
A Quintessential Mercedes Interior With MBUX, One Of The Best Infotainment Systems
Stepping into my tester, I was met with one of the best interiors I’ve ever experienced in a car of this size, and even this side of $100,000. Supple, comfortable two-tone leather seats, leather door cards, soft, perforated faux leather dash, and a very comfortable and sporty AMG steering wheel. Most of the center console was covered in piano black plastic, which isn’t everyone’s preference, but it was quite substantial feeling and joined by solid-feeling plastic and aluminum switchgear. Excellent opulence for this A35's price, even after options.
The front driver’s seat was quite comfortable, with adjustable bolstering and lumbar support, and when situated next to some taller-than-usual door sills, gave it a hunkered-down performance feel. I’ve experienced this in other modern AMG cars; it’s good that Mercedes has kept this trend across their entire lineup. Elsewhere, headroom and legroom were very good. The backseat was slightly cramped for my 6-foot-3-inch figure, but up front I had no issues whatsoever.
Visibility was generally good. The front A-pillar didn’t impede my view too badly, and neither did the rear C-pillar. It felt a tad cavernous inside, but I chalk this up as a good trait, as it felt like I was more connected and held in. This would improve my performance driving experience for sure—but stay tuned, as I’ll touch on that a little later.
Front and center, stretching from above the steering wheel to the center console, was one long dash screen, containing a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster, and 10.25-inch MBUX touchscreen display. The A5's MBUX is one of the most user-friendly infotainment systems on the market, with extensive customizability and excellent graphics. It’s generally easy to use, but I did experience some significant lag while moving between screens, as well as while syncing my phone to Apple CarPlay (Android Auto is also standard).
One of my favorite aspects of MBUX is how you can extensively customize the A35’s interior lighting. Depending on one’s mood or favorite color palette, there’s a lighting theme for them. I had a great time configuring the interior to be emblazoned with changing blue and yellow colors, with the brightness turned all the way up, and various interior accents thoroughly illuminated.
Peering around the interior while out on the town at night, and seeing a rich glow illuminating off of its rich leather surfaces, definitely exudes a feeling of class and refinement.
I didn't just experience refinement in the interior, though; I got a large helping of it in this baby AMG’s brilliant chassis.
A Well-Balanced, Grippy Chassis
This wouldn’t be a true AMG without solid handling chops, and rest assured, the A35 has them in spades.
My tester was optioned with Mercedes’ AMG Ride Control adaptive dampers, which provided a solid-yet-well-damped ride in Comfort and even Sport mode, which dealt with rough roads quite well. Even in Sport Plus, the ride was never jarring, just a bit more connected and planted. At least for my taste; folks who err more on the side of comfort might find Sport Plus to be too much.
But that’s what Individual Mode is for, which allowed me to configure my own mix of transmission, engine, and damper settings. I mostly stuck to Sport, Sport Plus, and Individual modes, the latter was essentially Sport Plus with the dampers set to Comfort; the A35 was too fun to water other settings down too much.
Thanks to Mercedes’ solid-mounted subframe (that’s right, no rubber bushings) up front to boost chassis rigidity, as well as big sway bars, performance spring rates, and double-wishbone front and multi-link rear suspension, body roll was non-existent in Sport Plus. It cornered incredibly flat, and had so much front-end precision—the front tires communicated grip levels very well, which boosted my confidence to press the gas pedal further and further in long sweepers. Steering feel was equally good, with very nice weight and incredible sharpness for the A35’s price point.
Generally, it felt incredibly solid and taut across the board. Though, sharp bumps in the road did reveal some squeaks and chatter in dash and seats; this is one aspect that didn't give it that extra level of refinement that the Stuttgart brand has always been known for.
Still, thanks to its small size and endless amount of grip, the A35 is more of a canyon carver than most would think, especially considering its very understated looks. Again, that’s what an AMG is all about. ESP Dynamic Cornering Assist technology worked with the 4Matic all-wheel drive to deliver impressive grip in pretty much all scenarios once the tires were up to temperature. When they weren’t, the A35 exhibited some understeer and delay in braking force.
A Stout 302 Horsepower With Lightning Fast, Dual-Clutch Shifts To Put the Power Down
Supplying ample horsepower and torque to make these speeds as pupil-dilating as possible is Mercedes’ AMG-enhanced, turbocharged 2.0-liter Inline-4. AMG enhanced is Mercedes-speak for “slightly tuned by AMG, but not actually hand assembled by them.” That’s ok, though, because this four-pot was still a ton of fun.
Internally-coded as the M260, this little two-liter makes 302 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque, which will propel the 3,513-pound A35 to 60 mph in just 4.3 seconds. For the astute Mercedes enthusiast, that’s only 0.5 seconds slower than the latest AMG C63 S. That's in a car that costs nearly half the price after being fully loaded up with options.
The power band was excellent. The M260 revved freely, and torque came on very low like a good, German turbo-four ought to. Ripping away from stop lights was nothing short of thrilling, and neither was corner exit on twisty, fun mountain roads. It was a joy to rev out, and produced a hearty, symphonic baritone scream all the way to redline. With the exhaust cranked up (via the press of a button, like all AMG cars), it even sounded good at idle and low in the revs around town. It sounded like it was always eager to pounce, like a mountain lion’s brooding growl.
There was a nice bonus here, too: lots of audible turbo sounds! While cruising around with the windows down, it was easy to hear the turbo spool up and then expel un-needed PSI.
This is a very likeable trait in a Mercedes Benz.
Adding to the aural sensation was the A35’s 7-speed AMG Speedshift dual-clutch gearbox. Banging off gears via the steering wheel’s thick paddles produced a sharp, substantial “puck!” sound, which resembled a race car’s sequential box more than most. Though, a slight trade-off is the gearbox downshifted a bit aggressively while slowing down quickly, and was noticeably laggy when cold; if the latter means it’s looking after itself until it fully comes up to temperature, that’s understandable.
Playing pretend-TCR driver was easier to do behind the wheel of the AMG A35. Not just because of its shift paddles, but also its sporty seating position, solid damping, and razor-sharp turn-in. Everything comes together quite nicely to truly give a grippy, thrilling ride.
An Underrated, Under-the-Radar Luxury Value
That's why this little A35 doesn’t deserve any doubt about its status as a true AMG car. It has some minor downsides, but for the most part it's a ton of fun, and does understated, German performance so well. It’s incredibly easy to live with, very practical, and even gets great gas mileage. After my week with it I averaged nearly 26 miles per gallon, which mostly consisted of having too much fun.
It’s comfortable yet razor sharp, inexpensive yet opulent, efficient yet fast as hell. It’s a truly versatile luxury sport compact. Unfortunately, it can’t come equipped with Mercedes’ drift-enabling torque-vectoring rear differential, which comes equipped on the Euro-market AMG A45, and CLA 45 which we do get here. Then, my God would it be one of the best all-around performance vehicles on sale today. Is it the modern equivalent of the 190 Evolution? If not, it’s pretty darn close.