Merc’s new A35 is a festive treat — a hot hatchback at a heartwarming price
It's taken a while, but Mercedes has finally cottoned on to the fact that a well-priced hot hatch was required — and it's come up with an absolute belter
LET’S be realistic. Forty-five thousand English pounds for a hot hatch is A LOT of dosh.
An indulgence for people with money to burn.
By the time most of us even think we can begin to afford it, it’s too late.
You’ll be looking at SUVs and estates — not a small car banging out a monster 380hp.
If you wanted the spice and engineering of AMG, you had to jump straight from the mild A-Class A250 to the peri-peri balls-out A45.
You couldn’t graduate like Ford fanboys from Focus to ST to RS.
OR from VW Golf to GTI to R. OR from Audi A3 to S3 to RS3.
Now Merc has finally cottoned on to the fact it needs something medium hot at a medium price.
Something like the new A35.
I’ll answer your most urgent question first.
Is it any good? Yes, it’s quality.
Fast, loud, grippy, rather handsome, and £10,000 cheaper than the old A45.
Maybe it had something to do with the billiard table-smooth mountain roads — and the absence of kamikaze cyclists that usually swarm Majorca — but it had me grinning like a dog with two appendages.
The new 2-litre turbo has been pegged at 306hp but it’s still just half a second slower than the old A45.
And then there’s the safety net of Merc’s 4MATIC four-wheel-drive system.
It’s front-led but sends half the power to the rear axle when required to avoid a code brown moment.
Of course, AMG engineers are black belts at turning standard Mercs into ripsnorting road racers but it’s not all about horsepower.
The front end has been stiffened for even more precise turn-in and the ESC software code has been tickled to brake the inside rear wheel during high-speed cornering.
Other observations. Fast-shifting seven-speed auto, big flappy paddles, beefy brakes, adaptive damping, wonderland cabin.
Which, of course, means that widescreen digital dash combined with head-up display and a next-gen AMG steering wheel. There’s a lot to love.
Just be careful with the toys as they soon add up.
You may have noticed I said the old A45 earlier.
That’s because there’s a new one coming next summer that’s going to be 400hp-plus.
Let’s be realistic. That’s an unassailable top-shelf pin-up. You might be better off with the little sister.
KEY FACTS
MERCEDES–AMG A35
Price: £35,580
Engine: 2-litre turbo petrol
Power: 306hp, 400Nm
0-62mph: 4.7 seconds
Economy: 38mpg
Top speed: 155mph
Emissions: 167g/km
Out: March
Could be a fight on
Gladiators, r-r-r-r-r-eady.
Jeep is building a Wrangler-based open-top pick-up truck called Gladiator.
It can’t carry much but it looks cool.
Hyundai and Kia have pick-up trucks in the pipeline too.
Is this the world’s coolest van?
If you’re a similar age to me, the answer to the following question is easy.
What is the world’s most famous van?
The A-Team van, fool. That’s not even a question.
Others will say the Mystery Machine from Scooby Do.
Or Del Boy’s three-wheeler.
Or the Mutts Cutts van from Dumb & Dumber.
Or Postman Pat’s van, if you still eat Petits Filous.
But as for the world’s coolest van?
That’s still The A-Team GMC, sucker – but closely followed by this all-electric VW Transporter. Let’s start with those PAUSE and PLAY brake and accelerator pedals.
Absolutely top drawer. VW design team, I salute you.
Now imagine you need to send an urgent email to Cheryl in Accounts.
Press the VW badge on the steering wheel. The steering wheel folds back and the driver’s seat turns 15 degrees towards the central iPad.
Now you’re on a job and there’s no mains power. No problem. Solar panels on the van roof will top-up the battery and recharge tools. Can’t see what’s directly behind you? The rear-view mirror streams HD footage from a rear-view camera.
The speedo and satnav is beamed on to the windscreen via head-up display and VW has estimated a 340-mile range.
Hurry up, future.
VW will launch its ID electric car family next year, starting with the Golf-sized ID hatch.
That will be followed by the ID Crozz (SUV) in 2020 and then in 2022, the ID Buzz (eight-seat bus) and the ID Buzz Cargo (Transporter).
KEY FACTS
VW ID BUZZ CARGO
Price: £33,000
Power: Electric, AWD
Range: 340 miles
0-62mph: 7 seconds
Top speed: 99mph
Emissions: 0g/km
Charge time: 80% in 30 mins
Out: 2022
Win!
There are 19 days until Christmas. Enough time, then, to WIN this £199 Tamiya R/C Defender and pop it under the tree.
To enter my free draw, simply follow me on and tag a friend by 6pm on Sunday December 9, 2018.
Note: This is a self-assembly kit. It’s 4WD, capable off-road and totally cool. Thank you, Tamiya. Winner chosen at random. Good luck.
ARE YOU PULLING MY LEGO?
I’m full of useless trivia. Who is the world’s No1 tyre maker?
Is it:
A) Bridgestone;
B) Michelin;
C) Goodyear; or
D) Pirelli.
Answer: None of the above.
It’s Lego. It makes 318million toy tyres a year.
That's Grand
The Grand Tour returns next month – on TV and as a computer game.
The Grand Tour Game, available on PS4 and Xbox One, allows players to race Clarkson, May and Hammond in cars they’ve just seen in series three.
New episodes of the game will be released weekly.
James May said: “You can go straight from watching the show to being in it.
“One second you’re watching us messing about in cars and the next you’re in the middle of it, doing our jobs, wearing our trousers.
“Maybe we’ll have Hammond film his show segments in the game instead of real life, just to keep him safe.”
I’ve had a quick play and it’s a lot of fun.
Top-quality graphics mixed with Mario Kart-style icons for power boost and pink fog to slow rivals. You can also blast around the Eboladrome.
Pop Quiz
We've covered the badge on the steering wheel to see if you can guess what car it is.
Digital instrument panel, 9.2in central touchscreen, sharp design.
Answer at the bottom of the page.
MOST READ IN MOTORS
Auto parts
- Tesco is installing 2,400 charging bays for electric vehicles at 600 stores. It’s free to top-up. EVry little helps.
- Pub chain Marston’s Inns and Taverns is fitting rapid chargers at 400 boozers.
- A third of drivers admit they would brake test a tailgater. Don’t. Let the idiot through to have an accident somewhere else.
- Gift ideas. McLaren socks, £15.98; McLaren Arctic driving adventure, £12,750.
- Save 10p a litre on fuel at Morrisons until Sunday when you spend £50 or more in-store.
QUIZ ANSWER: Skoda. That’s the hi-tech cabin from the new Scala. Impressive.