Mercedes' CLA35 Is the Cheapest AMG Car On Sale - Does it Feel Like One - TheSmokingTire
**Mercedes CLA 35 AMG Review: A Deep Dive into Performance, Design, and Market Positioning**
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### Introduction to the Mercedes CLA 35 AMG
Good morning, everyone! Welcome to a beautiful day on the mountain. Today, we're exploring the Mercedes CLA 35 AMG, a car that has been on my wish list for quite some time. Priced at $54,900 as a base model, it's the cheapest new car you can get with an AMG badge, undercutting its siblings, the GLA and GLB, by about $2,000. While the GLA and GLB are slightly more expensive and less sporty, the CLA 35 AMG stands out as the sportiest entry-level option in Mercedes-Benz's lineup.
This particular test vehicle is optioned out at $62,000, which might seem like a lot, but we'll delve into whether this price point justifies its performance and features. In this video, we'll explore three key aspects: whether the cheapest AMG still feels premium and sporty, if it's fun despite being front-wheel drive-based with a 4-cylinder engine and mild hybrid system, and how it compares in a competitive market segment.
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### Technical Specifications and Features
The CLA 35 AMG is powered by a 2-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine producing 302 horsepower at 5800 RPM and 29.9 lb-ft of torque at 3000 RPM. It features an 8-speed automatic gearbox, delivering impressive acceleration with a 0-60 mph time of just 4.4 seconds and a top speed of 132 mph. Weighing in at 373 pounds, this car might seem "Porky" compared to its competitors, but it's surprisingly agile.
The MBUX infotainment system is intuitive, with a touchscreen and gauge cluster that resemble other Mercedes models. The design is sleek, though the CLA 35 AMG does look like a step below the more powerful CLA 45 AMG in terms of styling and performance features.
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### Driving Dynamics and Performance
The car offers three drive modes: Comfort, Sport, and Sport Plus. Adaptive suspension is available as an option, but our test vehicle doesn't have it, even at $62k. The steering wheel, while shared with more expensive models like the SL and G-Class, feels overly buttoned up, which can be a bit overwhelming.
In Sport Plus mode, the CLA 35 AMG comes alive, delivering quick shifts and sharp handling. The mild hybrid system doesn't aid propulsion but enhances the start-stop functionality. The ride quality is firm yet comfortable, with Bridgestone Potenza tires providing excellent grip. However, the suspension feels a bit bumpy on the highway.
The Burmeister stereo delivers great sound, and while the optional red leather interior looks fancy, it lacks the luxurious comfort of higher-end Mercedes seats.
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### Fuel Economy and Efficiency
Fuel efficiency has been surprisingly good during our test period, with an average of 30 mpg in normal driving. Even during aggressive canyon driving, we achieved 17 mpg, which is commendable for such a performance-oriented vehicle.
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### Sponsorship Segment: Moog Globes
Before diving deeper into the car's performance, let's pause to thank our sponsor, Moog Globes. These mesmerizing globes spin and swirl using only light power, without any cords or batteries. Available in various designs, from realistic Earth models to vibrant art pieces, Moog Globes make unique gifts. Use code "smokingtire" at checkout for a 10% discount.
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### Launch and Handling
In Sport Plus mode, the CLA 35 AMG feels quick and responsive. The paddle shifters were initially tested but found lacking in response, prompting a switch to automatic mode. The car's downshifting strategy was noted as conservative, often staying in higher gears than expected.
Manual mode offers more control, especially when avoiding redline during acceleration. Between 3000-5800 RPM lies the sweet spot for power and torque, where the engine shines brightest.
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### Market Comparison
The CLA 35 AMG holds its own in a competitive segment but faces tough competition. The Honda Integra Type S offers better value and more fun in a manual setup without all-wheel drive. The Audi S3 is lighter, more engaging, and priced slightly lower, while the BMW M240i delivers impressive speed at a similar price point.
For those seeking a balance of practicality and performance, the CLA 35 AMG serves as an excellent entry into the AMG lineup, offering a refined yet sporty driving experience.
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### Conclusion
Despite its mild hybrid system and added weight, the Mercedes CLA 35 AMG feels like a true AMG in the right conditions. It excels on winding roads and provides a composed yet engaging drive. While it may not be as thrilling in urban environments, it delivers on the promise of sporty driving dynamics when the road calls for it.
Thank you to Mercedes-Benz for providing this vehicle for our test drive. Special thanks to Moog Globes for their sponsorship. We'll see you next time!
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This article captures the essence of the video review, maintaining the same structure and depth while ensuring readability and engagement.
"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: engood morning everybody and welcome to a beautiful day on the mountain this is the Mercedes cla35 AMG and I have wanted to drive it for quite some time because it is the cheapest new car you can get with an AMG badge uh cheapest by about 2 Grand this is $54,900 base GLA and glb are both a little couple thousand more than that but uh are I would say less sporty this is the sportiest entry level thing they've got and this particular car optioned out is $62,000 which if you ask me sounds like kind of a lot and we'll get to that in a bit but in this video uh we will explore a couple of things one is the cheapest AMG still feel like a premium sporty product worthy of the badge uh number two is even though it's a front-wheel drive based all-wheel Drive architecture uh with a 4-cylinder engine and a mild hybrid 48volt system is it still fun and uh number three how does it compare in the marketplace because actually this price point is a pretty competitive segment so uh the boilerplate items you've got a 2 L 4cylinder turbo uh front-wheel drive based for Matic all-wheel drive it's 302 horsepower at 5800 RPM and it's uh 29 95 pbet of torque at 3,000 RPM uh the mild hybrid doesn't really provide any propulsion it really just uh runs some of the accessories and makes for a more effective start stop system when you turn the car on it doesn't go it just goes from off to on um 8-speed automatic gearbox 0 to 60 and 4.4 seconds and the quar mile and 13 flat that's it's actually pretty quick that's not bad for this car at all um but 373 pounds curb weight that is a Porky little 4cylinder car um the mbux looks like pretty much all the other Mercedes now you've got the touchcreen you've got the uh the gauge cluster is one big wide double screen that's sort of the thing that they're doing right now um it is quite different from the CLA 45 AMG the 45 has quite a bit more power the Bodywork looks a little different the wheels and tires are different this does look like a a half step but let's drive it and find out you've got your your drive modes here you've got Comfort Sport and Sport Plus uh adaptive suspension is available as an option on this car but even at 62 Grand this car doesn't have it uh then you've got your uh your manual and automatic button your traction button we're going to go Sport Plus we're going to do a little launch ski here and uh in in our in our menus we'll pull up the performance menu with metrics that show Power and torque I do love this IWC mode that's Mercedes collab with IWC watches and the stopwatch is an IWC uh big pilot uh calendar chronograph which is pretty cool and you can use that as a stopwatch but I'll I'll pull up my power and torque screen and we're into uh we're going to launch an automatic and then we'll go into manual so here we go folks today's video is brought to you by moag Globe these things are the coolest we've got them here at the studio and they just Mesmerize people moag Globes are some of my favorite gifts for friends and family if someone moves into a new home if they get a new gig man they are so cool these Globes are not connected to any power source and they spin and swirl on the their own from light and not even natural light they the lights in your office the lights in your house that makes them work there's no cables there's no batteries they are powered by light MOA Globes come in different sizes and there's art Globes there's realistic Globes like the Earth or planets there's satellite view Globes there's sports team Globes there's a globe for every taste at their website so head over there go shopping get one for yourself get one for your dad get one for your mom get one for a friend and use code smoking tire at checkout hit the link in the video description type in code smoking tire at checkout 10% off at moag globe and thank you to moag Globe for sponsoring today's video good kick there it seems to have this subwoofer boom when it upshifts but only in automatic mode if I shift and oh no that's actually not true it wasn't doing it before Oh that's cuz I was in sport sport and not Sport Plus in Sport Plus you get the so it actually does feel pretty quick on its feet and it also feels pretty agile we've got a Bridgestone Penza tires here and the suspension is definitely tuned sporty firm but not abusive but it's a little bumpy on the highway sounds pretty aggressive most of this road is going to be in third and fourth gear brake pedal feels nice firm hit the red line there the steering is very light it's got basically the same steering wheel you get in much more expensive Mercedes like the SL and the G wagon it's covered in buttons though I don't love the covered in buttons wheel per especially not when they're haptic my wife who tried this car also didn't really love that I like that it's small on the outside but has lots of space in the front seats back seats not so much if you if you're carrying passengers around a lot you may want to go to something like a C-Class with more back seat or even the the GLA which does have a bit more room back there low head Brom is not really it feels very composed poised the Turnin is really sharp too I don't love the downshifts you seem to need quite a big buffer at the top of the Rev range in order to actually get the gear more revs than would actually be mathematically required in this case little water splash here the name of the game with this car is actually composure whereas the 45 range it feels sort of like Manic and aggro this one feels actually a little more balanced and I like an AMG to be Manic and aggro but the performance and the grip and the handling all kind of in a nice balance here it's genuinely not bad we'll flip around very good turning radius for a front-wheel drive based all-wheel drive system I'm definitely impressed at the turning radius just cuz that car just went by we're just going to go into we'll just go into Comfort mode for a little bit and with Comfort mode it upshifts early it doesn't sound like much and actually it's interesting it feels like looser you know it doesn't feel everything is very soft everything is sort of doing its own thing and the whole car just has a sort of looser feeling about it if you if all you ever did was drive around in Comfort mode and you didn't really turn turn everything up to Sport Plus and Huck it through a canyon which which let's be honest a lot of AMG owners that buy this for the image are going to do that it really feels unsp special it's just it's just kind of kind of nothing um you you really have to uh turn up the wick back to Sport Plus back to manual in fact we'll go automatic here because because I don't love the response of the paddle shifters we will see how the gearbox does on its own oh and we've caught a Jeep which is not a surprise so far and I don't just mean right this second I mean in the last day or two the car when left to its own shifting choices stays a gear higher than I would go in almost all situations now maybe that maybe it knows something I don't know but it always seems a little further down the Rev range than it should be for the type of driving I want to do we will uh we'll wait here and make ourselves a little Gap in the meantime things I really like um the Burmeister stereo pretty good pretty good uh the red leather it's optional it's nice I will say this seats are not quite as comfortable as they look they look sort of fancy and and and like they've got a lot of bolstering here but they don't actually feel luxurious uh when you sit in them this one the driver's seat does have an adjustable bolster but they don't they don't envelop you in the way that that Mercedes seats normally do uh I like that there's some manual buttons for the climate I like that there's these quick select knobs for the drive modes and I don't have to do absolutely every little thing through the touchscreen um but I do have to do a lot through the touchcreen I like to there's a scrolly knob here for the volume and I don't have to use the haptic there uh so far I've gotten pretty good uh fuel economy considering let's see performance so far uh well I've gotten 17 m per gallon today which considering what I've been doing with the car today is pretty good actually um I've averaged somewhere in the middle 30 uh 30 range for uh for the rest of the week and that's that's pretty all right we'll do one more launch because we're here this time we'll try it in manual mode here we go so you really want to tug that paddle when you cross about 55 5600 to avoid hitting Red Line the thing about that is the gauge looks like it goes to seven and the definition the literal definition of the red line on the gauge isn't exact so because it's a digital screen you do want to upshift a little earlier otherwise you're going to hit the red line now I don't know what this thing is like when you're trying to make it move when you're trying to actually go beyond the limit of traction and I haven't touched the traction control yet we're in we're in sport mode right now but as long as you're keeping it within the limits of grip it's not bad it is fun it's responsive if you go up a canyon Road like this you can to have a good time for the most part it does what is asked of it as long as you don't try to upshift Too Close to the red line or downshift too high in the Rev range you want to keep it right in that meat between Peak torque and Peak power so between three and 5800 so it's not a GT3 but that's where it makes its power that's where it's happy there is that there's a bit of resonance and the floor of the trunk the the trunk floor is doesn't have a very much grip so things you put back there slide around so I've had to strap my camera case to the back seat so you're hearing it right now but you hear it more if it went thunk thunk thunk thunk thunk thunk thunk every corner so now I'm just on the red line in second this sort of this gearbox response was a defining characteristic of the old sspeed in the first gen CLA and it's nice to see it's carried over all right we're going to find a spot here oo it's more fun uphill when you're leaning on the power than it is going downhill when you're leaning on the brakes that's an interesting thing the brakes are fine but it's it's definitely more fun to stay leaned onto the engine okay so is it a real AMG for mid to high $50,000 range I think yes I think it has all of the characteristics that you would want from an AMG uh just in in smaller quantities so yes I do think it is um despite the weight and the mild hybrid is it fun yes it is fun in the right Circumstance the V8 cars they're more fun in the city you know I mean they're fun in the on the hill as well but you know this is not fun when you're putting around light to light in urban driving then it doesn't feel like an AMG when you come up on the mountain and you start to throw it around a little bit then it does come a bit alive and it's a pretty good time now in the marketplace the problem is very competitive you've got at the lower end cars like the Integra Type S which is only a manual gearbox doesn't have all-wheel drive but I would argue is better value for money than this car is more fun um and and and that's what I would probably buy then you've got the Audi S3 that's a little cheaper than this uh same kind of power uh numbers and similar performance numbers but it's lighter it doesn't have that mild hybrid system it weighs a little over 200 lb lighter um less and so those are really nice too and they have a little more space inside and I also personally prefer how they look a little more so I might consider the Audi S3 then you've got if you don't need four doors you've got the BMW m240i which is about the same price as this going out the door it's all-wheel drive also and it is way faster I mean that's a really really fast car um I don't love how that looks and uh the back seat is you know not much less usable than here but if you want speed for money that's probably the fastest car in this price point so that's where you're at this sort of bounces around in the middle uh if I wanted a sedan I'd probably buy the S3 if I wanted uh the fastest car I could get I'd probably want the 240 uh or or if I didn't need a back seat at all a Supra um and and if I wanted the best most usable fun driving sedan for this money the Integra is more fun I think a little faster it's more engaging and responsive and it has a bigger back seat you can actually fit four people comfortably in that car so um but nevertheless for the uh the $5 Rock first ones free hit entry Point into AMG ownership yeah it does feel like an AMG when you're in the right circumstance so uh shout out to Mercedes for letting me have a go in this for a week I finally got a chance and and it's an interesting Drive uh thank you to you guys for watching and I will see you latergood morning everybody and welcome to a beautiful day on the mountain this is the Mercedes cla35 AMG and I have wanted to drive it for quite some time because it is the cheapest new car you can get with an AMG badge uh cheapest by about 2 Grand this is $54,900 base GLA and glb are both a little couple thousand more than that but uh are I would say less sporty this is the sportiest entry level thing they've got and this particular car optioned out is $62,000 which if you ask me sounds like kind of a lot and we'll get to that in a bit but in this video uh we will explore a couple of things one is the cheapest AMG still feel like a premium sporty product worthy of the badge uh number two is even though it's a front-wheel drive based all-wheel Drive architecture uh with a 4-cylinder engine and a mild hybrid 48volt system is it still fun and uh number three how does it compare in the marketplace because actually this price point is a pretty competitive segment so uh the boilerplate items you've got a 2 L 4cylinder turbo uh front-wheel drive based for Matic all-wheel drive it's 302 horsepower at 5800 RPM and it's uh 29 95 pbet of torque at 3,000 RPM uh the mild hybrid doesn't really provide any propulsion it really just uh runs some of the accessories and makes for a more effective start stop system when you turn the car on it doesn't go it just goes from off to on um 8-speed automatic gearbox 0 to 60 and 4.4 seconds and the quar mile and 13 flat that's it's actually pretty quick that's not bad for this car at all um but 373 pounds curb weight that is a Porky little 4cylinder car um the mbux looks like pretty much all the other Mercedes now you've got the touchcreen you've got the uh the gauge cluster is one big wide double screen that's sort of the thing that they're doing right now um it is quite different from the CLA 45 AMG the 45 has quite a bit more power the Bodywork looks a little different the wheels and tires are different this does look like a a half step but let's drive it and find out you've got your your drive modes here you've got Comfort Sport and Sport Plus uh adaptive suspension is available as an option on this car but even at 62 Grand this car doesn't have it uh then you've got your uh your manual and automatic button your traction button we're going to go Sport Plus we're going to do a little launch ski here and uh in in our in our menus we'll pull up the performance menu with metrics that show Power and torque I do love this IWC mode that's Mercedes collab with IWC watches and the stopwatch is an IWC uh big pilot uh calendar chronograph which is pretty cool and you can use that as a stopwatch but I'll I'll pull up my power and torque screen and we're into uh we're going to launch an automatic and then we'll go into manual so here we go folks today's video is brought to you by moag Globe these things are the coolest we've got them here at the studio and they just Mesmerize people moag Globes are some of my favorite gifts for friends and family if someone moves into a new home if they get a new gig man they are so cool these Globes are not connected to any power source and they spin and swirl on the their own from light and not even natural light they the lights in your office the lights in your house that makes them work there's no cables there's no batteries they are powered by light MOA Globes come in different sizes and there's art Globes there's realistic Globes like the Earth or planets there's satellite view Globes there's sports team Globes there's a globe for every taste at their website so head over there go shopping get one for yourself get one for your dad get one for your mom get one for a friend and use code smoking tire at checkout hit the link in the video description type in code smoking tire at checkout 10% off at moag globe and thank you to moag Globe for sponsoring today's video good kick there it seems to have this subwoofer boom when it upshifts but only in automatic mode if I shift and oh no that's actually not true it wasn't doing it before Oh that's cuz I was in sport sport and not Sport Plus in Sport Plus you get the so it actually does feel pretty quick on its feet and it also feels pretty agile we've got a Bridgestone Penza tires here and the suspension is definitely tuned sporty firm but not abusive but it's a little bumpy on the highway sounds pretty aggressive most of this road is going to be in third and fourth gear brake pedal feels nice firm hit the red line there the steering is very light it's got basically the same steering wheel you get in much more expensive Mercedes like the SL and the G wagon it's covered in buttons though I don't love the covered in buttons wheel per especially not when they're haptic my wife who tried this car also didn't really love that I like that it's small on the outside but has lots of space in the front seats back seats not so much if you if you're carrying passengers around a lot you may want to go to something like a C-Class with more back seat or even the the GLA which does have a bit more room back there low head Brom is not really it feels very composed poised the Turnin is really sharp too I don't love the downshifts you seem to need quite a big buffer at the top of the Rev range in order to actually get the gear more revs than would actually be mathematically required in this case little water splash here the name of the game with this car is actually composure whereas the 45 range it feels sort of like Manic and aggro this one feels actually a little more balanced and I like an AMG to be Manic and aggro but the performance and the grip and the handling all kind of in a nice balance here it's genuinely not bad we'll flip around very good turning radius for a front-wheel drive based all-wheel drive system I'm definitely impressed at the turning radius just cuz that car just went by we're just going to go into we'll just go into Comfort mode for a little bit and with Comfort mode it upshifts early it doesn't sound like much and actually it's interesting it feels like looser you know it doesn't feel everything is very soft everything is sort of doing its own thing and the whole car just has a sort of looser feeling about it if you if all you ever did was drive around in Comfort mode and you didn't really turn turn everything up to Sport Plus and Huck it through a canyon which which let's be honest a lot of AMG owners that buy this for the image are going to do that it really feels unsp special it's just it's just kind of kind of nothing um you you really have to uh turn up the wick back to Sport Plus back to manual in fact we'll go automatic here because because I don't love the response of the paddle shifters we will see how the gearbox does on its own oh and we've caught a Jeep which is not a surprise so far and I don't just mean right this second I mean in the last day or two the car when left to its own shifting choices stays a gear higher than I would go in almost all situations now maybe that maybe it knows something I don't know but it always seems a little further down the Rev range than it should be for the type of driving I want to do we will uh we'll wait here and make ourselves a little Gap in the meantime things I really like um the Burmeister stereo pretty good pretty good uh the red leather it's optional it's nice I will say this seats are not quite as comfortable as they look they look sort of fancy and and and like they've got a lot of bolstering here but they don't actually feel luxurious uh when you sit in them this one the driver's seat does have an adjustable bolster but they don't they don't envelop you in the way that that Mercedes seats normally do uh I like that there's some manual buttons for the climate I like that there's these quick select knobs for the drive modes and I don't have to do absolutely every little thing through the touchscreen um but I do have to do a lot through the touchcreen I like to there's a scrolly knob here for the volume and I don't have to use the haptic there uh so far I've gotten pretty good uh fuel economy considering let's see performance so far uh well I've gotten 17 m per gallon today which considering what I've been doing with the car today is pretty good actually um I've averaged somewhere in the middle 30 uh 30 range for uh for the rest of the week and that's that's pretty all right we'll do one more launch because we're here this time we'll try it in manual mode here we go so you really want to tug that paddle when you cross about 55 5600 to avoid hitting Red Line the thing about that is the gauge looks like it goes to seven and the definition the literal definition of the red line on the gauge isn't exact so because it's a digital screen you do want to upshift a little earlier otherwise you're going to hit the red line now I don't know what this thing is like when you're trying to make it move when you're trying to actually go beyond the limit of traction and I haven't touched the traction control yet we're in we're in sport mode right now but as long as you're keeping it within the limits of grip it's not bad it is fun it's responsive if you go up a canyon Road like this you can to have a good time for the most part it does what is asked of it as long as you don't try to upshift Too Close to the red line or downshift too high in the Rev range you want to keep it right in that meat between Peak torque and Peak power so between three and 5800 so it's not a GT3 but that's where it makes its power that's where it's happy there is that there's a bit of resonance and the floor of the trunk the the trunk floor is doesn't have a very much grip so things you put back there slide around so I've had to strap my camera case to the back seat so you're hearing it right now but you hear it more if it went thunk thunk thunk thunk thunk thunk thunk every corner so now I'm just on the red line in second this sort of this gearbox response was a defining characteristic of the old sspeed in the first gen CLA and it's nice to see it's carried over all right we're going to find a spot here oo it's more fun uphill when you're leaning on the power than it is going downhill when you're leaning on the brakes that's an interesting thing the brakes are fine but it's it's definitely more fun to stay leaned onto the engine okay so is it a real AMG for mid to high $50,000 range I think yes I think it has all of the characteristics that you would want from an AMG uh just in in smaller quantities so yes I do think it is um despite the weight and the mild hybrid is it fun yes it is fun in the right Circumstance the V8 cars they're more fun in the city you know I mean they're fun in the on the hill as well but you know this is not fun when you're putting around light to light in urban driving then it doesn't feel like an AMG when you come up on the mountain and you start to throw it around a little bit then it does come a bit alive and it's a pretty good time now in the marketplace the problem is very competitive you've got at the lower end cars like the Integra Type S which is only a manual gearbox doesn't have all-wheel drive but I would argue is better value for money than this car is more fun um and and and that's what I would probably buy then you've got the Audi S3 that's a little cheaper than this uh same kind of power uh numbers and similar performance numbers but it's lighter it doesn't have that mild hybrid system it weighs a little over 200 lb lighter um less and so those are really nice too and they have a little more space inside and I also personally prefer how they look a little more so I might consider the Audi S3 then you've got if you don't need four doors you've got the BMW m240i which is about the same price as this going out the door it's all-wheel drive also and it is way faster I mean that's a really really fast car um I don't love how that looks and uh the back seat is you know not much less usable than here but if you want speed for money that's probably the fastest car in this price point so that's where you're at this sort of bounces around in the middle uh if I wanted a sedan I'd probably buy the S3 if I wanted uh the fastest car I could get I'd probably want the 240 uh or or if I didn't need a back seat at all a Supra um and and if I wanted the best most usable fun driving sedan for this money the Integra is more fun I think a little faster it's more engaging and responsive and it has a bigger back seat you can actually fit four people comfortably in that car so um but nevertheless for the uh the $5 Rock first ones free hit entry Point into AMG ownership yeah it does feel like an AMG when you're in the right circumstance so uh shout out to Mercedes for letting me have a go in this for a week I finally got a chance and and it's an interesting Drive uh thank you to you guys for watching and I will see you later\n"