Mercedes-AMG makes another four-door pocket rocket

New CLA35 gets the same 306hp 2.0-litre turbo from the A35 sedan and hatchback but is slowest of all.

I can’t tell the difference…

After launching the new 306hp 2.0-litre petrol-turbo engine in the A35 hatchback last year, Mercedes-Benz has extended this AMG heart to the sedan variant late last month.

Just two weeks have gone by and the CLA35 has emerged as the third model in the Mercedes’ range of compact cars to gain this warmed-up performance (sitting below the pending ‘45’ models).

While the A35 sedan is a traditional sedan with proper door windows, the CLA35 has a sportier roofline and frameless panes. 

The lights on the front and rear ends of both cars are differently designed. The same goes for the bonnet design whereby the CLA35 features distinctive powerdomes.

But as pictures usually tell a thousand words, we decided to pitch the CLA35 (yellow) against the A35 sedan (aqua blue) here for you to tell the difference.

So everything is technically the same?

That’s right. Apart from the 306hp/400Nm turbo four-pot, the CLA35 gets the same seven-speed dual-clutch automatic, 4Matic all-wheel drive, 350mm/330mm front/rear disc brakes, optional adaptive suspension and launch control for super-quick acceleration.

In spite of this, the CLA35 is 0.1sec slower than the A35 sedan (and 0.2sec tardier than the A35 hatch) in the 0-100kph time, at 4.9sec. No weight figures have been revealed.

Which is a little strange to see a supposedly sporty model being inferior to a more practicality-oriented sibling in performance terms. Likewise, the CLA35 doesn’t get the racier-looking front seats of the A35.

Tch! Will it be pricier than the A35?

The CLA has a slightly loftier position than the A-Class in Mercedes’ current marketing game, just like how the bigger CLS sits above the E-Class in the price ranks.

In Thailand, what we’re talking about is essentially a three million baht pocket rocket in both cases. The more interesting thing to see is what Mercedes-Benz Thailand has in store for local assembly in the future.

So far, there are three AMG models built at Mercedes’ factory in Samut Prakan including C43 Coupe, CLS53 and GLC43 Coupe.