The Mercedes-AMG A35 Saloon Is A New Reason Not To Buy An Audi S3

If you want a shiny new AMG that won’t break the bank, you now have a new option. It’s called the A35 Saloon, a four-door version of the existing five-door A35, not to be confused with the anticipated CLA 35. We may well be seeing ‘45’ versions in all three body styles too.

Confused? We don’t blame you. But thankfully, the A35 Saloon is nice and straightforward, being mechanically identical to the A35 hatch we reviewed last year.

That means it’s powered by a 2.0-litre inline-four turbocharged engine derived from the A250’s mill, fettled to produce 302bhp and 295lb ft of torque. Thrust is sent to all four wheels via a seven-speed dual clutch gearbox.

Although Mercedes hasn’t given any weight figures for the car, it’s presumably slightly heavier than the A35 hatch, with the 0-62mph time dropping a tenth to 4.8 seconds. Top speed remains the same - it’s electronically-limited to 155mph.

As with the hatchback, the ‘AMG Ride Control’ adaptive damper setup is available as an option. Braking, meanwhile, is taken care of by four-piston calipers and 350mm discs on the front axle, with 330mm rotors and single-piston calipers bringing up the rear.

Keen to hammer home the A35 Saloon’s practical nature, Mercedes points out that the car has class-leading headroom. Meanwhile, you have 420 litres of boot space to play with, which is 50 litres more than you get in an A-Class, but curiously, 60 litres less than the more stylish CLA.

We don’t have UK pricing for the car just yet, but it’s safe to expect a small increase on the £35,580 starting price of the five-door A35. Judging by examples of the hatch we’ve tested, it’ll be shockingly easy to punt the cash price close to £50,000 once options are selected.

Would you have one of these over an S3 saloon, or would you rather wait for the CLA 35?