Mercedes-AMG has revealed the new CLA35 four-door coupe ahead of the car’s formal debut at the 2019 New York International Auto Show next week—and there’s no question that it’s stunning. The powerful AMG-specific lines of this variant build on the new CLA-Class’s sloping greenhouse and sleek sheetmetal, giving it a sporty—but not overtly aggressive—appearance. (The choice of bright yellow paint seen in the first pictures is a bold choice for a Mercedes debut, but as with the original SLK-Class, it works well here.)
According to the carmaker, the CLA35 serves as the “latest point of entry” for the AMG brand. Emphasis on “latest,” since this model comes very shortly after Mercedes announced the A35 sedan as the entry-level AMG car. The two cars share plenty beyond their entry-level status; both pack the same turbocharged 2.0-liter inline four making 302 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque, the same seven-speed dual clutch transmission, and all-wheel-drive. The CLA, however, accelerates from 0 to 60 miles per hour a tenth of a second faster, at a claimed 4.6 seconds.
While the CLA-Class may seem redundant now that the elegant A-Class sedan is on sale in the US, buyers here seem to like the CLA’s coupe-like body style; after all, the CLA was the only non-SUV Mercedes whose sales improved year over year in the U.S. in 2018. And as AMG has made a point of expanding its lineup of performance-tuned Mercedes models in recent years both up- and down-market, adding a more exclusive AMG-tuned CLA-Class that sits below the more-powerful (and outgoing) CLA45 makes all the sales sense in the world.
The Mercedes-AMG CLA35 will hit dealers later this year.
Gear PatrolThe best way to catch up on the day’s most important product releases and stories. Read the Story