Photo: SB-Medien
Mercedes hasn't made it clear if the A-Class sedan was going to be offered in Europe, but we think it's safe to say that it will. An A35/A40 performance model has just been spotted for the first time, and such a car would make little to no sense in China.
It's possible that the A35 sedan is being developed for the American market, but unlike Audi, Mercedes doesn't want any of its markets to feel left out. Save for the S3, this bad boy is pretty much going to be unique in the market.
Looking at the spyshots, we immediately noticed prop shafts which are sticking out of the rear wheels, indicating an AWD system. All the compact AMG models have 4Matic, so it's not like we discovered something important.
But you almost never see AWD on compact sedans. Jetta? No AWD. Civic? No AWD. This is a bit like having iPhone X internals in the SE model: overkill. They could get away with using front-wheel-drive despite the expected 300+ HP output, but that's not the German way.
Even though the bodywork underneath that camo wrap looks very sporty, this is just the AMG Line package, which we saw at the launch of the 2019 A-Class hatchback. We don't foresee any major changes, but the exhaust system needs a little work before the launch.
While competing directly with the S3 sedan, the boss of AMG hinted that these softcore performance models would have something special setting them apart. We suspect that this is an EQ boost system, similar to the one on the 2.0-liter turbo fitted to the E-Class Coupe/Cabrio (E 350).
This will reduce powertrain lag, add some torque and allow for a 0 to 100 kph time of under 5 seconds, making it about as fast as a Porsche 718 Cayman costing about €10,000 more. We can't wait for that drag race to happen!
Looking at the spyshots, we immediately noticed prop shafts which are sticking out of the rear wheels, indicating an AWD system. All the compact AMG models have 4Matic, so it's not like we discovered something important.
But you almost never see AWD on compact sedans. Jetta? No AWD. Civic? No AWD. This is a bit like having iPhone X internals in the SE model: overkill. They could get away with using front-wheel-drive despite the expected 300+ HP output, but that's not the German way.
Even though the bodywork underneath that camo wrap looks very sporty, this is just the AMG Line package, which we saw at the launch of the 2019 A-Class hatchback. We don't foresee any major changes, but the exhaust system needs a little work before the launch.
While competing directly with the S3 sedan, the boss of AMG hinted that these softcore performance models would have something special setting them apart. We suspect that this is an EQ boost system, similar to the one on the 2.0-liter turbo fitted to the E-Class Coupe/Cabrio (E 350).
This will reduce powertrain lag, add some torque and allow for a 0 to 100 kph time of under 5 seconds, making it about as fast as a Porsche 718 Cayman costing about €10,000 more. We can't wait for that drag race to happen!
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