RE: Mercedes-AMG A35: Driven

RE: Mercedes-AMG A35: Driven

Author
Discussion

NicoG

640 posts

207 months

Wednesday 5th December 2018
quotequote all

Fantastic; A high spec, rapid, (relatively) economical, practical and (hopefully) well screwed together car....

I welcome this "new" wave of hyper-hatches and I cant see what took so long; cars just seem to be getting bigger and bigger and bigger cars like this, the S/RS3 / M130/140i etc are very attractive, since they offer the kit levels of a 5 series or E-class in a much smaller car.

The residuals seem to reflect the demand for this formula.

How often do we have someone in the passenger seat, let alone the back seats.
I've often wondered what took so long to fill this niche, in the niche-filling era we live in...

Seems like a crazy comparison, but what else gives this level of pace kit and quality in car this / M140i size and pricepoint? - An AM Vantage??





Ares

11,000 posts

119 months

Wednesday 5th December 2018
quotequote all
Andy20vt said:
Ares said:
Monkeylegend said:
And that, ladies and gentleman, is why having been a Mercedes owner for the last 20 years I will never buy a modern Mercedes vomit

Oh for the days when they were boring, refined, classy and understated.
....and only bought by old men wink
....rather than gangsta wannabees wink
Yes because most A-Classes are driven by Ali-G lookalikes rolleyes


Mercs 20yrs ago were, on the whole, dull. Modern Mercs are not, hence why their market share has rocketed.

Ares

11,000 posts

119 months

Wednesday 5th December 2018
quotequote all
Gameface said:
For those moaning about the interior, go and have a look at the BMW 1 and 2 series equivalents. Dour and archaic in comparison.

The A-class will be a big hit with the large screen option ticked because it has huge showroom appeal. S-class tech in an A-class will sell, simple as that.
Not always though. A lot of A-Class target drivers don't give a st about the S-Class tech in their little hatch....and salesmen are missing a trick by selling almost exclusively on that basis.

We drove a A200 as a possible car for Mrs Ares. It was a very good car and dare I say better than the 1-series (although the horrid gearbox on the 1-Series was the prime culprit)...but the salesman only talked to my wife about the S-Class tech, it was lost on her and she couldn't have cared less - put her off the car to an extent. She doesn't want a crazy complex car, just a good, solid, nice/fun to drive capable hatchback.

horsemeatscandal

1,169 posts

103 months

Wednesday 5th December 2018
quotequote all
Nothing against the car (other than that it’s ugly as sin) or the sector, but the problem for me is that the A35 badge carries no clout when compared to equivalents from other manufacturers e.g. Audi’s ‘S’ range. So, I’d really struggle to justify paying £35k for a hatchback that’s not even the fast one.


JMF894

5,475 posts

154 months

Wednesday 5th December 2018
quotequote all
Hoofy said:
Not keen on the long ipad glued to the dashboard.
Exactly this. Noticed it during a recent taxi ride whilst up in Lake Como. Thought yuck.

Monkeylegend

26,226 posts

230 months

Wednesday 5th December 2018
quotequote all
Ares said:
Yes because most A-Classes are driven by Ali-G lookalikes rolleyes


Mercs 20yrs ago were, on the whole, dull. Modern Mercs are not, hence why their market share has rocketed.
From a business perspective that is right, but I just wish they still had at least one car in their range that would appeal to old fogies like me frown

anonymous-user

53 months

Wednesday 5th December 2018
quotequote all
Ares said:
Andy20vt said:
Ares said:
Monkeylegend said:
And that, ladies and gentleman, is why having been a Mercedes owner for the last 20 years I will never buy a modern Mercedes vomit

Oh for the days when they were boring, refined, classy and understated.
....and only bought by old men wink
....rather than gangsta wannabees wink
Yes because most A-Classes are driven by Ali-G lookalikes rolleyes
All the AMG's I see round here are!

F4R

105 posts

64 months

Wednesday 5th December 2018
quotequote all
I can't help but think it looks very similar to other sporty hatchbacks on the market today: M140i, S3, Leon Cupra, i30n, even the Astra SRi!

It's a shame that most the mainstream manufacturers feel the need to churn out cars with no identity any more.


JMF894

5,475 posts

154 months

Wednesday 5th December 2018
quotequote all
Gameface said:
For those moaning about the interior, go and have a look at the BMW 1 and 2 series equivalents. Dour and archaic in comparison.

The A-class will be a big hit with the large screen option ticked because it has huge showroom appeal. S-class tech in an A-class will sell, simple as that.
I have a new 2 series gt and i'll take dour and archaic over this every day of the week. At least with the beemer you know where everything is and it's comparitively smooth and contoured compared to the merc. I'm not saying I don't see the appeal of this new A but I cannot be doing with interiors that look like evreything has been stuck on wherever there's a space for it to fit.

Sensible ergonomics died when Saab went under.

Ares

11,000 posts

119 months

Wednesday 5th December 2018
quotequote all
Monkeylegend said:
Ares said:
Yes because most A-Classes are driven by Ali-G lookalikes rolleyes


Mercs 20yrs ago were, on the whole, dull. Modern Mercs are not, hence why their market share has rocketed.
From a business perspective that is right, but I just wish they still had at least one car in their range that would appeal to old fogies like me frown
Most saloons? Large Coupes? SL? The grey market is still well catered for?

Ares

11,000 posts

119 months

Wednesday 5th December 2018
quotequote all
Andy20vt said:
Ares said:
Andy20vt said:
Ares said:
Monkeylegend said:
And that, ladies and gentleman, is why having been a Mercedes owner for the last 20 years I will never buy a modern Mercedes vomit

Oh for the days when they were boring, refined, classy and understated.
....and only bought by old men wink
....rather than gangsta wannabees wink
Yes because most A-Classes are driven by Ali-G lookalikes rolleyes
All the AMG's I see round here are!
That's perhaps a reflection of where you live, rather than the car. Most round here are young girls and mums.

Ares

11,000 posts

119 months

Wednesday 5th December 2018
quotequote all
F4R said:
I can't help but think it looks very similar to other sporty hatchbacks on the market today: M140i, S3, Leon Cupra, i30n, even the Astra SRi!

It's a shame that most the mainstream manufacturers feel the need to churn out cars with no identity any more.
The 1-series is different. And for the others, how else can you design a 5-door hatch back without compromising on practicality?

Amanitin

419 posts

136 months

Wednesday 5th December 2018
quotequote all
Monkeylegend said:
From a business perspective that is right, but I just wish they still had at least one car in their range that would appeal to old fogies like me frown
have a broker import a Toyota Century cool

alexrogers92

71 posts

93 months

Wednesday 5th December 2018
quotequote all
Andy20vt said:
alexrogers92 said:
Lovely little car. I bet it's a great every day B road tool.
I bet it's too heavy, wide, too firmly sprung and with too many visibility blind spots to ever take on your average B road round here. Perfect for cruzing through the city centre though.
There will be plenty of mechanical grip and power for the road along with an abundance of tech. Hence my use of the phrase 'every day car'. smile

F4R

105 posts

64 months

Wednesday 5th December 2018
quotequote all
Ares said:
The 1-series is different. And for the others, how else can you design a 5-door hatch back without compromising on practicality?
If the 1 series was the same colour it wouldn't look a lot different would it?

Hatchbacks used to have their own identities so it is possible. Most manufacturers just want to add squinty lights, slopey bonnets and pokey little rear windscreens to their design cues.



anonymous-user

53 months

Wednesday 5th December 2018
quotequote all
alexrogers92 said:
Andy20vt said:
alexrogers92 said:
Lovely little car. I bet it's a great every day B road tool.
I bet it's too heavy, wide, too firmly sprung and with too many visibility blind spots to ever take on your average B road round here. Perfect for cruzing through the city centre though.
There will be plenty of mechanical grip and power for the road along with an abundance of tech. Hence my use of the phrase 'every day car'. smile
Yes but if you can't see where you're going due to poor outward visibility and the car is too wide then you'll be unlikely to be able to use all of that power. Plus with those alloys/tyres you'll simply spend all your time looking out for potholes. Clio 182 (or similar) would run rings round this on a tight twisting B road.

Onehp

1,617 posts

282 months

Wednesday 5th December 2018
quotequote all
Sport220 said:
Heavier than an E39 528i, FFS

I'd rather Mégane Trophy, thank you very much.
The 1555kg is incl a 75kg driver. The e39 528i is similar, interior size aint massively bigger, but it is down 110hp and a front driven axle...

A8 2.8 1st gen 130hp down, fwd only, roomier yes, similar weight with an all aluminum body.

No the A35 ain't lightweight and will probably add another 100kg if you tick many options. But it ain't extremely heavy either for what it is...


Never you mind

1,507 posts

111 months

Wednesday 5th December 2018
quotequote all
Andy20vt said:
alexrogers92 said:
Andy20vt said:
alexrogers92 said:
Lovely little car. I bet it's a great every day B road tool.
I bet it's too heavy, wide, too firmly sprung and with too many visibility blind spots to ever take on your average B road round here. Perfect for cruzing through the city centre though.
There will be plenty of mechanical grip and power for the road along with an abundance of tech. Hence my use of the phrase 'every day car'. smile
Yes but if you can't see where you're going due to poor outward visibility and the car is too wide then you'll be unlikely to be able to use all of that power. Plus with those alloys/tyres you'll simply spend all your time looking out for potholes. Clio 182 (or similar) would run rings round this on a tight twisting B road.
Tosh! Have you driven one? I struggled to keep up with my wife while she was driving her A45 thats "too big, too heavy insert some other random nonsense" and I was in a RWD Gallardo and we live in N.Yorks which has plenty of tight twisty country roads. . My little Fiat 595 didn't fair much better.

anonymous-user

53 months

Wednesday 5th December 2018
quotequote all
Never you mind said:
Andy20vt said:
alexrogers92 said:
Andy20vt said:
alexrogers92 said:
Lovely little car. I bet it's a great every day B road tool.
I bet it's too heavy, wide, too firmly sprung and with too many visibility blind spots to ever take on your average B road round here. Perfect for cruzing through the city centre though.
There will be plenty of mechanical grip and power for the road along with an abundance of tech. Hence my use of the phrase 'every day car'. smile
Yes but if you can't see where you're going due to poor outward visibility and the car is too wide then you'll be unlikely to be able to use all of that power. Plus with those alloys/tyres you'll simply spend all your time looking out for potholes. Clio 182 (or similar) would run rings round this on a tight twisting B road.
Tosh! Have you driven one? I struggled to keep up with my wife while she was driving her A45 thats "too big, too heavy insert some other random nonsense" and I was in a RWD Gallardo and we live in N.Yorks which has plenty of tight twisty country roads. . My little Fiat 595 didn't fair much better.
A Gallardo is not the ideal car for a tight twisting B road is it? Either your wife is a demon driver or . . . .

anonymous-user

53 months

Wednesday 5th December 2018
quotequote all
Never you mind said:
Andy20vt said:
alexrogers92 said:
Andy20vt said:
alexrogers92 said:
Lovely little car. I bet it's a great every day B road tool.
I bet it's too heavy, wide, too firmly sprung and with too many visibility blind spots to ever take on your average B road round here. Perfect for cruzing through the city centre though.
There will be plenty of mechanical grip and power for the road along with an abundance of tech. Hence my use of the phrase 'every day car'. smile
Yes but if you can't see where you're going due to poor outward visibility and the car is too wide then you'll be unlikely to be able to use all of that power. Plus with those alloys/tyres you'll simply spend all your time looking out for potholes. Clio 182 (or similar) would run rings round this on a tight twisting B road.
Tosh! Have you driven one? I struggled to keep up with my wife while she was driving her A45 thats "too big, too heavy insert some other random nonsense" and I was in a RWD Gallardo and we live in N.Yorks which has plenty of tight twisty country roads. . My little Fiat 595 didn't fair much better.
A Gallardo is not the ideal car for a tight twisting B road is it? Either your wife is a demon driver or . . . .