Hey guys and welcome to my channel!
My name is Nick O'Leary and today we're having a look at the Mercedes-AMG A 35 vs the 45 S!
So the Mercedes-AMG A 35 and A 45 S
both stand on the high performance side of the very popular A-Class hatchback.
Both are identical in terms of size and dimensions,
both have the same awesome modern looks and both have almost the same identical interior.
But in 2022 with the A 35 starting OTR from
£40,900 and the A 45 S starting at £57,885 at almost £17k more....
Is it worth the price difference?
Now yes that is exactly what we're going to cover today however just before we dive into
that I will just add a quick note, that these two cars that you see here today were made
at different times so one is slightly older than the other.
Which does mean a big thing because specification does vary over time
and from country to country. Do double check with your local Mercedes-Benz if
you do order one of these as it may look slightly different to what you see here.
So for example if you order an A 45 S, those do come with the AMG-Aerodynamics
package now as standard along with many other things. So do double check if you
do order one but speaking of the extra design let's dive straight into that!
So as these are both A-Class's they are of course going to be the same size....well almost anyway!
The A 45 S is just slightly longer and higher than the A 35 probably because of the spoiler.
Now the A 35 is the entry level model into the Mercedes-AMG world
so for starts compared to a normal a-class.
Normal A-Class's usually feature a diamond grille just like this.
However when moving to the A 35 they feature these kind of
long horizontal lines going across the entire bumper and one of my favourites
you can always spot from a distance is of course the AMG logo just here.
Now what happens when you go to an A 45 S?
Well that is where the big changes happen!
Yes now if you move across to the A 45 S that's when you really start to notice things.
This is called the AMG Specific grille and yeah it's definitely a head turner!
I'm pretty sure this was first seen on one of the facelifted Mercedes-AMG
GT's or a C 63 years ago but yes it's now only found on the highest performing AMG's.
Used to be called the Panamericana Grille some of you may remember that name but
now it's just called the AMG-Specific grille so yeah definitely a head turner!
And still got that AMG logo on the bottom right so you can spot it from a distance.
Moving to the exterior even further if you look really closely at the bonnet
this is completely flat with kind of two character lines just on the top here
but then look at the A 45 S and those feature things called power domes and those are kind
of large bulges only found on that car there the A 45 S just giving that more angular look.
Now regular viewers to my channel will know that I don't always go into
specification in that much detail just because it varies from
well in this case in point model to model and year to year and country to country.
But I do want to bring it up on these two.
Mainly because ordering a brand new A 45 S does come with everything as standard in the UK but
ordering an A 35 you do have options for things called 'Executive', 'Premium' & 'Premium Plus'.
I won't go into detail about what's in those packages but just keep an eye out for things like
Sunroof's, Electric seats, to ambient lighting,
larger screens, upgraded sound systems that sort of thing.
But the reason why I bring it up because in one of those packages
is the AMG-Aerodynamics package which you find as standard in this car so you could make the A 35
look like the A 45 S excluding the grille and some other things which we'll cover in a minute.
So if you do match that specification with
the 'Premium Plus' the price difference then is only £12k.
So where is that £12k spent and what do you get for that?
Oh of course guys before I jump into that let's just very quickly cover the
interior before we get on to the good stuff and yes I will do a sound test on the engine
and exhaust sounds of both of these we'll put them back to back and see which one sounds better.
I think you know which one will win!
So let's cover off the interior first.
So I'm currently here in the A 45 S and we'll start on the seats
so these do have these race bucket styled seats as standard.
Now yes they are firmer than the A 35's so of course do try out both
if you're considering one of these cars.
It's not uncomfortable it's just something that I've picked up on so
obviously do factor that in if you're considering just have a sit in both.
But having said that they look stunning and I
certainly wouldn't turn it down for my daily driver!
Also it's got these yellow kind of piping and yellow stitching
on the seats which just adds to that sporty look.
Moving across to what you see on the front here everything here
is identical so you get the same MBUX widescreen multimedia system,
even the jet turbine air vents as well with the ambient lighting inside (if you've opted for it).
But one thing is different is of course the yellow stitching on the steering wheel
which is quite nice you don't get that in the 35 and also these buttons here.
Now these are usually only found on the high performing AMG's.
And basically these buttons allow you to change the Dynamic Select here from your
'Slippery', 'Sport', 'Comfort' 'Race' modes that sort of thing.
Yes you can do over here on the top left hand side but you also do have
another one on the left hand side which allows you to change the exhaust make it a little bit louder,
adjust the suspension, start stop or kind of any of those things.
Yes you can do that down here in both cars but the 45 S
has a couple of tricks up its sleeve with those extra buttons on the steering wheel.
So then guys let's get on to the good stuff so if you're a true
Mercedes-AMG fan we know it's all about those numbers so let's start off with this one.
Both cars have a 2.0 L engine but actually that's
kind of where those similarities end this is where we start to see that £12k difference!
So on an A 35 you get 306 hp and a 0 - 60 time of 4.7 seconds!
That's pretty quick! That's definitely hot hatch territory!
However when it comes to that one over there the A 45
S....well this is where it's got a few tricks up its sleeve even further.
So this is also a 2.0 L engine but this engine right here is the world's fastest
2.0 L engine producing 421 hp and a staggering 0 - 60 time of 3.9 seconds.
That is definitely something to brag about with your mates if you own one of these for sure!
These also do feature the 'One Man,
One Engine' plaque as well so again I'm horrible with pronunciation so
hopefully I pronounce this right...but handcrafted by David Huffman....I think?
David Hoffman?
Hopefully I've pronounce that right! I don't want you to message me in the comments and
tell me off for pronouncing your name wrong!
But having said that 'One Man, One Engine', absolutely incredible!
421 hp from a 2.0 L engine....Insane!
So 2.0 L engines in both cars but with that incredible power what do they sound like?
Well there's only one way to find out!
So yes the Mercedes-AMG A 45 S does feature
an AMG High Performance exhaust just giving it that slight edge over the A 35.
So basically it has a couple of valves in the back which can open and close, make it a little bit
louder and of course it has that awesome exhaust button on the inside that everyone always loves.
Now yes the A 35 you can make it a little bit louder by putting it in Sport+,
that's what I did in this one.
So what about other things?
Well let's move on to the chassis brakes and suspension!
So starting off with the chassis to cope with this insane amount of power, the chassis does
have to be strengthened in quite a few places and that's what the Mercedes-AMG engineers have done,
they've put strengthening bars and struts even one here you can see just this black AMG bar
going across there just to keep the chassis and minimise any body roll or lean in the corners.
I know most people who buy high performance cars especially in
the UK do just use them as a daily driver on the road (which I'm super jealous of).
But this can be a dedicated track car there's a drift mode on this you can drift this hatchback.
Yes it's four wheel drive but you can actually put the power to the back
with a separate clutch in the back to kind of drift and go sideways.
Again everything on this car is just insane but yes those chassis bars, strengthening struts
things like that basically help minimise any lean in the corners making sure all four wheels are in
contact with the ground at all times and of course with all that part requires more powerful brakes.
Now the A 45 S also features AMG High Performance Brakes, now these are usually what you find in
motorsport mainly because on traditional brakes when you go to use them and I'm talking like under
high load where they get very very hot like on a track or literally in motor sport, they can fade.
So basically when you're approaching a corner or several corners in and you're
really really accelerating hard then braking they're going to get very hot very quickly
and then they won't work as well right when you need it the most!
So these feature fade resistant materials so basically you've got maximum braking all the
time. Now again I know most people who who purchase AMG's do use them on the road but
hey if you ever took it on a track you've got that extra braking right when you need it the most.
Now when it comes to the suspension setups if you opted for the Premium
Plus model in the UK this is (and of course correct at the time of recording)
you can get the adjustable suspension on the A 35 so it's almost the same as the A 45 S.
However because of that stiffer chassis that I just mentioned the A 45 S will of course
feel a little bit more firmer on the road so if you are after comfort....something to consider!
Because this will of course feel a little bit softer on the road,
still got a firmer feel because obviously
the faster a car goes the more power it needs to put down, the stiffer the suspension.
But of course if you are considering it's definitely something to factor
in and try out both if you are kind of striving for that comfort on the road.
Having said that I still like the A 45 S.
So then guys when it comes to price as I mentioned earlier, if you specc'd up an A 35
and gave it Premium Plus it would have almost the same gadgets as the A 45 S
and then you've got that £12k price difference.
But the question is is it worth it?
Well for me personally I would...Well I would love both of these cars to be honest! But
I would probably sway more towards an A 35 just because that ticks
all the boxes for me and certainly would put a smile on my face every day.
However if I was at the traffic lights and then an A 45 S pulled up would I regret buying an A 35?
Well that's the question you know, both are incredible bits of kit I guess this one is mainly
aimed at the kind of Mercedes-AMG performance enthusiasts you know if you want everything that
Mercedes-AMG can offer...that one's a no-brainer! And of course you've got those amazing stats
performance and just everything that goes in that unique package it's yeah....it's a head-turner!
And I do love that grille! Shame you can't have that grille on that one!
But guys what would you pick let me know in the comments section down below!
We're in 2022 now!
So you know New Year...new car? What would you pick? If you had to choose out of these two.
I think I'd sway more towards the A 35 many because of price but having said that,
that is on this year's Christmas list for sure so yeah let me know what you guys would choose!
Pop it in the comments section down below I'm eager to hear what everyone thinks
because for me personally I sway towards that one but I want to hear what you guys think.
And there we have it guys that concludes this week's video
on the comparisons between the Mercedes-AMG A 35 and the 45 S.
Amazing bits of kit so thank you so much for watching!
Do hit that like button hit that Subscribe button down below and as always huge
shout out to Sandown Mercedes-Benz for allowing access to all the cars you see
in the videos as it would be very tricky to do it without them!
This is the first video of 2022 we'll see you all next week!