2023 Hot Hatch Group Test: Mercedes-AMG A35, Volkswagen Golf GTi, CUPRA Formentor

Hot hatches have long been the vehicle of choice for motorists that want performance and on the nose driving dynamics, without completely giving up on practicality. In the eyes of many the Volkswagen Golf GTi is the benchmark against which all of others are judged. So when we wanted to test the Mercedes-AMG A35, we figured we should wheel out the Golf GTi for comparison. The popularity of the humble hatchback is not what it once was, it now finds itself fighting for prominence against the ever increasing numbers of crossovers on the market. So we thought why not chuck one of them into the mix as well and see how the CUPRA Formentor performs against a more traditional hot hatch set up. Watch our Hot Hatch Group Test to see which vehicle we'd pick.
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Timestamps
0:00:00 - Introduction
0:00:40 - Formentor Exterior
0:01:06 - AMG A35 Exterior
0:01:31 - Golf GTi Exterior
0:01:56 - Formentor Interior
0:03:05 - AMG A35 Interior
0:04:14 - Golf GTi Interior
0:05:40 - Formentor Driving
0:09:25 - AMG A35 Driving
0:13:17 - Golf GTi Driving
0:17:40 - Conclusion

[@zIBaXiiIz]

This guy lost all credibility when he said the A35s interior let it down. Best interior out of all of all hatchbacks.

[@ulysees321]

100% i just seen this vid and thought what is he on about, its prob the best interior out there currently, except for the removal of the track pad however you can get it put back in and recoded a few people have done this.

[@prodrive305]

You forgot to mention the A35 has an electric motor as well now in the 2023 facelift model it makes a huge difference to the older models. For saying the interior lets it down I was shocked as I find it so good and like sitting in a space ship 🤩

[@lucapinatto]

A35 win easy

[@mwamba25]

Drove the Formentor VZN last week and it’s mega quick. If anything too quick for British roads and speed limits. How it cornered was so impressive, as it stayed so flat while carrying some speed. At least the flattest I’ve personally experienced. I’d wait until the next model refresh though to see whether they improve the infotainment and fix the ridiculous cup holders - at least that’s my plan. Apart from that, they are amazing value for money and I’d pick one over the other two in this test.

[@robprior1246]

Joker a35 is best in class for interior , golf is bland with No lit heater controls at night

[@jeltedj74]

When showing the booth of the gti, u actually showed the booth of the cupra..

[@cheeseface20004]

The Cupra is the better of the 3 in my opinion. The colour choice wasn't the best lol. But overall including the price tag, cupra wins hands down. Merc in 2nd place and VW 3rd choice. It's such a boring plain car like all VW golfs

[@mr1zzle]

The red is much nicer in the metal than it comes across on camera. It’s a bit of a chameleon colour that can look quite dark or really pop in the sun. There’s a lot of metallic flake in there.