2020 Mercedes-AMG A 35 Starts at $49,200

• The new Mercedes-Benz A-Class is the best compact entry-level luxury car.

• It is available as a sedan and a very cool hatchback.

• The all-new 2020 Mercedes-AMG A 35 is a 302-horsepower pocket-rocket.

Hot compact cars have made something of a comeback in the last decade. The likes of the Volkswagen Golf R, Hyundai Veloster N, Honda Civic Type R, Subaru WRX STI and Ford Focus RS (RIP) have done wonders for their respective manufacturers. What’s interesting about these cars is that few sell to youngsters looking to impress. Rather, it’s the slightly more affluent 35+ crowd that makes the purchases if mostly because the average retail price is/was of over $40,000.

Mercedes-Benz spotted an opportunity to bring the hopped-up AMG A-Class, both the sedan and the hatchback, to market and here it is. Oh, might we mention here that the Mercedes-AMG A 35 hatchback is offered in Canada, and not the US? In fact, Canada is privy to the A-Class sedan and hatchback while only the sedan shows up on the American Mercedes-Benz menu.

But we digress. The fun part for we Canadians is that we can opt for the elegant sedan or the uber-cool hatchback for the exact same starting price of $49,200. All you have to do is pick your favorite body style.

The sedan is 12cm longer and 1cm shorter height-wise overall compared to the hatchback. The sedan’s boot can contain 420 litres of gear while the hatchback starts at 370 litres. The hatchback, however, provides more rear-seat headroom.

A fully-loaded Mercedes-AMG A 35, with options, will set you back over $65,000. Both the A 35 sedan and hatch will arrive in Canada in early 2020.

Standard features on the A 35 are as follows:

2020 Mercedes-AMG A 35 (sedan and hatchback)

Turbocharged 2.0L inline-4 engine that produces 302-horsepower and 295 lb.-ft. of torque, AMG SPEEDSHIFT DCT 7-speed dual-clutch transmission, AMG Performance 4MATIC all-wheel drive, AMG Sport Suspension, sport exhaust system, and high-performance brakes. The hatchback is rated at 4.7 seconds for the 0-100km/h sprint. The sedan takes 0.1 seconds more.

Dual 10.25-inch fully-digital instrument panel and central infotainment touchscreen. Includes Mercedes-Benz User Experience (MBUX), LINGUATRONIC voice control with Natural Language Understanding, “Hey, Mercedes” keyword activation, panoramic sunroof, power Sport front seats, a Wi-Fi hotspot.

To the car you can add a number of packages which are described as follows:

Technology Package (must include the Premium package)

$1,600

• MULTIBEAM LED headlamps
• Adaptive Highbeam Assist
• Active Distance Assist DISTRONIC

Premium Package

$3,200 ($3,300 for the sedan)

• Blind Spot Assist
• Vehicle Exit Warning
• KEYLESS-GO
• Inductive wireless charging with NFC pairing
• Apple CarPlay
• Android Auto
• Active Parking Assist
• SiriusXM Radio with 3-month All Access trial
• Burmester Surround Sound System
• Foot-activated trunk release (sedan only)

Navigation Package

$1,000

• MB Navigation
• Live Traffic Service
• MBUX Augmented Video for Navigation
• Traffic Sign Assist

Intelligent Drive Package

$1,900

• Active Steering Assist
• Evasive Steering Assist
• Active Brake Assist with Cross-Traffic Function
• Active Emergency Stop Assist
• Active Speed Limit Assist
• Active Blind Spot Assist
• Active Lane Keeping Assist
• Active Lane Change Assist
• PRE-SAFE
• PRE-SAFE PLUS
• Enhanced Stop-and-Go
• Route-based Speed Adaptation

AMG Driver’s Package

$2,500

• 19-inch AMG 5-twin-spoke aero wheels, bicolour
• AMG Nappa/DINAMICA Performance steering wheel
• AMG DRIVE UNIT
• AMG Track Pace
• AMG RIDE CONTROL Sport Suspension with 3-stage damping

AMG Night Package

$1,000

AMG Aerodynamics Package (must include the Night package)

$1,250

Unlike the sedan, the hatchback can be painted Sun Yellow. There are a few other stand-alone options such as designo Red Seat Belts ($250), AMG Performance Front Seats ($2,500), AMG Head-up Display ($1,500.)