Today, Mercedes announced the AMG A 35 sedan, the performance variant of the new entry-level A-Class. And aside from the rear roofline, it’s nearly identical to the coveted AMG A 35 hot hatch sold in Europe. Unlike that car, however, we’ll be getting the sedan here in the States.
The AMG A 35 has a 2.0-Liter four-cylinder turbo producing 302 horsepower and 295lb-ft of torque and an AMG-tuned 7-speed transmission putting power to all four wheels through tuned 4MATIC all-wheel-drive which can shift from 100 percent rear-wheel drive to 50-50 front-to-rear. Mercedes didn’t give a top speed yet, but they did announce AMG A 35 will accelerate from 0-60 mph in 4.7 seconds.
A useful option for enthusiasts will be “AMG Track Pace.” The virtual race engineer will track 80 different vehicle-specific data points. In addition to timing their hot laps, drivers can record new tracks into the system and follow an ideal driving line displayed on the multimedia and optional head-up display.
Mercedes didn’t give pricing, but we can safely assume buying an AMG vehicle in the U.S. will become significantly more affordable. Rationally, the AMG A 35 would start somewhere between the $32,500 A 220 sedan and the $55,250 C 43 AMG sedan . Splitting the difference around $45,000 would put the AMG A 35 on par with the hatchback price in Europe and the car’s closest rival, the Audi S3.
If the A-Class aims to be a baby S-Class, the AMG A 35 should be an equally compelling baby version of the other AMG sedans, especially with a 0-60 mph time that, like some of its larger brethren, is in the mid-four-second range.
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