What is it?
Yet another AMG performance product from Mercedes-Benz, this one smaller but no less rapid.
Why does it matter?
It’s a sedan, a fairly limited-edition performance sedan at that, which means it’ll be something of a rare beast. Already unveiled as a hatchback, the AMG-massaged A-class certainly is hot, its little 2.0-litre turbo-four sweating out 302 horsepower. Camtronic variable valve control and a twin-scroll turbocharger guarantee excellent low-end torque, in this case, 295 lb.-ft. at just 3,000 rpm.
A Race Start launch control system helps the little four-door sprint from zero to 100 km/h in just 4.8 seconds (for some reason that remains unexplained, the sedan actually takes a tenth of a second longer than the hatchback). Meanwhile, Mercedes says that the AMG Performance 4MATIC all-wheel drive “is infinitely variable,” but that’s only true if you count varying between pure front wheel drive to a 50/50 torque split as “infinite”.
The AMG Dynamic Select has five modes to choose from, the first four — Comfort, Sport, Sport+ and Individual — well-known to anyone who drives German performance products. “Slippery,” however, is a new one on me. Mercedes says it optimizes the A35 for all slippy-slidey road conditions with reduced torque and quicker up-shifts. Think of it as snow and rain modes combined, I guess.
There’s also AMG Ride Control on board, Mercedes saying that its three-position adaptability offers “ride comfort and agility are enhanced in equal measure.” Throw in four-piston monoblock calipers and huge — for this size of car, at least — 350 millimetre front rotors and you have the makings of a competent corner carver.
Inside, all A35s comes standard with Mercedes’ latest MBUX multimedia infotainment system. Along with MBUX’s latest apps, the A35 version boasts AMG-specific content such as special displays for Warm-up, Set-up, G-Force and Engine Data. With the A35, you can be your own data engineer.
When is it coming?
Early 2020
Should you buy it?
Well, without knowing the price, it’s a little hard to give a firm opinion. But considering that most Mercedes as of late have been competitively priced, then the A35 would appear to be a Subaru WRX STI or Civic Type R competitor with a little more panache. If the end result truly is the sum of its parts, it could be a whole heck-of-a-lot of fun to drive.