2021 Mercedes-AMG CLA 35

There's no way to sugarcoat the fact that the asking price of the Mercedes-AMG CLA 35 is not for the fainthearted. At a starting MSRP of $47,850, you're paying $1,000 per tenth of a second on the 60 mph dash, and that's before options and the obligatory $1,050 destination charge. A mechanically identical A35 asks $2,000 less, but in the realm of four-door coupes, you pay for style. To that end, a fully-loaded CLA 35 tops $71,000, but with specs that'll make a technophile drool and a mid-2000s supercar feel like a horse-drawn cart, technologically speaking.

When the last AMG-tweaked CLA-Class was let loose on the world, I was one of the most vocal about its handling dynamics, chastising a poorly-tuned chassis and suspension, an over-reliance on the front brakes and tires, and a numbness that meant you could never trust it when entering a corner. Someone at Mercedes clearly got the memo, because the new CLA 35 is a quantum leap forward for the brand in this regard.

As a performance model, it still toes the line of what's considered overly-firm, but the available three-stage damping of the AMG Ride Control as equipped to our tester gave the CLA 35 genuine pliancy in Comfort mode. In Sport and Sport +, the suspension is notably harsh and is best reserved for track days rather than on the street, but even in its softest of settings, there's a level of support that we welcome with open arms. Pair this with dampers that ebb and flow with the surface of the road rather than trying to bludgeon it into submission, and the CLA 35 is a livable daily companion.

The steering is still numb, but the responses from the front end are keen and you can trust the chassis to deliver the same output to your input, time and time again. We'll credit AMG's engineers for this, as the chassis now works in harmony with the tires and brakes, instead of using them as a meatshield with which to defend itself. Because the suspension responds better than ever, the tires don't scrub off nearly as quickly, and you can rely on mechanical grip and chassis balance instead of needing the brake-biased torque vectoring - dubbed ESP Dynamic Cornering Assist by Mercedes - to overcompensate on turn-in.

用力过猛、过快和刹车将overheat as they try to keep turn-in sharp, but drive with a semblance of sanity, and the CLA 35 will behave in a predictable manner that makes it fun but not unruly on a backroad. At its limits, the CLA 35 still defaults to understeer when pushed too hard, but since this AWD system is still so heavily front-biased and is unable to make use of genuine torque vectoring, it would be unfair to expect the same sort of tail-waggery as you'll find in the more potent CLA 45, which uses genuine rear-wheel torque vectoring to ensure drift compatibility.

I approached this review with apprehension towards the Mercedes-AMG CLA 35 as my previous dealing with these junior AMGs had been less than satisfactory. But Mercedes has pulled a rabbit out of the hat and taken the AMG-branded CLA from pitiful attempt to genuine competitor. The engine is smooth, punchy, and effective, the chassis finally dynamically talented enough to deserve an AMG badge, and the styling a straight knock-out that Ali would be proud of. There are pitfalls, like a dimwitted dual-clutch 'box, the inability to overcome the FWD bias, and the cramped rear seats, and some may not be fans of the techno-explosion of an interior that Mercedes has devised, but on the whole, there's very little to fault. The days of sports sedans dripping with feel and emotion are, unfortunately, long behind us, but what Mercedes-AMG has done is transform an FWD-based commuter into a fast, luxurious, and dynamically talented sports coupe that has left the BMW M235i Gran Coupe for dead. If that doesn't tell you a story of how far BMW has fallen, then I'm not sure what will.

While we'd love to save you some money and say a base CLA 35 will be enough, it won't be. In our books, the best one for the money is specced in Sun Yellow with the AMG Aerodynamics package and 19-inch multispoke alloy wheels. Inside, AMG Performance Seats with heating look spectacular in the no-cost Neva Grey/Black MB-Tex combination with aluminum trim, and a Nappa/Dinamica AMG performance steering wheel looks and feels exceptional, albeit without the AMG Drive Unit. The Parking Assistance Package is a must-have, as are adaptive damping, the AMG head-up display, and the Burmester sound system, and the Premium Package is good value-for-money convenience paired with keyless entry. All in, it rings up at $59,550. The bad news is that that's $4,200 more than the base price of a more powerful CLA 45.

梅赛德斯amg CLA 35和之间的区别45 is more than just a single digit in their names. While they may both be AMG variants of the standard CLA-Class with 2.0-liter engines, AWD, and DCT gearboxes, there's a vast difference that goes beyond just a $7,500 price difference. For starters, the CLA 45 looks more aggressive with a Panamericana grille and angry front bumper design, but behind that grille, the 2.0-liter turbo-four has been dialed up to produce 382 hp and 354 lb-ft - increases of 80 hp and 59 lb-ft over the CLA 35 that result in an eight-tenths-of-a-second-quicker 0-60 mph dash. It's partly down to the CLA 45's newfangled eight-speed DCT with launch control, but the speed is augmented by honed handling dynamics, courtesy of a rear torque vectoring differential that affords it a Drift Mode.

These two are vastly different machines, with the CLA 35 being a mild performance Peppadew while the CLA 45 is a Carolina Reaper. Ultimately, you decide the level of heat you can handle.

Never did I think I'd live to see the day when a Mercedes-Benz is a sharper driving tool than the equivalent BMW, but after the calamity that was the year 2020, nothing should surprise me. This pairing is that day dawning, as the CLA 35 has promptly out-BMWed the BMW M235i Gran Coupe. On paper, both are remarkably similar - four-door coupes with AWD, automatic gearboxes, and 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinders within 2 hp of 300. The BMW has a little more torque at 331 lb-ft to the Merc's 295, but is only one-tenth quicker to 60 mph.

In every other driving metric, the Mercedes is dominant, handling with more finesse, cornering at higher speeds, and instilling trust in the driver when the BMW delivers only apprehension. The Merc is comfier, has a better interior design, a sweeter engine note, and a better infotainment system. The only areas it loses out in are trunk space and rear headroom - both of which are remarkable from the smaller BMW - and the fact that it costs $2,350 more. The CLA 35 is what BMW wanted to build, but it seems Bavarian engineers got the brief in another language entirely.