Mercedes-AMG CLA 35 review

On Oxfordshire’s sleepy country roads, the CLA 35 makes for an interesting companion. With its AMG Dynamic Select programme configured to its angriest setting, throttle response is very keen indeed and the M260 engine has a fairly healthy appetite for revs. 

This is a quick car by regular standards, and despite the fairly obvious amounts of synthetic aural trickery, it’s one that sounds good, too. Lift off the throttle and it pops and bangs on the overrun like a superheated witches’ cauldron. But in a similar fashion to its bigger, badder 416bhp Mercedes-AMG A 45 S relative, it doesn’t quite feel as quick when locked in gear as its numbers suggest it should. Which is a bit odd.

That seven-speed gearbox is a bit of a sore point, too. It’s far quicker to react to sudden throttle inputs than the often lethargic, post-WLTP dual-clutch ’boxes fitted to the likes of hot Volkswagens and Audis, but this is about the only instance where the Mercedes comes up trumps. It’s a bit over-eager to engage when pulling away from standstill and, left to its own devices, it can fumble full-throttle upshifts as you approach the redline. Then, in manual mode, it’s easier to bump into the limiter than you might expect - although if you keep the engine spinning around 3000-4000rpm, a tug on one of its rather plastic-feeling paddles will cause it to perform its duties in a much slicker fashion. 

With those adaptive dampers set to Comfort, there is an appealing degree of pliancy when travelling at pace, and some of the passively damped A35’s low-speed skittishness has been addressed. On the motorway, it makes for a reasonably comfortable companion, despite the prevailing road noise. Nevertheless, the CLA continues to deal with lumps and bumps with a degree more aggression than than you’d get in, say, a Volkswagen Golf R. 

All of which is a pain in town, but give it a sniff of B-road and it’s the Mercedes that feels like the more agile, engaging steer of the two. With the dampers in their mid-way Sport setting, the CLA 35 offers a well-judged blend of pliancy and body control, while its keenly weighted steering is quick to respond and imbues its driver with plenty of confidence in the front axle’s roadholding ability. To say the CLA offers abundant handling flare wouldn’t be entirely accurate, but it feels like a slightly more vivacious device than the undoubtedly effective but comparatively serious Golf R.