Photo: SB-Medien
Mercedes is making way too many cars these days, and it's not actually helping their bottom line that much. But if we had to pick one of their new models that's unexpectedly cool, it would be this one, the Mercedes-AMG A35 4Matic sedan. It's icy hot, as Shaq would say!
When Mercedes first came out with the A-Class sedan, we were a little doubtful. Was it for the European market? Would it look cheap when compared to the CLA, and won't they cannibalize each other's sales? The A35 4Matic sedan puts all our worries to rest, and it kind of feels old-school in a way.
You see, before the era of crossovers, German carmakers mainly made sedans, and some of them were small. The Audi A3 was their first premium hatchback, and it eventually led us to the AWD traction monsters that we have today, including the 400 HP RS3. The A35 sedan pulls a thread through all those things to give us a performance-oriented design in a bite-sized package.
And since the regular A-Class 4-door has been received relatively well in America and Canada, it's safe to assume the AMG will be sold Stateside too. We have a pretty good idea of its powertrain from the hatchback version. It's got a 2.0-liter turbo without frills that produce 306 HP and 400 Nm of torque. That's 302 HP and 295 lb-ft in American coin.
The new A-Class is the car that talks to you like Siri. If you're the type of guy who goes nuts over a digital voice, know that the dual exhaust pipes of the A35 sedan will pop and crackle on overruns as well. Just don't get any crazy ideas - those can get pretty hot.
Because the 35 isn't a true AMG, its cosmetic changes aren't that radical. The sedan only gets a few small tweaks to the bumpers and larger wheels. But you should be able to buy an aero package that's not fitted to this particular prototype.
You see, before the era of crossovers, German carmakers mainly made sedans, and some of them were small. The Audi A3 was their first premium hatchback, and it eventually led us to the AWD traction monsters that we have today, including the 400 HP RS3. The A35 sedan pulls a thread through all those things to give us a performance-oriented design in a bite-sized package.
And since the regular A-Class 4-door has been received relatively well in America and Canada, it's safe to assume the AMG will be sold Stateside too. We have a pretty good idea of its powertrain from the hatchback version. It's got a 2.0-liter turbo without frills that produce 306 HP and 400 Nm of torque. That's 302 HP and 295 lb-ft in American coin.
The new A-Class is the car that talks to you like Siri. If you're the type of guy who goes nuts over a digital voice, know that the dual exhaust pipes of the A35 sedan will pop and crackle on overruns as well. Just don't get any crazy ideas - those can get pretty hot.
Because the 35 isn't a true AMG, its cosmetic changes aren't that radical. The sedan only gets a few small tweaks to the bumpers and larger wheels. But you should be able to buy an aero package that's not fitted to this particular prototype.
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