BMW M135i xDrive v Mercedes-AMG A 35 4MATIC 2020 Comparison

After a week of Munich versus Stuttgart tomfoolery, one thing is clear: nothing ever stays the same.

For instance, what Instagram-addicted, post-millennial kid of today would believe that cyberspace once didn’t exist? Or that phone calls transmitted only your voice and were dialled up on heavy, Bakelite-plastic devices tethered to one spot by a short, woven-fabric cord?

And who would have believed, not so long ago, that BMW would one day have a high-performance hatch powered not by a delightfully-aural six-cylinder, but by a four-cylinder?

Or that one of its top sellers would (sacrilegiously!) employ a front-wheel drive platform?

Priced from under $70,000 apiece, the BMW M135i xDrive and Mercedes-AMG A 35 4MATIC are armed to the teeth with go-fast goodies and deliver on their promise to make their drivers cackle with joy.

These turbocharged, all-wheel drive German machines are loaded to the hilt with seriously cool techno-doodads in the cabin as well, and are now within reach of mere mortals – not just CEOs and advertising chieftains.

Mercedes-AMG’s new entry-level 2.0-litre turbocharged A 35 takes on BMW's fresh-faced M135i hatch, the latter propelled by the most powerful four-cylinder production engine Munich has ever devised.

Both cars belt out 225kW of power – or around 300 horsepower – but the BMW ekes out slightly more torque; 450 v 400Nm.

But the new Mercedes-AMG A 35 is a descendent of the wild AMG A 45 and deserves respect. Both cars are new-generation vehicles, which means they get lovely digital dashboards, next-level voice-operated functionality and plenty of semi-automated driving aids.

Well, that's an easy question to answer – because we knew it would be a lark!

Mercedes-AMG and BMW have discovered there's room to move within the high-end hot hatch segment and these (semi) affordable scorchers provide a new entry-point for genuinely engaging stove-hot luxury hatchbacks.

But we're looking for the performance champion here. We want to know – and we're sure you do too – which car dives most confidently into corners, accelerates hardest out of them, and makes you feel like a hero doing it.

In a word – fun. Lots of fun.

This battle ended up being a war of attrition and like a pair of male mountain goats in rutting season, these two fought it out until one of them ran out of steam.

In the end it wasn't the close fight we had been expecting, but by Jove it was entertaining.

The BMW M135i has a significant mid-range power punch, certainly one of its highlights and its all-wheel drive system goaded the driver to experiment with its grip limits – which turns out to be an exercise in endorphin distribution.

What is essentially BMW's first go at a front-drive hot-hatch (well, all-wheel drive) is an unmitigated success; a dance with the devil that is equal parts exciting and scary.

It’s a muscular machine that will run rings around much more fancied – and expensive – performance cars. But will it run rings round the Mercedes-AMG A 35 4MATIC?

The short answer is no.

In almost every performance aspect, the Mercedes-AMG A 35 was sharper and more resilient.

Take the brakes for instance – ventilated in the BMW but ventilated and cross-drilled in the AMG. The latter delivered greater deceleration and the AMG’s pedal feel was firmer too. After repeated abuse the M135i brakes faded while its German rival’s did not.

The same can be said of the tyres; the BMW's Continental premium Contact 6 (235/35 R19) protested with loud squeals as it chased the AMG, whose Pirelli P Zero (235/35 ZR 19) hoops delivered stronger grip.

This was by way of firmer suspension in the AMG. It simply generates more grip by sitting flatter on the road.

On a fast, sweeping uphill right hander, with nasty mid corner bumps, the BMW wanted to push wide, its front-end unable to hold its line under full throttle. The AMG blasted through with nary a wiggle, eating up the challenging bend.

Indeed, the A 35 has a much better front-end setup; its suspension is impressively tuned for hardcore driving.

Granted, the BMW could almost keep pace with the AMG early on, but after several hours of hard driving its performance waned.

The AMG A 35 also offers slightly better steering feel,  where the BMW's over-assisted setup masks any meaningful feedback. Simply put, the Benz tends to imbue more driver confidence.

The German hotties deliver excellent exhaust acoustics but again, the Benz is brasher and bolder and barks like a mad dog as the revs drop, fuel excess creating tiny explosions deep within the exhaust plumbing.

The same can be said for the gearboxes. The Benz seven-speed dual-clutch jobbie was more severe and helped connect the driver to the engine's power delivery more clearly as it slammed through the gears with real purpose.

The BMW's eight-speed conventional automatic transmission is more cautious and a tad slower to shift – and it won't downshift with the wild abandon and intensity of the AMG.

Although the BMW has more torque than the AMG, it accelerates from 0-100km/h in 4.8sec; the Mercedes is a bit quicker at 4.7. Our testing suggested the gap between them was more pronounced than that, as the Benz' launch control system gets it off to a flying start.

By now you may be thinking the AMG crushed the BMW. In many ways it did. The BMW felt like a hot hatch; the A 35 a hyper hatch.

Both vehicles are immensely satisfying to fire into and out of corners, but they engage the driver in different ways.

Let's put it this way: You can grab the AMG by the scruff of its neck, really abuse it, and marvel at its ease of use. The BMW has to be massaged and caressed to get the most out of it.

In some ways, that's a more appealing characteristic. While the BMW punches out of corners with a little less venom than the AMG, it's sometimes more enjoyable in that it takes a little more skill to get it right.

While this test is all about performance – and the AMG clearly won, offering a better car-to-driver connection in almost every respect – the BMW is a more civilised machine.

Unlike the AMG-tuned A-Class, you can drive the BMW 1 Series around town without shattering your teeth and spine, and it’s more happy as a daily driver thanks to its improved ride comfort and initial bump absorption.

Even in its softest mode the AMG is pretty rigid, meaning you'll feel more bumps than you'd like. The AMG A 35 also generates more road noise, so you'll have to dial-up the tunes louder to drown it out.

The Mercedes-AMG A 35 4MATIC is priced from $67,200 (plus on-road costs), which is pretty impressive considering it sounds and feels a lot like the pricier A 45.

However, the vehicle on test is pegged at $80,029 due to the fitment of (deep breath!) 19-inch AMG multi-spoke matt black alloy wheels ($607), climatised front seats ($607) and five optional 'packages' including communications ($2069), driving assistance ($1454), AMG High Performance Seat ($2531), Vision ($761) and AMG Aerodynamics ($1915).

The BMW M135i xDrive has a circa-$3000 lower base price of $63,990 (plus ORCs); but with an automatic tailgate ($950) and enhancement package ($3770) the price rises to $67,760.

Even without most of the optional extras, both cars are generously equipped with a pair of big LED info screens (infotainment and instrument cluster), four USB ports apiece, wireless phone charging, all the usual parking sensors and cameras, electrically adjustable front seats and high-end multi-speaker sound systems – Burmester for the AMG, Harman/Kardon for the BMW.

Running costs? Both are pretty thirsty when hard driving is thrown into the mix along with the usual highway and commuter cruising. The BMW M135i used 13.9L/100km while the AMG A35 fared a little better at 12.9. Claimed figures for the AMG and BMW are 7.4L/100km and 7.5 respectively, which are probably only attainable if you always drive on slightly descending highways.

Warranty provisions are similar for both: three years/unlimited kilometers and multi-year service bundles can be purchased to reduce maintenance costs.

The Mercedes-AMG A 35 is a rip-snorting, loud (visually and aurally), in-your-face, intense ball of muscle. It's stultifying in its ability to deliver ever-increasing mid-corner speeds and it has a brilliant interior too.

The level of customisation available poops on the BMW M135i from a great height and the AMG 35’s MBUX infotainment system with its AI-powered voice command setup is truly next level.

The BMW isn't as extreme as the AMG but it's better suited to everyday duties, thanks to better ride comfort and less touchy brakes. While the infotainment system and digital instrument display cannot be modified to the giddying levels of the AMG, it could be argued it is an easier system to use and less confusing.

Luggage-carrying space is virtually identical between the two: The blue beastie offers 10 litres more than the Benz with all seats in place, 10 litres less when they’re all folded – but its all-new platform means there’s better rear seat room than the Mercedes.

The Mercedes-AMG A 35 needs a proper gear shifter. Okay, the paddles work, but the cheap, flimsy plastic column shifter offered on an AMG – a vehicle that should have the best of everything – is an insult.

The BMW has a nice gear shifter but needs to up its performance levels if it wants to play ball with AMG. Given that BMW's M division will not build a proper BMW M1 (that name is kind of off-limits too), it probably won't ever happen.

The Mercedes-AMG A35 4MATIC wins out over the BMW M135i xDrive by virtue of its bonkers performance. It also deals with repeated punishment far better than the BMW and while it doesn’t have as much torque, its dual-clutch gearbox helps bridge the gap.

The BMW is a hugely capable hot hatch that will provide more performance than most drivers will ever need, but the Mercedes-AMG A 35 is just brilliant. Knowing that the AMG A 45 is going to elevate performance even further is almost incomprehensible, such as the gifted nature of the A 35.

We've said it before and we'll say it again: nothing ever stays the same.

Price: $63,990 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 225kW/450Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 7.5L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 171g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: Five-star ANCAP