Mercedes-AMG CLA 35 Coupé 2024 review – Audi S3 rivals gains mild-hybrid tech

Just as the Mercedes-AMG A45 S superhatch has been given the lightest of facelifts, so too has the one-rung-down A35 hatch and this, its four-door coupe-bodied CLA 35 variant. They’re tiny, almost imperceptible updates, but they’re there: new LED innards for the headlights and rear lights, a new vertical-finned grille resembling that of bigger AMG models, an altered bumper apron and the trad three-pointed star badge on the bonnet swapped for an AMG emblem. New wheel designs, too.

There are more changes inside, with the latest AMG Performance steering wheel now standard, with glossy double spokes incorporating touch-sensitive controls. Limpet-like mode switches cling to the spokes, for quick access to tweak the drivetrain, dampers, exhaust volume and so on. 

> The Mercedes-AMG A45 S Limited Edition is a 415bhp matte green hyper hatch

The new wheel is part of a statement interior that is now beginning to date but remains a visual knockout with a real sense of occasion. Fiddly to operate, though. The combination of touch-sensitive surfaces on the wheel and many-menu’d, busy-graphics twin digital screens takes some getting used to.

The new bits you can’t see are the most interesting: besides a new radiator design for better temperature management when driven hard, the 35 models now feature a mild hybrid system, which pairs an integrated starter generator to the 2-litre turbo four (a different, unrelated unit to the monster powerplant in the A and CLA 45 models). Aside from doubling as both starter-motor and alternator, and enabling a smoother and more rapid start-stop function in traffic, the 48V module is able to assist with torque-fill at lower revs, a boost that’s said to be equivalent to a 13bhp assist in power (helping to offset the slight increase in weight the hybrid set-up adds). Peak power and torque are the same as pre-facelift, at 302bhp and 295lb ft respectively. As before, power goes to all four wheels, without the 45 models’ torque-vectoring rear axle, via an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission.

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The drive-mode selection switch on the wheel comes in handy because the CLA 35 is quite a mode-dependent car. In default Comfort it’s a little forgettable; swift and grippy but nothing to write home about. In Sport and Sport+ it feels artificially enhanced: the steering becomes exaggeratedly heavy, the suspension a bit jiggly seemingly for the sake of it. Individual mode, which lets you pick and mix settings for engine, dampers, steering and so on, is necessary to unlock the CLA’s potential. Combining the Comfort chassis setting (which is still pretty firm for UK roads) with the Dynamic engine mode, at which point the car’s powertrain feels more urgent and characterful, is a better blend. 

There’s not much body roll, regardless of mode, and the ride is busy. On a particularly challenging B-road that has seen more than a few performance cars run out of suspension travel, or bottom out entirely against the tarmac, the CLA 35 never does so – although it does occasionally find fresh air under its tyres, and you’re constantly jogged around in the seat over bumps. 

But to little real gain. The CLA 35 handles perfectly well, objectively, but there’s not much in the way of engagement. That’s not helped by seats that look the part but are mounted very high for a performance car and offer remarkably little in the way of side support.

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Other touch points let the CLA 35 down, too: the brakes are overly grabby (and you sense that they’re working quite hard against the car’s 1600kg-plus bulk at times), and the steering wheel is so big and chunky that it feels awkward to hold, and the already rather remote steering feels all the more so as a result.

There’s little in the way of torque-steer, a good attribute for a 300bhp-plus, predominantly front-driven car. (The A/CLA 35 is purely front-driven in most circumstances, with up to 50 per cent of torque sent to the rear when required.) It’s possible to disable the stability control should you wish, and with it set to partway-off ‘Advanced Dynamics’ mode the CLA is still a very grippy car. You can feel the front tyres gently scrabbling and working together with the rears to drag you out of slow corners. 

In most modes the engine note is fairly forgettable, if usefully unobtrusive on a long drive. In Dynamic it takes on more of an edge, with a thumping exhaust blat accompanying each upshift to add a bit of aural drama. 

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Overall, this remains a relatively undramatic car in character, however. It’s certainly quick but, jiggling suspension aside, you never feel like you’re travelling particularly quickly or that you’re particularly involved in the process. 

Muddying the waters a little, the updated AMG 35 A-class family can still be had in four-door saloon guise as well as with this CLA four-door coupe body. The CLA Coupé has a usefully deep boot, and a through-hatch in the rear seats to help with loading, but the saloon is the more practical option – and the mini-estate CLA Shooting Brake more practical still, though less so than a full-size estate car would be. Hatch, saloon, coupe and shooting brake all have an identical 2729mm wheelbase.

Ultimately, the A35 hatch feels a more engaging car, perhaps due to its 125kg weight advantage. Its classy-looking CLA cousin is not without appeal, but on the basis of this drive lacks a reason to recommend it wholeheartedly.

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Price and rivals

The CLA 35 comes at a £3415 premium to the A35, starting at £49,560 for the entry-level Premium coupe, rising to £54,145 for the Premium Plus package, adding darkened wheels, trim and all options as standard. Polar white and Night black paint shades come at no cost, with additional colours costing anywhere from £625 to £1825 for special matte 'Manufaktur Magno' shades. Interior upholstery options are limited to black, black and grey and red and black, but all come at no additional cost.

The CLA 35 doesn't have as many direct rivals as you might expect in 2024, with the Audi S3 saloon and BMW M235i Gran Coupe the closest matches. Both undercut the AMG by a fair margin, with the Audi costing from £45,230 and the BMW £44,015 in their most basic forms. Neither are particularly inspiring driver's cars, though, lacking the finesse and engagement we'd like from models of this calibre.

Mercedes-AMG CLA 35 Coupé specs

This review was first featured in evo issue 318.