2020 Mercedes-AMG CLA 35 vs Audi S3 vs BMW M235i Gran Coupe // Face-Off
James and Thomas take the new 2020 BMW M235i Gran Coupe and pit it against the 2020 Audi S3 and the 2020 Mercedes-AMG CLA 35. They all have four cylinders, and all have all-wheel drive. But the BMW and CLA are brand new, so is it even a fair fight? The boys explore the cars driving dynamics and what they are like to live with every day. Can the new 2 series gran coupe walk away from the competition? Or does Mercedes and its tech advancements lead the way? Exterior and interior styling comparisons help figure out which one takes it in the looks department, and the back roads do the rest. Watch to see the outcome. SUBSCRIBE!
Thank you to Geoff and Performance BMW in St Catherines for use of the BMW M235i Gran Coupe! www.performance-bmw.com/
Thank you to Roy, Max and Arunan at Mercedes-Benz Oakville for the CLA 35! www.mercedes-benz-oakville.ca/
Thank you to Shannon and Laurance at H.J.Pfaff Audi Newmarket for use of the Audi S3! www.hjpfaffaudi.com/
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Post-production by Karston Chong
And Thomas Holland
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Music from Epidemicsound.com
#BMW #Mercedes #Audi
"cla getting dirty" "Cla at the car wash 10 hours" "CLA catches CLS doing laundry" "Guy finds keys to stepmom's CLA" "CLA in a white t shirt on a rainy day" 17:12
omg this is perfect
The fact they're on Bing brings it home
we love the content, but im back still waiting for that house tour of James
*church tour.
Maybe Doug can review it on his More Doug DeMuro channel🤔
"Barely deserves a BMW badge" - ouch
"what did you think of the bmw?" "I didn't drive a BMW." "What was it?" "I don't know what it was, but i didn't like it"
*whispering* "I'm gonna do it..." - Understeer
Funny how i knew exactly which car you were talking about
Lol
@@F30_bpdr hahhahaha lol
Between Savagegeese’s review and TH review on the M235i..... I can’t remember any other car being so slaughtered by reviewers. Brutal.
Doug Demuro and Maserati would disagree.
I'm glad I was too poor and had to settle for the old m235i 😝 the straight 6 is a blast 🧨
@@k.almohammadii You ain't never lied
well imagine they stopped making muscle cars with v8's and all had v6 turbos with all wheel drive
the only other vehicles that come to mind are the "new" ford ranger and explorer, just gets decimated by every reviewer for cheap plastics and feeling a generation behind, and those things ain't cheap!
The S3 looks good in the old school way performance sedans used to look before they all got bloated and grew into the model above them in the range.
Basically a S4 2008. Such a nice car
The S3 is great because it looks a little dated. The newest range of Audis is soooooo much plainer than the last one, which is saying something.
Haron H. Yea I dunno about that a V8 compared to a turbo 4
@@f181234 oh I was agreeing with Amir about the look and size of the car compared to newer bloated cars
Because Audi still in the early 2010
Graphic Content Warning! Actual photos of M235i will be shown
This is gold.
this should be top comment. people must be warned
The Audi may be the older one but I just think the “minimalism” of the interior and the subtle exterior still make it the best looking one in my opinion.
How about no
Cla has the best interior hands down. The new S3 interior is really nice tho old ones aren’t it for me.
@@jwanilpatel3223how bout yes. Audi over the other 2. EASILY
James: everyone's got a third Me: looks down
he drove a bmw he didn’t like 😂
I know the feeling :(
Years ago i owned an old beat-up 1986 E28 520i. The shark nose one. I would chose that car over this M235i any day. Every drive was a pleasure.
@@DolleHengst Shark nosed BMW's are the best looking of them all, by a long shot.
what bmw though?
@@dougrobinson8602 disagree
Honestly, I don't think the pop up screens will ever stop being insanely cool for me. I have a 500hp Bilstein suspension A6 and I love that screen movement. I'm saving up for a 2015-2018 S8 to make it 900 hp. 2.6-2.9s to 60mph and in the 10's quarter mile, while having awesome luxury, stance, presence, and being clean and understated.
S3 all the way. You have my word.
I’d still go for the s3 regardless.
Uchiha good choice
@@tp3821 I would go for the CLA tbh (if I could afford it of course lol)
I have that s3, love it
Antonio Diaz, the interior of the Merc is crappy. Cheap materials are all over
@@livegoodeathealthy5049 meh reliability aint great for mine 🤣 turbo blew up at 30k
Week 3 of trying to get them to do a tour ofJames Church
I just want them to review an ms3
This is one of your best videos to date. Really enjoyed it, good job
I love these two. Only car KZheadrs who can make me laugh but still touch on the major topics of the vehicles. Greetings from Alberta! :)
17 seconds in, and I've already felt the need to click the like button. Thanks guys
The quality just keeps going up and up you guys are really killing it !
Took me 28 mins to realise there's no drag racing
Thanks for the heads up
Yep cheers, gone.
Same
You are not alone!! 😆
You need to read the description of the video before you watch it...If there gonna race the cars...it will say...Drag Race...
First time watching the channel and really appreciated to know the pros and cons of each car without any restraint. Others don't mention so much about the real cons (eq. fake exhaust ...) Good job !! 😉
Love you guys!! Glade to see ya back in action again!! You guys have the best intros of any KZheadr!!
Thank you for the honesty and passion about the BMW. I'm so fed up of hearing journalists say "yeah, it's now front wheel drive, but it still feels like a BMW, it still drives very good, plus it's more spacious, more efficient...": bullshit.
That’s complete garbage. Anyone who says those things is just saying stuff to keep someone happy.
@@ThrottleHouse Totally agree with you.
@@ThrottleHouse It definitely doesn't drive like a balanced rear wheel drive car. And this car is massive let down especially the way it looks. But I do understand why they going fwd. Its a cost saving method. Thomas is absolutely right when he says rather go for a base model fwd only version like a 230i.
Throttle House Respect the authenticity, it really sets this channel apart 🙌
Cheslyn Owens yeah thats the funny part. Its a cost saving measure and its still more expensive than the old one
Absolute masterpiece review. Nice critics on the BMW, probably the only reviewers that are total honest about this disgrace of 2 series.
As an M240i owner I can only shake my head
Stryker Lenz bruh your car is ancient, got the interior from 7 years ago 😂
@@priyamggg not really.
They keep the 2 series coupe and cabrio rwd. Just this 1 series sedan is getting the fwd.
@@questionyourself718 not really what?
For the price of the merc u can get an RS3 with 400HP
Or a a45s
And a 5 banger which basically sounds like a v10 cut in half!! Audi easy the best.
@@AYOnYASS but drives like a mini Van
@@NN-ci6ox it does not drive like a minivan it’s 6 inches shorter than a Corolla and has Awd that makes you feel like you’re connected on rails lol
@@KO-iw3vu 6 inches shorter? No body is going to like that 😂
The audi s3 aged so well
Definitely, we have an A3 and it still looks so good
The bones of the car might be from 2013, but the look of the car in this review has only been with us since 2017...it hasn't had much time to age at all.
Aged well but honestly it’s ancient now... 😂
Audi is too conservative
@@derrionbrumfield4183 It is perfect. Remember VW owns porsche seat skoda and so on ~ if they would go in the bmw direction they would not need porsche anymore etc.... Audi is in the right place in its company.
Loving the intro guys!!! Great content as usual !!!
One of my favorite throttle house videos to date. I’m a huge bmw guy and their reactions were exactly how i felt.
Thanks for being really funny and connecting with such chemistry plus the excellent car wisdom of course. Pleasure to watch.
I'm a rotten BMW fan to the core but damn they ruined that car! It's just super busy and bad and NOT BMW!
Same but they have been disappointing me heavy lately, interiors need more of a wow factor, 2 is ugly, 4 is ugly. Unfortunate:(
Just look at the A- pillar.
the new one series is also shit, this 235i is derived from it and it shows...
@@tasosss bmw never had "wow" interiors, so surely you bmw has been disappointing u for the last 40 years then
Fearzzy lol no we own two bmws currently and we love them, i had an e46 first car, now an e90 facelift and my next will be the g20 3 series. But there was never such a big difference from mercedes and bmw interiors until recently. Thats why im disappointed.
Mercedes Benz u stole ma heart. Greetings and lots of love from Namibia Windhoek
Bmw for life
Used to have the S3 but now went for the CLA35AMG. The Benz is another level of quality and makes more fun to drive.
Thoroughly entertaining video. Totally enjoyed watching.
"We just immediately acheived one designers dream...we got inside the amg cla..." hahahahaha
Naughty!! 😈
"And i'm JAAAAmess." -killer. Love you guys.
"His body is shutting down!" Loved it! Excellent acting!!! Thank you, keep it coming.
That CLA Amg 35 is really great. Actually get the regular seats with out the massage features because it's useless and the default seats are more comfortable. Now you saved close 7000 dollars which makes it a really easy choice.
My E46 broke down so i sit here in the train watching this video. That intro let me laugh too loud 😂
17:48 Pretty sure the car with the longest name is my dream car: Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid Sport Turismo
@Colicus Jones the panamera name is longer
Land Rover Range Rover Velar SV Autobiography Dynamic Edition. Definitely the longest name haha
@@ufk7897 never heard someone say I own a land rover range rover 🤔
Rishab Gangopadhyay SAME
Nice episode! Thanks Valerie!
Brilliant review, thoroughly enjoyed that.
that bmw looks so bad its funny lined up next to the other two
the audi looks worse
@@Hi-kk1fu It looks the best out there, M235i looks so wrong in all angles this S3 looks better than the newest A3, the lines are just perfect. While the M235i might have the BMW badge, it doesn't make it look better than the S3 instantly. The car's proportions are wrong, they don't even fit any car. The front looks like someone tried to squeeze the X6 design into a small sedan, the side looks like a cheap rental car, the rear also looks like a X6 squeezed into a small sedan. Even the economy small sedans look way better. You'd have to be a BMW-douche or blind to call the S3 uglier than the M235i.
Nissan Fairlady Z the BMW to me looks like an angry hamster with food in its cheeks
Are you joking, the Audi is ancient and looks like a dead a3
There’s no denying that the CLA35 looks the best. That bmw is just 🤢
Wtf? The Mercedes looks terrible 😅😂
Zerberster nope but the bmw looks terribly awful 🤢🤮
Zerberster The mercedes looks like a mercedes. I have no f-ing clue what that thing with a BMW badge looks like.
It looks like a Kia Forte on the front and the back looks like a Toyota Prius.
Zerberster The Mercedes looks the best out of all these 3 cars by a mile
Another amazing review. Thanks for always putting our spectacular content. I look forward to every video you guys make. You should have 3 million subs. Way better then 90% of other auto channels!
Once again, well done boys. Always great fun to watch you two and listen to the banter, but also very informative with the right stuff we need to know. Re: the BMW, I've owned a 2002, 1600, Bavaria, 325I and 328I. Hopefully BMW's best days are not behind them.
4:32 you can feel the disappointment 4:39 ooof
1-2 punch right there
GOOD JOB GUYS ! LIKE ALWAYS I'M A FAN OF YOUR CHANNEL !
The back of the BMW looks like a spinoff of a prius!
Wait for the 2021 Audi S3, refreshed exterior and interior.
From the way this is all going, Merc and Beemer will have more AMG and M cars than regular cars in the not too distant future! Talk about watering down the party drinks by a cheapo host!
Yeah! We don't want our drinks watered down, we want it raw and hardcore! Spike that shit! Sprinkle in some drugs here or there. There are plenty of cars we could get that are more subdued, M and AMG badges should be reserved for those drinks that have been left at a risky bar in between 2 sketchy characters while you take your time in the bathroom fumbling around looking for your drugs, only for you to come out and redundantly extra-spike your drink yourself. I guess I want my car to have the ability to have some sort of roid rage
How is it watering down, this isn’t an m2, it’s not the full M, isn’t that obvious you dumbass
PYXB3 your so dumb man, there not meant to be fully fledged M and amg cars, hence the 43 and 235, my god u guys are dumb hahaha
Priyam Gajjar that doesn’t matter they still assigned an M and AMG badge to them so they’d better live up to it. It doesn’t matter if it’s not a full M or AMG even cars like the m240i and other lesser AMG cars are still dynamically excellent but these just aren’t
Blame marketing. “The kids love badges! Add more badges!!”
Thomas, a great statement about the FWD BMW with that T-shirt :D
I would get an RS3 instead, especially if we got the hatch over here. Great review, glad to have y'all back!
Already loved my F22 m235i. This just makes me love it more. Great video and new sub 🙂
WOW didn't believe it myself but that BMW starts at $46k in the US . REALLY nice Mini
Woo hoo! Throttle House to save the day! Awesome videos, guys. You’ve been killing it lately. 👍
I think you guys have improved a lot throughout your upload history, not in quality of the video itself but in the way you communicate between each other and to the viewers
Ohh so good to have you guys back at it with the cleaver and witty car reviews!!! Thomas.. your ranting about the BMW was hilarious and the read end review super funny
James seemed more interested in the rear neck ventilation port of the 235i seats than the car itself.
I just love the CLA, such a sexy car. Any CLA AMG is on my to buy list (goal being the 45S ofc) AND it's not that pricey in the EU (C43 =~ CLA45S)
That was one hella honest reviews I've ever seen good job guys
So well put together
Holy guacs, I am totally with you Thomas. Huge BMW fan and OG M2 owner. I have no idea what marketing drugs they were taking when designing that car. The M235i is night and day in comparison even to the new four series; which I like quite a bit for its refreshing yet sleek design. Thanks for the video guys!
Had an S3 and loved it. Did everything well without overdoing it. I currently have an M340 xdrive and it also does everything well and gets very good gas mileage with under 400 hp. 0-60 sub 4 second...underestimated by BMW at 4.1.
pokerfred68 I have the s3 and love it. My next car will be the g20 m340i just like u
The M340i wagon is the one to go for, in my opinion. Probably the best all-rounder for a decent enough price
You guys are super cool.. It's fun watching your videos and also you guys have a good car selection.. Looking forward to more videos from you guys.
Without a doubt, you guys are the most hilarious, creative and honest car reviewers on the Tube!! I became a subscriber today!! I'm a 30 year career car guy...(who also happens to be an award-winning Los Angeles based jazz musician) But I've been an auto enthusiast my entire life!! You guys deliver the goods, good, bad or ugly while(st) never taking yourselves too seriously.... or seriously at all which is just fine with me!! I can't wait till your next shoot! You've got the best job in the world, mine are a distant second!!
You guys get some super strange spec S3! In Europe it has 300+ hp (usually dyno 10hp over). We can also hide the center display at a touch of a button.
The screen can go away on theirs too. That’s a thing everywhere I believe they made a mistake.
I believe the newer S3's above 2018 removed that feature due to backup camera regulations. So now the button is mapped to an on/off switch.
Yeah, for some reason the S3/Golf R in North America is detuned (EUDM has 300hp+, USDM models used to be 292hp but have gone down to 288hp for some reason???)
14:15 everyone got a third🤣
Great job as always guys! Agree with you so much. I can probably get over the 235 looks if it was RWD. The Mercedes has really grown on me and I really like them but would never pay the price for one. I'll would wait and buy a slightly used one for a much better price. S3 is very good and a win but if price was the same I would take the Mercedes.
this is legit one of the best car review ever!
that m235i ain’t it man i hope someone at bmw watch this review. great video👍🏻👍🏻
Thomas looking fine af in this video, love the hair. Keep up the awesome intros
Lol man keep it coming.... i love u guys content
You guys are absolutely the BEST car channel period. 😂❤
The one I’m getting is the Seat Leon Cupra ST, same engine like in the S3, more space, sportier driving and cheaper, too bad it’s only available in Europe.
C'mon, just wait till the new S3 comes out...!
I hope they do the same vid later when comes to America 🙏
We will when it does
@@jamesengelsman9369 thank u Mr James u make us proud to be Brits
I‘m so excited because the cla 45 amg is sooo goood so Audi needs to step up their game. (Rs3)
Next month bro ✅
Funny, when I came across your channel I did not know it was Canadian, but now I do and am pleasantly surprised. Great quality, honest content! Hope you guys come to Calgary,AB sometime and do a shoot, would be great to see you guys "live" !! #ComeToCALGARY
Great review please do a review on the CLA 45
You should repeat this video next year with the refreshed S3
Ahhh yess, a long throttle house video
Yep. They’re right. The one you want is the M240i coupe. Which is why I went out and bought one. B58 FTW.
lol! well done fellas! informative and fun... yay for J & T
I didn’t know there’s a “C63 Amg Bi-Turbo 4matic plus” 😂
"4 door coupe" 😅😅
Ye I think they fucked up C63s are all RWD
@@farbodniazi6504 wrong
aka _sphen all c63’s are rwd, new ones will most likely be awd but thats not out yet.
@@aka_sphen872 I don't think anything I said was wrong
Wow! I test drove this car over the weekend and I couldn't disagree more on everything. I figured the BMW M lovers would be upset due to the layout and engine, but I loved everything... except the gas mileage.
The S3 will be getting updated pretty soon so think having it in this comparison is void. I bought the A250 this time in 2019 and love the interior and the tech. The design too! Cross shopped with the JCW MINI and a M235i but really wanted the tech and newer interior. This video is great and the guys complement each other. Perhaps it was the cars that got my attention. Also, anyone buying one of these cars, I highly doubt care about rear headroom. I would have never checked or wanted to know so really, is it necessary? Great work on this video!
This was spot on review!
You guys are freaking awesome, I'm always keeping track on your new videos. For me you guys are up there wwith: Jeremy, Richard & James (top gear/ gran tour) , Jason Cammisa, Jonny Lieberman & Randy Pobst (motor trend). I hope to see your own show on tv in the future.
In a few year business schools will have the case of study: “how BMW lost their core customers in EU and the Americas (and make money in China)”
BMW's "core customers" buy a 3 series or a 5 series. Always did, always will do.
@@BFD15i and a 1 series even the new one, I've seen loads.
As a Chinese, I had to say no to this. The new gen bmw has lost its soul and mind. The g20 3 series and the g30 5 series has become a soft sedan among the competitors. Not to mention the front wheel drive 1 series. But they didn’t lose their looks on the outside. But holy shit the new m235i just went one extra step further and became a pure trash inside out. I love bmw from way back but man I’m disappointed and disgusted about the new lineup of bmw.
Only bmw? All car production company thinks about China's market
Levani inaveL I hope not otherwise it’s going to be ruined for car lovers just to satisfy car ruiners
Honestly, one of your best review :)
You guys are the best!!
“There’s no aspect of driving this car that I enjoy” already thought that BMW did something very wrong building this car but daaamn haha
North American "car reviewers" very often really are just like trashtalking douchebags, sorry! Reality here in Germany is, that the new BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe always gets great reviews, from the most different people. How is this possible? Because they understand the intention from BMW to build this car! North Americans are just totally annoying these days.... I know, these two guys here are Canadian and British, but this doesn't matter. It's even worse with US "car fans", because when you have an US president, who is the most disgusting fucking bastard of all times, this must have a reason... He got elected by a lot of people ;-). North Americans and their "opinions" sometimes are just fucking "asymmetrically". You just don't understand what BMW did with this car, buddies! It really doesn't fucking matter at all, that this new 2 Series four door car now has a front drive architecture. Because BMW engineered it so well, that it's still a great driving car with a very sophisticated AWD, period! If you still want your "old shit" in a compact car, you just have to wait a bit, because the new BMW 2 Series two door Coupe with only RWD will be out soon. BMW and MINI are part of the same company and therefore it has an important reason for BMW to relate the M235i 2 liter engine with 305 hp and AWD with the high powered MINI-versions with the same drivetrain. Fact is, that all these cars are just excellent! By the way, BMW has figured out that more than 90% of customers of these cars don't have any clue anyway if it's RWD or AWD...! For a BMW business case these AWD compact cars just are NOBRAINERS! There's simply no other solution than AWD with the M235i Gran Coupe, because it has a huge number of parts in common with the 305 hp MINI versions.... period! Just shut the fuck up, because you are talking too much nonsense! The new RWD 2 Series Coupe with only two doors will have a completely different drivetrain architecture and will be related to the 3 Series. Therefore it will still have the inline six- cylinder engines plus RWD. It's quite hypocritical from these guys, because the AWD system in a BMW M5 gets the highest sympathies from all these smart-asses, but in a smaller compact package like the 2 Series four door version they still want to have "RWD only". It doesn't make any sense at all, if you have so much power which you can't get on the tarmac in such a smaller car. Seriously, having more than 300 turbo hp in a compact car without AWD these days is just fucking STUPID! Just eat it, you annoying North American "hypercritical" smart-asses. Fact is, that some other carmakers with still only front drive architecture in cars with more than 300 hp just can't keep up with the high amount of traction you get with AWD like in the M235i. These two guys in the video are really talking too much of bullshit about the M235i. Turbo engine power torque plus superior AWD traction plus still a well handling smaller package like in the 2 Series Gran Coupe is all what matters. These two guys can tell what they want, because the BMW is the best driving car in comparison with the older Audi S3 and the AMG CLA35, period! German car testers have figured this out immediately by the way... Strangely, a lot of American "car fans" still can't get over from the combination of bigger and heavy engines plus RWD, which they still mean that a BMW M car has to have.... Just wake up idiots, because times are changing these days! Here in Europe now it's fucking impossible for carmakers to produce 6.2 liter supercharged V8 engines plus "only RWD" in bigger numbers, like in the new Corvette C8 for example... ;-) North Americans sometimes really are like dumb little children, who still don't get it that things are changing, because they still want to have what they are used, but what has getting quite impossible in the rest of the world. "Fuck emission laws, because we have all the cheapest fuels made from our US fracking oil... yeah!" Sorry, dear North Americans, but you are disgusting... and totally wrong! And you still don't get the intentions from BMW, that building a car like the M235i Gran Coupe makes totally sense.
SJW Maniac Ok 👍
SJW Maniac Dude nobody is reading that, this is KZhead.
@@user-jf8gd3lv7q Kind of harsh opinion toward North Americans, but many of your points are accurate. The reality is this was just a couple guys giving very biased subjective opinions. The cars are not matched from a price point. The Audi is the least expensive, slowest and, sorry, but looks at least a decade dated to me. If someone showed me that car and asked "how do you like my 2008 Audi?" I wouldn't think twice about the model year. The benz does have the best exterior styling but over-done interior, and I like the interior of the BMW much better despite the Bimmer being 10K less expensive. I would bet the BMW is the fastest straight line and on the track too, but no way of knowing that from watching these guys.
@@pinkyless exactly nobody is reading all that
Man!... Wait for the new S3!!
In 2 more years!
kartik bitra it's an evolution remember. Audi remakes are always subtle
The intros are legendary🔥
I'm watching you for a while now, and I think you well deserve a very high position in car journalism world. *Suggestion: Make some videos along with @savagegeese I think the result will be very good. have a nice day you both... ;)
I’ve got a 2014 S3 - Java Green, it’s on a PFL but still seems a great car (virtual cockpit would be nice next time) BMW 240i is a solid car but can’t see many people wanting X-Drive, people pick Audi for the straight line and Bmw for the cornering character (the new models haven’t gone down well in the Uk going to front wheel or x drive), 👌🏻 I’ve never considered Mercedes I’m not a big fan of the media displays/controls, I think they look nicer on the outside than the inside, I’m going to stick with S3 for now, a software / dsg map brings them up too 360-380bhp
The best choice
I’d take the S3 Especially now that they have cobb support
they can't get the screen in the S3 to go down? my 2017 has a button with the option to put it down. Not sure if they missed that or if something changed in the newer models
That was excellent guys...
Gotta agree on Thomas with the interior discussion on the S3. You could say it's getting a bit dated, but it's nice and simple and stays free from the clutter, unlike the MB interior. Not to mention for a 2020 car, the incredibly thick bezels on the displays in the MB make it look like it was built in 2014. Also - are you sure you can't get the screen to go down in the S3? I drove a 2018 the other day and there was a physical button on the center stack that I pressed and it neatly folded down into the dash. So nice.
I love the 2 series as a regular car, interior is nice, looks is actually ok to (me) and performance is fine. But obviously as a BMW this doesn’t belong at all in the BMW family.
At least it doesn't belong as a M car.
It's even ugly as a normal car , it looks cheap and like it was stung by a bee, literally only sold for the badge, you won't be sacrificing much going even with a base genesis or a nicely equipped mazda
thank you so much! after watching this a couple of time i bought a cla 35 amg. Sadly we don't have cla 45 amg in our country
Button all the way on the right where the drive select is you can fold down the audi screen. Great Review love when you do these cars!!