2019 Mercedes-Benz A35 AMG 4Matic

AMG exhaust system with exhaust flap for sound modulation

The exhaust system features an automatically controlled exhaust flap as standard. Depending on the drive program selected the sound is modulated from balanced to powerful. A silent start is programmed as the basic setting: the A35 4MATIC always starts in quiet mode.

Agile gear ratios: AMG SPEEDSHIFT DCT 7G dual-clutch transmission

The AMG SPEEDSHIFT DCT 7G dual-clutch transmission also contributes to the agile and dynamic character of the new A35 4MATIC. The gear ratios have been configured so that the driver experiences very spontaneous acceleration in all speed ranges, combined with fast shifting and optimum connections when shifting up. The standard RACE-START function allows maximum acceleration from stationary and is a highly emotional experience. The functions of the AMG SPEEDSHIFT DCT 7G transmission are rounded off with a temporary M mode activated by operating the steering wheel shift paddles in any driving mode, and with the manual transmission mode “M” for manual gear shifting with the shift paddles.

AMG Performance 4MATIC variable all-wheel drive

Dynamism, agility and performance – these three attributes characterise the standard all-wheel drive of the new AMG A35 4MATIC. The variable AMG Performance 4MATIC combines the best possible traction with lots of driving fun. The torque distribution is infinitely variable to suit the dynamic handling requirements. The spectrum ranges from front-wheel drive only to a 50:50 percent distribution to the front and rear axles.

A multi-disc clutch that is integrated in the rear axle transmission is responsible for the variable torque distribution between the front and rear axles. It is controlled electro-mechanically. The influencing factors for torque distribution are not only the driving speed, the lateral and longitudinal acceleration and the steering angle, but also the difference in rotational speed between the individual wheels, the gear selected and the accelerator position.

The main advantages of electro-mechanical control over an electro-hydraulic system relate to sharper driving dynamics – primarily due to the significantly faster response and speed-independent actuation of the discs over the entire adjustment range. As long as ESP® is activated, the 4MATIC system stays in “Comfort” mode. As soon as the driver presses the “ESP® SPORT Handling” or “ESP® OFF” button, the 4MATIC system switches to “Sport” mode – for even more agile handling and even higher stability limits.

Perfectly coordinated longitudinal and lateral dynamics

Specific measures to strengthen the front section of the bodyshell form the basis for the precise turn-in ability and the toe and camber stability of the AMG chassis components, even when driving at speed. A so-called “shear panel”, a bolted lightweight aluminium plate under the engine, increases the torsional stiffness of the front section. Two additional diagonal braces at the front of the underbody also reduce torsion and increase the stiffness. As a result, the entire chassis system responds with maximum precision even at the limits of performance and gives the driver clearly defined feedback.

A McPherson suspension strut construction is fitted on the front axle. Suspension is taken care of by one wishbone below the wheel centre, one spring strut and one tie rod respectively. The special axle geometry reduces the influence of the drive on the steering – for high comfort and agile handling. The new wishbone in aluminium reduces the unsprung masses enabling a more sensitive response from the springs. The AMG-specific front steering knuckle has a radially bolted brake calliper – a technology originating from motorsport.

The 4-link rear axle is connected rigidly with the body via a subframe. An AMG wishbone, trailing arm, wheel carrier and bearing are used. This ensures maximum driving stability and agility.

Adaptive damping system with three modes

The optional AMG RIDE CONTROL adaptive damping system enables the driver to choose between three different suspension control modes. The spectrum ranges from comfort-focused to sporty. The system operates fully automatically, adapting the damping forces for each wheel according to the driving situation and road conditions. This happens within milliseconds and is infinitely variable, with a wide spread of damping characteristics. The result is that ride comfort and agility are enhanced in equal measure.

Robust high-performance brake system

The high-performance braking system ensures fade-resistant deceleration and short braking distances. Its dimensions correspond to the well-proven A45 4MATIC model. The front axle is fitted with new 4-piston monoblock fixed callipers and 350 millimetre brake discs, the rear axle with 1-piston sliding callipers and 330 millimetre brake discs. The discs are internally ventilated and perforated to better dissipate heat and prevent brake fading, even with extreme use. The silver-painted brake callipers have black AMG lettering.

Steering with special rack and variable ratio

The speed-sensitive, electro-mechanical sports power steering supports a sporty driving style with its direct turn-in ability. It has a special rack with variable transmission ratio and two characteristic curves: depending on which drive program the driver has selected, it provides taut and sporty or more comfortable steering feedback. The rigid mounting in the integral carrier connects the steering even better with the body and thus increases steering precision.

Vehicle characteristics with wide spread

The five AMG DYNAMIC SELECT drive programs “Slippery”, “Comfort”, “Sport”, “Sport +” and “Individual” enable a wide range of vehicle characteristics from comfortable to dynamic. They change relevant parameters, such as the response of the engine, transmission, sound and suspension (with optional AMG RIDE CONTROL damping system).

• The new “Slippery” drive program is optimised for low-grip road conditions, with reduced power and a flat torque curve. Smooth gear changes, earlier upshifts and the ECO start/stop system support the stability-focused driving impression.
• The “Comfort” program stands for comfortable and fuel-efficient driving, for example thanks to very early upshifts. Suspension and steering are set up with an emphasis on comfort, the ECO start/stop system is active.
• “Sport” and “Sport+” place the focus on agility and driving pleasure with sporty engine and transmission tuning. The sound of the turbocharged engine becomes more distinctive. The ECO start/stop system is inactive. “Sport+” is particularly emotional with double-declutching during downshifts and partial cylinder cut-off via a brief and precisely defined retardation of ignition and injection at full load.
• The “Individual” drive program enables the individual parameters to be selected and saved according to personal preferences. In addition, the gliding function is available in the “Reduced” and “Moderate” drive settings.

AMG DYNAMICS: more agility with high stability

As a new feature in the AMG DYNAMIC SELECT drive programs, the new A35 4MATIC comes with AMG DYNAMICS. This integrated dynamic handling control system extends the stabilising functions of ESP® with agilising interventions according to the driver’s wishes. During dynamic cornering, imperceptible braking intervention on the rear inside wheel creates a defined yawing moment about the vertical axis. The effect: the A35 4MATIC steers spontaneously and very precisely.

The different manifestations of AMG DYNAMICS are called “Basic” and “Advanced”. On the multimedia display, when a drive program is selected, the new AMG DYNAMICS symbol is displayed together with the corresponding additional information.

• “Basic” is assigned to the “Slippery” and “Comfort” drive programs. Here the A35 4MATIC demonstrates exceptionally stable handling characteristics with high yaw damping.
• “Advanced” is activated in the programs “Sport” and “Sport+”. The A35 4MATIC remains neutrally balanced. The lower yaw damping, lower steering angle requirement and enhanced agility support dynamic manoeuvres such as driving on winding country roads.

In the “Individual” drive program the driver can set the AMG DYNAMICS levels individually.

Unmistakable influences from motor racing

The powerful exterior design adds characteristic AMG elements to the design idiom of the A-Class. The distinguishing features at the front are the AMG-specific radiator grille with twin louvres and AMG lettering, the AMG Line front apron with flics on the outer air intakes, the front splitter and silver chrome trim on the louvres in the outer air intakes.

In the side view, the side sill panels of the AMG Line catch the eye along with the aerodynamically optimised 8 J x 18 light-alloy wheels in twin-spoke design. They are painted in black with a high-sheen finish. The rear view is dominated by the rear apron with a new diffuser insert and four vertical fins, the two round tailpipe trims and the spoiler lip on the roof.

Sporty interior with MBUX multimedia system

The interior of the A35 4MATIC follows the entry performance logic of Mercedes-AMG with seat covers in ARTICO man-made leather with DINAMICA microfibre in black, red contrasting stitching and red belts or ARTICO man-made leather in black/digital grey. Red piping on the microfibre DINAMICA trim element and ventilation nozzles with a red ring add further accents.

The combination of sporty design and sophisticated details is also featured in the MBUX multimedia system with its innovative operating and display concept. In the new A35 4MATIC too MBUX replaces the previous COMAND systems and creates an even closer connection between the vehicle, driver and passengers. Emotionally appealing presentations underline the clear control structure and feature brilliant maximum-resolution 3D graphics. Visually, the two displays under one shared glass cover blend into a Widescreen Cockpit and as a central element consequently emphasise the horizontal orientation of the interior design.

Fully digital instrument cluster with three AMG display styles

The customer can choose between three AMG display styles for the instrument cluster: “Classic”, “Sport” and “Supersport”. The different styles can be changed at any time using the Touch Control buttons on the steering wheel. The Supersport mode is particularly striking with a central, round rev counter and additional information presented in the form of bars to the left and right of the rev counter: with a three-dimensional perspective, they reach far into the background to an artificial horizon.

Via the AMG menu, the driver can call up additional sporty information such as the gear display (and yellow “M” symbol in manual mode), the warm-up menu (engine oil and transmission fluid temperature), set-up menu (AMG DYNAMIC SELECT settings), as well as a G-force meter and engine data.

Touchscreen multimedia display and new centre console

The touchscreen multimedia display also emphasises the dynamic character with individual AMG displays such as visualisation of the drive programs, vehicle and engine data, AMG TRACK PACE (optional) and telemetry data. It represents the interface to all further content and information, such as navigation, radio, media, telephone and vehicle data. The large full-screen map view ensures optimum legibility in all driving situations.

The AMG-specific centre console in piano lacquer finish with standard touchpad has additional buttons that control the functions ESP®, manual transmission mode and the AMG RIDE CONTROL adaptive damping system (optional). In conjunction with the optional leather package, it features a silver chrome surround.

And needless to say, the A35 4MATIC also comes with trailblazing voice control, activated with the words “Hey Mercedes”. Thanks to artificial intelligence, MBUX recognises and understands nearly all sentences from the fields of infotainment and vehicle operation, even if they are expressed indirectly.

New AMG steering wheel generation with innovative extra features

The new generation of AMG steering wheels provides the perfect link between the driver and the vehicle. The steering wheel rim with a flattened lower section, perforated leather in the grip area and red contrasting topstitching is both attractive and pleasant to the touch. The galvanised steering wheel gearshift paddles allow an even sportier driving style with manual gear shifting.

The integral touch control buttons can be used to intuitively select the displays of the instrument cluster and the multimedia system by means of horizontal and vertical swiping and to position them according to individual preferences. The active distance assistant DISTRONIC and the TEMPOMAT cruise control can be adjusted on the control panels on the left. The control panels on the right are used to activate the voice control and telephone, and to regulate the sound volume, music selection and other functions of the multimedia system.

The AMG Performance steering wheel is available as an option. It can be equipped with AMG-specific, innovative extra features if desired. These consist of a round controller with an integrated display beneath the right-hand steering-wheel spoke, plus two vertically positioned colour display buttons with switches beneath the left-hand steering-wheel spoke. This means that the driver can concentrate fully on dynamic driving without having to take their hands off the wheel.

The AMG drive programs can be actuated directly via the controller. The selected drive program is shown on the colour LCD display directly integrated in the controller.

With the two freely configurable display buttons and the additional switches, further AMG functions can be controlled within easy reach, directly on the steering wheel. Each function required is shown as an icon on the LCD display, and its switch is tapped by the driver to set the respective function. The driver’s two preferred AMG functions can be defined in this way and the settings changed with just one tap of the finger.

AMG TRACK PACE for use on the race track

AMG TRACK PACE is also available for the new A35 4MATIC. The virtual race engineer is an optional part of the MBUX multimedia system and permanently records more than 80 vehicle-specific data (e.g. speed, acceleration) while driving on a race track. On top of this, lap and sector times are displayed, as well as the respective difference to a reference time. Because specific display elements are shown in green or red, the driver is able to see at a glance without reading numbers whether they are currently faster or slower than the best time.

After putting in some fast laps, the driver can use the data to analyse and, if necessary, improve their driving skills. In addition, acceleration and deceleration values (e.g. 0-100 km/h, ¼ mile, 100-0 km/h) can be measured and saved. Thanks to a newly developed algorithm which determines the vehicle position as precisely as possible, AMG TRACK PACE even detects when the circuit has been left or it has been shortened. This is done using GPS data as well as the sensors available in the vehicle (acceleration, gyroscope, steering angle, wheel speeds).

The data are displayed on the multimedia display, in the instrument cluster and on the optional head-up display. Well-known race tracks like, for example, the Nürburgring or Spa Francorchamps, are already stored. Furthermore, it is also possible to record your own circuits.

The MBUX augmented reality function makes it possible to display the start/finish, track sections and a ghost car on the multimedia display or optional head-up display. For future use, there also are plans to display the ideal line of a stored race track, allowing the driver to improve lap times with a virtual instructor on board.

Wide choice of individualisation options to suit any requirement

An extensive portfolio of equipment packages and individual options are available for the new A35 4MATIC to enable customers to put their own personal stamp on the vehicle.

The optional AMG Aerodynamics Package developed in the wind tunnel not only reinforces the motorsport-inspired look, it also improves handling at high speeds. The front apron with larger front splitter and additional high-gloss flics in black as well as the fixed AMG rear aerofoil increase the downforce. The lateral spoilers around the visual air outlets of the rear apron and the diffuser blade also have a high-gloss black finish.

The AMG Night Package has striking design elements in black to underline the vehicle’s sporty character on the front splitter, for example, or on the side sill panels. It also includes tinted windows from the B-pillar and tailpipe trim in black chrome.

As standard, the A35 4MATIC comes with aerodynamically optimised 18-inch wheels with a 5-twin-spoke design. 19-inch wheels are available as an option in a range of different designs and colour variants.

The interior, too, can be adapted to the customer’s individual needs thanks to an extensive array of optional extras. AMG Performance seats offer increased lateral support and thus an even closer connection between the driver and the vehicle. Fulfilling the same purpose is the AMG Performance steering wheel, which can be ordered in a choice of nappa leather, nappa leather/DINAMICA microfibre or entirely in DINAMICA microfibre.

The Leather Package and the AMG Leather Package come in two-tone upholstery, for example in classic red / black, and the instrument panel in ARTICO man-made leather also underlines the high-quality positioning of the new entry-level AMG model.