Oh goody, another fast estate. Who doesn't love the concept of a really quick wagon? Or shooting brake. Or sportbrake. Or sport tourer. Whatever they're called, a new one is an exciting story. And here we are with Mercedes' latest addition just a week after the
Golf R estate
: the CLA45 Shooting Brake.
Shooting Brake has the same 360hp as saloon
If you're familiar with the ever-expanding Mercedes range then the name will be easy to figure out. It's a
CLA45
just like the four-door version of
the A45
and then Shooting Brake as in the big, bad
CLS63
. So not quite a wardrobe-and-sink estate like the E- and C-Class but a rather more practical version of the four-door coupe saloon. Make sense?
AMG boss Tobias Moers says there is "continued high demand" for the '45 range of AMG models and therefore the decision to add the Shooting Brake was a simple one. According to him it is an "enthralling blend of supreme power and dynamic handling... plus efficiency and everyday practicality".
Mechanically the Shooting Brake is identical to the A-, CLA- and GLA- models with the same 2.0-litre 360hp turbo, four-wheel drive and dual-clutch gearbox. There isn't a kerbweight yet confirmed but the Shooting Brake is only a tenth slower to 62 than the CLA (now 4.7 seconds) so it can't be far off the 1,585kg claimed for that car.
Hmm, that's quite a slope
As an estate (well, sort of), we probably should discuss practicality too. Mercedes says no compromises have to be made for practicality despite 'sporty, progressive looks, featuring a roof line that slopes down gently towards the rear, low-set greenhouse... and a dynamically styled tail end'. It claims a maximum luggage capacity of 1,354 litres, which is a useful gain over the hatch's 1,157 litres. However, when you bear in mind that a Golf estate can take up to 1,620 litres it becomes clear that the CLA SB has sacrificed a bit of outright load-hauling ability. Still, the name kind of implies that. There are plenty of other Mercedes to choose from after all!
The CLA45 AMG will be shown in public for the first time at the Geneva show in March alongside the rest of the Shooting Brake range. It will be launched at the same time with prices to follow soon. For reference the CLA45 saloon is £42,270 so a figure around £44K would seem likely.