One massive leap ahead

“I can’t believe how much better this is to drive!” These were my very first thoughts as I flung a new Mercedes-AMG A35 sedan around the Zwartkops raceway during the socially-distanced local launch event earlier in 2020. Seared into my long-term memory was the nose-heavy, lumpen on-track behaviour of the pre-facelift, first-generation A45 and CLA45, along with the recollection of their heavy reliance on brake-based stability control to keep them under some semblance of under control in fast corners.

But the new AMG “35” and “45 S” versions are nothing like the old ones at all. The signs were positive all along: the latest-generation entry-level A-Class (which I drove in Cape Town two years ago) represented a massive improvement on its predecessor, and all the subsequent spin-offs from its platform have since also proven quite satisfactory to drive. Consequently, the latest small AMGs are all excellent on the handling front, and an absolute joy to drive.

Starting from such a solid base, it should really be no surprise that the AMG range-toppers are very, very good indeed – a sentiment shared by my colleagues here at AutoTrader. Chad Lückhoff described the CLA35 as brilliant in his video review, and even called the A45 S hatchback’s brutal pricetag justifiable. Sean Nurse admired the sheer capabilities of this very same CLA 45 S test car, while Lawrence Minnie wondered whether the A 35 hatchback could really do no wrong. 

Buyers who prefer a four-door body style (instead of a five-door hatch or crossover) have three very appealing options: two in the shape of the CLA “four-door coupé” (with 35 and 45 S versions), and a solitary A35 sedan. Does this line-up cover all the bases? Driving the two four-door extremes back-to-back certainly showed some stark contrasts, and presented unique answers to two very different questions.

Related: Budget doesn’t quite stretch to a Mercedes-AMG? These Benz-badged stablemates might be more suitable.

 

Styling

Rating any car on its aesthetic aspects is a highly subjective exercise, and is always influenced by personal preference. For me, the A35 sedan is the better-looking of these two, even without the “Panamericana” grille and bulging fenders that feature on the CLA45S. 

There’s something that’s intrinsically “just right” about the A-Class sedan’s proportions, which makes the still-banana-shaped CLA look somewhat contrived. Add some awkward cut lines of various body panels to the CLA’s sloping roofline, and the pert and alert A-Class sedan simply presents a much sharper image. 

I’m not sure that this was the designer’s intentions, mind you – the coupé is supposed to be the sexier one, but that didn’t quite work out as planned. Buyers will obviously have their own opinions about this duo’s styling, however. The A-Class sedan will likely appeal to more-conservative customers, while the CLA’s unusual appearance will undoubtedly add to its allure among the trendy set.

Related: Top 3 Mercedes-Benz CLA trims compared – here’s our winner!

 

Engines and drivetrains

Superficially, the AMG A35 and CLA45S have very similar powertrain layouts. They’re both powered by 2.0-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder petrol engines, and they both have dual-clutch transmissions that send power into electronically-controlled AWD systems. But, apart from their shared platform, these two derivatives actually have very few oily bits in common.

As befits its (slightly) more-modest market positioning, the A35 draws its hardware from an older component set – that of the first-generation A45, to be exact. Its engine is a detuned version of the older car’s all-aluminium unit, good for 225 kW and 400 Nm in this application, and is also employed (with 165 kW and 350 Nm) in the normal A250.

The A35’s transmission and AWD systems also come from the older parts bin, with a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic, an on-demand AWD system, and brake-based torque vectoring (virtual limited slip differentials). In contrast, the CLA45S has a completely new drivetrain, with an 8-speed dual-clutch automatic sending power to all four wheels through an AWD system that features a mechanical limited-slip diff in front and an electronically-controlled rear diff.

The A45 S and CLA45S get their power from a more-sophisticated new engine, force-fed by a humungous twin-scroll turbo. With a redesigned cylinder head and reinforced internals, the top-tier derivatives present a significant output upgrade with 310 kW and 500 Nm.

Related: Our video review of the Mercedes-AMG A35 hatch found it very difficult to fault. 

 

Performance

Mercedes-AMG is yet to release a car that can be termed at all slothful, so be assured that even the A35 has a good amount of urge at its disposal. In sedan form, it claims a 0 – 100 km/h sprint in 4.8 seconds and a top speed limited to 250 km/h. Plenty brisk, then, and entirely up to speed in a market segment that also includes the BMW M235i Gran Coupe and Audi S3 sedan.

As is customary for AMG nowadays, launch control forms part of even the lower-spec car’s arsenal. It’s a lot easier to access now, though. Select at least “Sport” for both the drive mode and the stability control (or turn the latter off completely), stand on the brake pedal, flatten the accelerator pedal into the cut-pile carpet, release the brakes when the instrument cluster says so, and scoot away. Done.

The same procedure applies to the CLA45S, but the result is rather more dramatic. Instead of the refined push you feel in the A35 sedan, the CLA45S hits with all the subtlety of kick in the kidneys. Upon take-off, the front tyres even scrabble slightly for grip, before digging in and whacking the back of your head with a leather-upholstered headrest.

The 0 – 100 km/h sprint is dispatched in a claimed 4.0 seconds, and seeing it simply catapult away from the A35 in a drag-strip sprint (as witnessed at launch) reinforces that claim. It’s borderline violent, really, and all the more charming for it. In this respect, it’s also more of a “real” AMG than the A35, because it has the hard-edged soundtrack to go with the dramatic performance on tap.

Related: This video review explains how the Mercedes-AMG A45S rewrites the rules for its segment.

 

The Drive

This terrier-like demeanour in max-attack mode comes at a cost in everyday driving, however, with a peaky power delivery, and ride comfort exchanged for ultimate suspension control. In the case of the former, the CLA45S ends up with significant boost lag at low engine speeds, and only really starts to come alive once the digital rev counter points to the north of 2 500 r/min.

Combined with gearbox programming that revels in rapid cog-swapping (spurring the engine into action), this can lead to rather erratic progress in traffic. There’s either not enough boost (and thus torque) on tap at low revs, or the revs go soaring and the rapidly-building turbo boost sends a surfeit of power to the tarmac. With another whack to the head from the tombstone-style seatback, just for added effect.

In this respect, the A35 sedan is rather more polished. Mercedes-AMG employed an interesting strategy with the 7-speed gearbox’s programming, allowing for plenty of clutch slip from a standstill in gentle driving, and conservative shift patterns in its comfort-biased drive modes. Combined with the engine’s wider torque spread, thanks to a smaller turbo and less boost-dependence, this makes for smoother progress at low speeds and in gentle driving.

The A35 is also a fair bit more comfortable over poor road surfaces, with a very agreeable compromise between ride compliance and body control for general use. Adaptive dampers are standard, and well-tailored to help the 35s fit into a wider variety of driving environments than a 45 could manage (likely also due to the 45’s upsized, lower-profile tyres). 

That doesn’t mean that the CLA45S is bone-jarring, though – it’s just more narrowly-focused on ultimate body control instead of all-round comfort. That’s how it should be, really, considering the rapid acceleration on offer when that monster under the bonnet wakes up.

I alluded to the previous-generation car's lumpen, understeery on-limit handling earlier in this report, so it's extremely satisfying to note that this aspect has been comprehensively addressed as well. Even the A35 sedan, with its older-tech AWD system, feels superbly planted and well-controlled in fast corners, and when the understeer eventually arrives, it's mild and easily-controlled. An added bonus is that it rides with great fluency (in the more-comfortable drive modes), finally consigning the old car's crashy ride quality to the history books.

The CLA45S takes these characteristics to a whole new level, though. That very trick AWD system instantly shuffles the power around at the first sign of a front-end loss of traction, and the CLA45S can be made to rotate around its own centre of gravity in the way of an old Mitsubishi Evo. Lovely. Emphasising the full-fat AMG experience, the stability- and torque control system even includes a Drift Mode, which will kick out the car's rear end as far as the driver wants, and then keeps it at that angle for as long as the accelerator pedal is nailed to the floor. Pointless? Indeed. But it demonstrates the engineers' awareness that they really wanted the CLA45S (and other "45S" derivatives) to act like proper AMGs.

Related: Our full review of the Mercedes-AMG CLA45S tells a tale of 4 cylinders, AWD, and one big turbo.

 

Fuel consumption 

The CLA45S’s dramatic performance also exacts a toll at the service station, posting a claimed average consumption figure of 8.3 ℓ/100 km. That’s not likely to ever be achieved, except perhaps in steady cruising conditions, with our test car returning an average figure of 10.4 ℓ/100 km in conservative mixed-cycle driving. 

Frequent high-power requests sent this soaring into the high teens, and driving it the way an AMG demands to be driven will see a tank of petrol disappear in record time. This is all in keeping with the “Real AMG” theme applied throughout this hard-core variant, of course.

The A35 sedan was noticeably less thirsty on test, reflecting its on-paper consumption advantage in real-world driving. Its claimed average consumption of 7.3 ℓ/100 km is also rather unlikely in normal driving, and its test average of 9.8 ℓ/100 km was still on the thirsty side. Once again, frequent power demands will bump this figure quite a lot higher. 

Related: Chad Lückhoff found the Mercedes-AMG CLA35 to be annoyingly brilliant in this video review.

 

Space and Comfort

This one is a double-edged sword, and the winner depends entirely on whether passenger- or luggage space is prioritised. If passenger space is important, the A35 sedan has to grab the laurels: its elevated roofline (compared to the CLA’s) allows for slightly more-upright seating positions, effectively delivering increased legroom, while also adding a decent helping of headroom. 

Counter-intuitively, the latest Mercedes CLA-Class has a fair bit more luggage space than the A-Class sedan – 460 litres opposed to 370 litres. We suspect that the CLA’s extra length plays a role in offsetting the boot’s shallow, tapered shape, but, while the CLA has a larger total load volume, its boot aperture is smaller and less user-friendly.

Apart from the CLA’s cosier cabin arrangement, it’s pretty much identical to the A-Class in all other aspects. This means a staggering range of trim- and equipment options for them both, ranging from the A35 sedan’s dark open-pore wood trim and red-outlined seat facings to the CLA45S’s flashy striped carbon-look aluminium inserts and shouty red seats and door cards. 

Related: How does the AWD Mercedes-AMG A35 hatch compare to two FWD hot hatch benchmarks? This fun video shows its superiority...

 

Equipment

As for the fitted options, our CLA45S test car stickered to the north of R 1.6-million, and there were still some option boxes left unticked. That’s a cool R 370 000 on top of the CLA45S’s base price of R 1 269 480, and adds gadgets like the opening panoramic sunroof, infotainment system- and cluster display screen upgrades, electrically-adjustable seats with memory, adaptive cruise control with traffic jam assist, stunning “Mountain Grey Magno” matte paintwork and blacked-out exterior trim. 

In contrast, the A35 sedan was comparatively lightly-optioned, and its as-tested price ended up “only” R 195 460 higher than the base price of R 890 160. It’s a million-plus-Rand car in this guise, mind you, even though the pricetag is considerably more palatable. Pick those options carefully – the sports seats alone added R 41 000 to the list price, and the fantastic Multibeam LED headlights almost another R 20 000. 

Related: Find out more about the “junior AMG” models in this comprehensive launch report.

 

Safety

Being spun off the same platform, both cars have equally impressive safety credentials. The full complement of driver aids (ABS, stability control, automatic emergency braking etc) are present, along with 7 airbags, 5-star Euro-NCAP crash test results, and rear ISOFIX child seat anchors.

The really nice safety items are optional, however. Parking sensors, surround-view cameras, blind-spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control, cross-traffic warning, and other collision-avoidance equipment all cost extra, which seems a little mean for cars with these kinds of price tags. This is almost forgivable in the A35, but the flagship CLA45S should have at least some of these features as standard...

 

Price

At first glance, the Mercedes-AMG A35 sedan’s base price of R890 160 seems a bit steep, and closer inspection confirms this impression. It’s not quite barren inside, but buyers will have to select some options to really get it up to standard. The same applies to the CLA45S’s pre-option price of R 1 269 480, but at least it has a lot of extra performance, a cutting-edge AWD system, and a bespoke bodyshell, to try justify its inflated pricetag. 

Will the typical customer really care about these prices, though? I suspect not: if buyers were value-conscious, they wouldn’t be looking at anything (regardless of manufacturer) in this price class in any case. Quite the opposite might actually apply, where the fact that owners could afford these pricey machines merely adds to the allure of exclusivity. These are, after all, fashionable items, and prestige has a value of its own in this realm.

Related: There are other high-performance alternatives around the Mercedes-AMG A45S’s price point. We round up two very different challengers and put them under the microscope.

 

The Verdict

I absolutely loved my time with both of these Mercedes-AMG pocket rockets. They each have their own strong suits: the A35 sedan is really pretty, drives very nicely, is powerful enough to put up a good fight in its market segment, handles like a dream, and is very easy and comfortable to live with.

In its turn, the CLA45S impressed with its ballistic performance when driven in anger, and its handling is even more sure-footed. The downside is sluggish throttle response in slower driving, a harsher ride, and much less cabin space for a much higher pricetag. Speaking for myself, the ideal blend would be this super-sporty demeanour and stunning performance in the prettier and more spacious sedan body, but that's obviously just a personal preference - and a combination that isn't available in South Africa in any case.

This makes the CLA45S the first choice for those who insist on the best at any cost, while the A35 sedan makes a fair bit more sense in the general driving duty department. It has a more rounded personality, and its (admittedly less-explosive) performance is easier to access. Add more comfort and cabin space to the equation, and the A35 Sedan ends up walking away with my affection. Enough power is enough... most of the time.

* Pricing was accurate at the time of writing, but may change without prior notice. 

** Included in the standard list price is a warranty for 2 years with no mileage limit, and a maintenance plan for 5 years or 100 000 km.

 

Expert rating:

A35 Sedan: 4.5/5 – But for its pricetag, it would have been perfect.

CLA45S: 4.5/5 – Off-boost lethargy detracts slightly from a technological masterpiece.

 

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Shop for new and used Mercedes-AMG A35 cars for sale here.

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