As much as we all say that hot hatches are aimed at the youth, ask any grown man, as soon as we get behind the wheel of one, we are also now “youth”. There’s something about them that invigorates our soul, whether it’s the pocket rocket performance or the nimble nature of them that gives you that go-kart like feel, it just fuels a desire inside of us like no other. Also they’re damn easy to park. A few weeks back I got to spend some time with the Mercedes-Benz A35 AMG which just underwent some minor cosmetic surgery, while it shares the same engine with the A45S AMG, the performance levels in this one is toned down just a bit and I wanted to see if it warrants the hot-hatch label.
DESIGN
While very similar to the pre-facelift model, the A-Class hasn’t changed much in its overall shape but there are some cosmetic differences that make this one stand out, the most noticeable one being the horizontal slats in the grille which are synonymous with the AMG models that have now been adopted by all AMG's across the range. The front difusser remains the same with the side air intakes now blanked off. The large Merc emblem adorns the front grille that extends to the lines of the front head lamps. The side of the car has minor tweaks but there is a range of new alloy wheels to choose from, this particular model came fitted with a 19-inch twin spoke AMG light wheel rim which is bi-colour finished in black and silver. It also came fitted with the aero kit that that has fins and lips attached to the front and rear bumps and a big wing on the back which does assist with down force but mainly makes the car look cool. Noticeable differences in the interior see's the removal of the wonky touch pad mouse thing in the center as the A-Class range now comes fitted with the new MBUX system that is touch screen and voice controlled. Extra detailing on the dash with AMG accents along with the sport seats complete the hot-hatch look to it.
PERFORMANCE
The A35 and A45 always had the 2.0-litre 4 cylinder turbo engines so there was no real uproar with this new model that came with the newer version of it. While the bigger brother the A45 comes with the more menacing version of it, this particular one still has some bit to it. Churning out 225kW and 400Nm of torque, the A35 is very nippy and those dual AMG performance exhaust pipes are quite throaty as well. Acceleration in the A35 is quite something as there is a whole host of emotions that you feel when performing the launch, Merc claim a 0-100km/h time of 4.7 seconds which for a car of this nature is damn good. The AMG Speedshift 8G gearbox is a dream to work with, whether leaving it in auto mode or swapping over to manual with the paddle controls, the power delivery to the wheels is proper and accentuates that go-kart like feel that you want with a small hatch like this. Powering through corners and racing up mountain passes feels like what this car was born to do and while short city stint driving is fun, I managed to take this on a nice long road trip down to the Eastern Cape where I got to see what it could truly do on the open road. Apart from the bumpy ride, it was mountains of fun to navigate on those twistys and inclines. Fuel consumption on these type of cars does leave one with a light wallet but on that long distance run I managed to achieved a respectable 8.8L per 100km. If I had used cruise control and put it in eco mode it could have done better but where is the fun in that?
COMFORT
Yes, this is a performance hatch back, its low to the ground, has racing seats and stiff suspension so its not going to be Rolls Royce quality comfort when driving around but it's not that bad. After driving for 6 hours I didn't get out with back pain, I was fine and because the drive is so enjoyable I didn't feel tired as well. The drive and front passenger get electronically adjustable seats with the controls on the doors which confused a few of my passengers but its pretty easy to use once you get the hang of it. Dual-zone climate control, seat heating as an optional extra was also fitted in the car. The rear occupants get their on vent in the back for their comfort. While the car size is small, its still spacious enough for 4 adults and the luggage space is not too shabby either. Like most of the manufactures, Merc offers most of its extras as packages to suit their clients, this car came fitted with the AMG night package which included the welcome lights, adaptive LED's and interior ambient lighting. It also came with the Premium plus package which includes the memory seats and premium sound system. The list of standard equipment is a quite a bit as well but my personal favourite is the new MBUX multi media system that can control just about anything from voice commands. It has wireless mobile apps built in as well and pretty cool info graphics about the car to scroll through.
While it isn't the range topping A45S, the A35 AMG still manages to charm its way around, it is still fitting to wear that AMG badge and does provide oodles of fun for those who want a bit of Jekyll and Hyde in their car. As per my intro, many would think this car is aimed at the youngsters but trust me, it doesn't matter who you are, once you push that start button, you'll realise that this car is worth its name in metal. From its stylish exterior to the well laid out interior, Merc really delivered on this one.
*base price
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