The hot hatchback has been a favourite of enthusiasts for about four decades now, as they combine practicality and efficiency with performance and fun, often with a certain element of ‘surprise’ out on the street.
The last decade or so has seen several of them on the market at any given time, and modern engine control and turbocharging technology has given the manufacturers the basis for astoundingly capable little cars, given their four-cylinder engines in the 2.0-litre range. The ‘average’ hot hatch delivers about 225-250 horsepower, which makes for a fun drive. But, there are also the 300-350 horsepower versions, that are truly high-performance cars.
It is in this latter group that the Mercedes-AMG A 35 Hatch falls. Boasting an AMG-massaged 302-horsepower 2.0-litre and 4Matic all-wheel drive, the A 35 is an all-weather sports-luxury compact car, truly blurring the boundaries of the usually accepted definitions of all those terms.
Its 295 lb-ft of torque, not enormous but impressive nonetheless, pulls the 1,555-kg A 35 from rest to 100 km/h in a mere 4.7 seconds, within a second or so of the 600-hp V8s and the latest hyper-EVs. It is plenty quick to be entertaining and under control in real-world driving.
The transmission, an AMG Speedshift DCT 7-speed dual-clutch unit, will make you forget that there is no manual transmission offered, as has been the case in every AMG-branded vehicle ever. Shifts are crisp and quick, although there were a couple of occasions where it didn’t seem sure about what gear it should be in. And that is maybe the big challenge of these 2.0-litres pumping out nearly three horsepower per cubic inch, to put it in terms that old guys can understand – keeping the engine and drivetrain under a tight rein when it is being asked to perform smoothly and efficiently. This package revels in being ‘let out to play.’
The driver is given control of the various performance parameters via the now-expected variety of selectable modes, ranging from Slippery through Individual and Comfort, up to Sport and Sport+. Needless to say, the settings in use were primarily the last two, and one must note that there is no ‘Eco’ setting, not that A 35 drivers are likely to miss it.
In Sport+, shifting manually with the paddles, we had thought that the transmission would hold the gear selected right up to the rev limiter (which we never approached), but a couple of times, it shifted up automatically. Maybe there was something we missed in our procedure. In any case, in a week of urban driving, with, we admit, some gratuitous displays of acceleration, the A 35 consumed an indicated 12.9L of premium fuel per 100 km.
While the exterior of our black A 35 presented a subdued, understated look, with no really big wing or fender flares, the interior made up for that with a very luxo-sport appearance that would not have been out of place in one of the more high-end AMG cars.
Before you even get into the car, and especially at night, you notice the pastel colours of the ambient lighting on the dashboard and doors, which comes in numerous shades, and which seemed to change on its own from time to time. We think…
So, you drop yourself into the sport seat, and with a bit of adjusting, you realize that these thrones are very supportive and comfortable, although they could have more lumbar support. We especially liked the pull-out under-thigh extension.
Ahead of you is the sweep of the latest Mercedes digital cockpit with the MBUX voice assistant, that allows you to control many functions just by saying them. For example, you get in the car on a cold morning, say “Hey Mercedes” (literally), and a smooth female voice asks what you would like. Assuming the obvious is not possible, you say “set the temperature to 23C.” She replies compliantly, and you watch the numbers change on the HVAC controls. This is kinda fun….
The back seat area has plenty of head- and shoulder room, but, as you might expect, leg room is at a premium. If the front seat is all or most of the way back, you are not fitting an adult behind it. The trunk space is fine for a small hatch.
Our tester had the Premium Package, which included such niceties as Apple Car Play, Android Auto, wireless charging, satellite radio, and Burmester premium audio. The A 35’s base price is $49,800, with the Premium Package at $3,200 making the price as tested $53,000. There are four other packages available totalling $7,000, so you can see that it is possible to spend $60K-plus on a hot hatchback.
If you want an even hotter compact Mercedes and can do without the hatchback, you can buy the base CLA 45 four-door coupe with 382 hp for about the same price as the loaded A 35. You can’t buy the A or CLA models with the 421-hp engine, as of this writing, unless you live on another continent.
Some car in any segment has to be the most expensive, and in hot hatches, the A 35 is right up there on the list. There are other pocket rockets with comparable stats and performance that sell for $10K less, but they won’t have the stellar interior the A 35 has, nor the three-pointed star on the grille.
