Does The Mercedes-AMG A35 Have A Chance Against The BMW M340i?

Drag races usually pit two or more cars with either similar performance or within respective segments. Nonetheless, it’s interesting to see how two models that do not directly compete with each other fare on the strip.

This time around, it’s a German civil war with BMW and Mercedes-AMG going head to head. From Munich, it’s the BMW M340i xDrive, while raising the flag for Affalterbach is the A35 AMG Sedan. These are both high-performance sedans, but these cars are quite different from each other. These cars are not even in the same size class.

Let’s start with the Mercedes-AMG A35 Sedan. The A35 sits in the subcompact luxury sedan class and is smaller than the BMW. However, the A35’s size can also be its advantage as it weighs less. For comparison, this car tips the scales at 3,461 lbs (1,570 kg) while the BMW is 3,849 lbs (1,746 kg). The A35 Sedan uses a 2.0-liter turbo engine that’s good for 302 horsepower (225 kilowatts) and 295 pound-feet (400 Newton-meters) of torque. Getting that power to the road is a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission that sends it to all four wheels.

The BMW M340i xDrive has a size and weight disadvantage. However, it makes up for it by packing a healthier punch under the hood. The M340i uses a 3.0-liter TwinPower Turbo inline-six with 382 horsepower (285 kilowatts) and 369 pound-feet (500 Newton-meters) of torque. The BMW has an advantage of 80 horsepower (60 kilowatts) and 74 pound-feet (100 Newton-meters) of torque. Like the Mercedes-AMG, it is also all-wheel drive, but more power goes to the rear wheels.

There are a few things to take note of in this test. First, it was done during not-so-ideal conditions with damp patches on the strip. If anything, the results are a few seconds off the manufacturer’s claims. Nonetheless, it’s a test of which car can put the power down better and pull away further than the other. There were also two tests performed but the second one pitted a fully-loaded M340i against an unburdened A35 Sedan. We won’t spoil the result for you, but the BMW’s boosted straight-six is tough to beat.