X

2020 Mercedes-AMG A35 is a pint-size rocket

With 302 horsepower on tap, it will reach 60 mph in under 5 seconds.

Steven Ewing Former managing editor
Steven Ewing spent his childhood reading car magazines, making his career as an automotive journalist an absolute dream job. After getting his foot in the door at Automobile while he was still a teenager, Ewing found homes on the mastheads at Winding Road magazine, Autoblog and Motor1.com before joining the CNET team in 2018. He has also served on the World Car Awards jury. Ewing grew up ingrained in the car culture of Detroit -- the Motor City -- before eventually moving to Los Angeles. In his free time, Ewing loves to cook, binge trash TV and play the drums.
See full bio
Andrew Krok Reviews Editor / Cars
Cars are Andrew's jam, as is strawberry. After spending years as a regular ol' car fanatic, he started working his way through the echelons of the automotive industry, starting out as social-media director of a small European-focused garage outside of Chicago. From there, he moved to the editorial side, penning several written features in Total 911 Magazine before becoming a full-time auto writer, first for a local Chicago outlet and then for CNET Cars.
See full bio
Steven Ewing
Andrew Krok
2 min read

The new Mercedes A-Class Sedan is an excellent entry-level product that serves as a great way to get acclimated to Mercedes-Benz's lineup. But, with just 188 horsepower on tap, the A220 isn't exactly going to bend any necks. Thankfully, Mercedes-AMG has the new A35, which made its debut at the 2019 New York Auto Show.

The heart of the AMG A35 is a turbocharged, 2.0-liter I4 engine, producing a respectable 302 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque -- healthy increases over the aforementioned 188 hp and 221 lb-ft available in the A220. This engine mates to a seven-speed, dual-clutch transmission, and power gets to the ground via Mercedes' 4Matic all-wheel-drive system.

As its name suggests, the A35 isn't quite as powerful as the outgoing CLA45 sedan, which made a bonkers-by-comparison 375 hp and 350 lb-ft of torque. But we'll also bet our bottom dollar Mercedes has higher-output AMG versions in the works -- not to mention boosted variants of the new sedan, too.

2020 Mercedes-AMG A35 Sedan
Enlarge Image
2020 Mercedes-AMG A35 Sedan

302 horsepower in this little guy? Sounds like a hoot.

 Steven Pham/Roadshow

Still, the AMG A35 should be a competent performer. Mercedes-Benz says the sedan will accelerate to 60 miles per hour in 4.7 seconds, which is about the same as the 280-horsepower with which the A35 will most closely compete.

The A35 will come with retuned, speed-sensitive, variable sport steering, as well as larger brakes and a stiffer suspension (with optional adjustable dampers), all of which should make the sedan more enjoyable to drive. The base A220 is already a lovely steer, so we expect good things from its higher-power sibling.

Inside, the A35 will pack all the same luxury and tech features as the A220 sedan, including Mercedes' new MBUX infotainment tech. With its pair of high-resolution screens, augmented reality navigation overlays and natural-speech voice control, MBUX offers one of the best infotainment setups in the premium space.

The Mercedes-AMG A35 Sedan will greet the public for the first time at the New York Auto Show in April, and should arrive in dealerships near the end of 2019. Pricing hasn't been announced just yet, but since the A220 4Matic sedan starts at $34,500 before options, expect AMG A35 pricing to start somewhere around $45,000.

Originally published March 26.
Update, April 17: Adds new photos from the show floor.

2020 Mercedes-AMG A35 is a premium pocket rocket

+50 More
See all photos