Last year, Mercedes made news by doing something Mercedes had never done before: putting the three-pointed star on a front-wheel-drive car.
The A-class sedan became the first.
And now it's become something else: the fastest, least-expensive Mercedes ever ... if you buy the AMG version of this smallest Mercedes sedan ever.
What It Is
The A35 is the most affordable AMG-tuned-Mercedes yet — and also one of the quickest Mercedeses, period.
AMG — the initials stand for Aufrecht, Mecher und Grossaspach — is Mercedes' hot-rod shop. They take the factory stuff and transform it from luxury stuff into exotic stuff.
Up until now, the AMG badge also meant, unofficially, "nicht preiswert" — which meant you probably can't afford it.
Now maybe you can.
Mercedes says the A35 will sticker for about $45,000 to start when it becomes available later this summer. That's not too much of a jump from the price of the base A220 — which stickers $32,500 for the front-wheel-drive version. Adding the optional 4Matic all-wheel-drive system bumps up the price to $34,500.
The new A35 AMG bumps up the power to 302 horsepower — and knocks the 0-60 mph time down to just 4.6 seconds.
Which you might call "ausgeizeichnet" — "excellent," in German.
What's New
In addition to the AMG-enhanced A sedan, an AMG-enhanced five-door hatchback version of the A-Class will also be available later this year.
It'll give A-Class buyers the same AMG goods under the hood — with more room in the caboose.
What's Good
AMG used to mean you needed to have an exotic income — no longer.
It's a sedan or — soon — a hatchback.
It has a roomy back seat — and trunk — for such a small car.
What's Not So Good
The USB ports aren't universal.
Massaging seats aren't available.
The tap- and swipe-only controls for station tuning and other functions could benefit from a manual way to perform these functions.
Under the Hood
The AMG 35 is powered by a heavily modified version of the 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that comes standard in the A220, where it makes 188 horsepower. It gets more turbo boost — and tougher internals to handle the additional boost.
Which amps things up to 302 horsepower.
Also included is a rippy-sounding, high-performance exhaust system that can be opened up (or quieted down) by pushing a button.
The twin-scroll-turbocharged four is paired with a heavy-duty version of Mercedes' 4Matic all-wheel-drive system with variable torque distribution — which means it routes all that power to the wheels that aren't slipping, the idea being to turn in the quickest lap times rather than fry the tires.
A seven-speed, dual-clutch automatic transmission is standard, also specific to the AMG.
It features two additional driver-selectable modes, Sport Plus and Slippery, the latter designed to make this high-performance car more practical when the weather isn't ideal for high-performance driving. The former is to make the most of the performance you've got when conditions are good.
On the Road
In addition to being very fast, this car teaches you to be faster.
It features the same Track Pace real-time driving coach found in higher-cost AMG models. This system video records your laps as you drive them, overlaying the best line so you can correct yours as you drive.
The little AMG also has launch control — a system that turns you into a better-than-professional bracket racer at the touch of a button.
Because the system never misses a shift. Even professionals sometimes do.
But this is a Mercedes. So, it's only a beast on demand.
You can even turn down the exhaust note to allay suspicion — and not wake up the neighborhood.
At the Curb
Small sedans usually have small back seats and trunks.
This has neither.
Though only 179.1 inches long overall (about three inches smaller overall than a Toyota Corolla) the A35 has almost 42 inches of front-seat legroom and nearly 34 inches of back-seat legroom.
The trunk looks small from the outside — but it extends much farther into the car than you'd expect just by looking at the small trunk lid. It can take a mountain bike, if you take off the front wheel.
Up front, you'll find a dual-flat-screen main gauge cluster — something you won't find in a Corolla, and which you used to find only in E-Class and up Benzes that cost twice as much as an A-Class as recently as two or three years ago.
The Rest
One thing that's maybe too high-tech for its own good is the tap- and swipe-only controls. Meanwhile, there's an elegantly simple thumbwheel on the center console for volume control.
You'll also need an adapter if you have a device with the old (rectangular) USB plug. The new, universal plugs for phones and such are smaller and rounder.
Mercedes also withholds one thing from the A that you still have to buy a more "teuer" (expensive) Benz to get — the massaging driver and passenger seats.
The Bottom Line
Speed, as always, is still a question of money — just not quite so much money this time.
Eric's new book, "Don't Get Taken for a Ride!" is available now. To find out more about Eric and read his past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.
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