AMG keeps chasing those niches; this time it's a performance version of Merc's rakish CLS estate
This is the new Mercedes CLS 63 AMG Shooting Brake, which follows on from the less sporty 'cooking' version of the rakish CLS estate that was unveiled just before the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
As you might have expected, the Shooting brake takes the same drivetrain as its saloon cousin, meaning Mercedes' thumping 5.5-litre twin-turbo V8 coupled to the AMG MCT 7-speed automatic transmission.
In its most humble version the big V8 makes 525hp and 516lb ft, but specify the 'Edition 1' version (the CLS Shooting Brake's version of the performance pack available on other AMG models) and you get 557hp and 590lb ft. Depending on how spicy the car, 0-62mph takes 4.3sec or 4.2sec, though top speed is electronically limited to 155mph.
The sensible aspects of car ownership, meanwhile, are covered by a combined fuel consumption figure of 27.9mpg, CO2 emissions of 235g/km and 1550 litres of potential cargo space.
"The CLS 63 AMG Shooting Brake is establishing a completely new, small and select niche sector, and is expected to delight new customers just as much as it will existing AMG enthusiasts," says Ola Kallenius, Chairman of Mercedes-AMG GmbH. "The combination of performance, style and usability is unique."
Sales of the CLS 63 AMG Shooting Brake begin in November, but exact spec and pricing are yet to be confirmed.
Nice looking car, but it's still not a shooting brake.
ETA: Nice looking from the front and the back, but actually from the side I think everything behind the rear wheels looks wrong. There's something odd about how the top of the windows diverges form the roofline, and the rear lights are horrible.
Why? Id rather have the E-class estate and a few extra quid in the pocket.
Simple, its for the people for whom money is no object and want something unique. There will not be a lot of these about giving customers the exclusivity they crave.
If you are worried about about extra money in your pocket you are probably not in the market for an AMG estate be that a c class, e class or any any other uber wagon version are you?
I love it, and if "money were no object" I'd be straight to the dealers
ETA: Nice looking from the front and the back, but actually from the side I think everything behind the rear wheels looks wrong. There's something odd about how the top of the windows diverges form the roofline, and the rear lights are horrible.
ETA: Nice looking from the front and the back, but actually from the side I think everything behind the rear wheels looks wrong. There's something odd about how the top of the windows diverges form the roofline, and the rear lights are horrible.
IMHO everything behind the B-pillar looks dreadful, and you're right: it's the way the window line diverges that does it.
