CLS Shooting Brake

[ParanoidAndroid]

Hi guys,

Been looking at various car options, have a budget of around £30k (can be pushed) and have been predominantly looking at C6 RS6's however I'm somewhat wary of the running costs on these let alone the fuel. Got me browsing and have realised how much I like the CLS Shooting Brake. Just wondered if anyone has one, what they are like to live with, boot space etc? I'd be looking at the 350 CDI Sport I think.

Want something fairly practical (have a dog) and ideally something I could get my bikes on (or in!) when needed. Notice none of the Shooting Brakes have roof bars, are they available? Looking at the boot it looks a decent size although the opening and sloping roof may compromise it compared to a normal decent size estate?

Cheers
Graham

Edited by ParanoidAndroid on Tuesday 16th September 20:50

[ParanoidAndroid]

Thanks, assume that means its a bit more fiddly to put on/take off the bars in that case.

Appreciate its very different to the RS6 and they are not like for like cars. May well go for an RS6 and say sod the running costs but would like to take a look at the CSL as well and tick the (more) sensible box. Wifey would certainly be happier!!

[ParanoidAndroid]

Thanks guys, good to hear all the positive feedback - love the picture with trailer and roof box! To be honest, had never considered one before as I didn't think they'd be in budget and you see so few on the road I'd forgotten they existed (thats a plus point!). I'll try and pop into the local Mercedes garage and take a look this weekend. Still keen on the 350 but there are only a few on autotrader/Merc used cars so may be a bit of a waiting game for the prices to drop slightly more into my budget.

They all look to be fairly well specced, any must have options?

Cheers
Graham

[ParanoidAndroid]

Wacky Racer said:

Be careful of depreciation. Had a brand new CLS 320cdi in 2007 (Not shooting brake obviously)...fabulous car, no complaints there but lost around £1000pm in our ownership, even though only covered less than 5000 miles.

In another two years your car could be worth less than £15k.

I'd be buying a year or two old anyway so would have already dropped a fair chunk of its original list price.

[ParanoidAndroid]

Rob_T said:

i have the self parking thingy on it which is a nice gimmick to go wrong in a few years time.

Does this work? Watched a demo on youtube but the gap the guy was parking in was massive!

[ParanoidAndroid]

Took a look at the local Mercedes dealership yesterday. First impressions were how big the car was, really long. Interior looks lovely and certainly gives air of quality and feels expensive. The car they had in was white which to my mind did nothing for it but I guess appeals to some, think I'd prefer one of the greys or black. I'd also possibly like to lose the chrome trim on the boot and round the window line, not sure it sits right with a sporty car.

I'm 6'3 and was very comfortable in it, plenty of head room and a decent amount of space behind me with the seat in my position. Only downer for me was the boot, I think it may not have enough height due to the slope of the roofline. I have a dog and wanted to get a dog bag in there to keep him in one place and stop all the mud and fur from trashing the car but I'm not sure if it will fit. I'm going to order the bag (will need one whatever car I end up with) and merc dealer has kindly offered to drive the car to my house so we can see if it will fit!

Cheers for comments so far, appreciate help.

Graham

[ParanoidAndroid]

Quite surprised by that. I would have thought given they are relatively rare they'd be appreciated. I can't say I've ever seen one on the road.

[ParanoidAndroid]

You got it then? Pleased with it?

[ParanoidAndroid]

Sounds great, any pics yet? Should be picking mine up tail end of next week all being well!

[ParanoidAndroid]

Says in the brochure I've got "Particularly beneficial on long journeys, Attention Assist is an innovative system for detecting fatigue. Between speeds of 50 and 110mph, it assesses the drivers behaviour via an array of sensors and registers unexpected changes that may indicate tiredness or concentration lapses, such as involuntary movements of the steering wheel".

Edited by ParanoidAndroid on Saturday 4th October 17:13

[ParanoidAndroid]

Thought I'd do a quick update on this thread to say I picked up this on Friday. Apologies for the crappy phone pics, been chucking it down everyday since. Loving it so far, very smooth, comfy, loads of toys and actually a really good turn of pace when needed.

Edited by ParanoidAndroid on Wednesday 15th October 23:36

[ParanoidAndroid]

Thanks chaps, not sure why the second picture doesn't show, you can see it if you click on it. Interior is lovely and one of the reasons I went for this one in the end. It's actually Porcelain with contrasting black stitching and carpets/headlining. Will try and grab a pic tomorrow.

Ref AMG badge, im thinking I may remove as it reminds me of the BMW boys who stick M badges all over a 520d! Clearly whilst it's an AMG sport it's not a CLS63 It also only says CLS on the other side....

Mines also a 350 so would be interested to know more about the remap potential. Isn't it Brabus D6s that's officially endorsed by Mercedes? What the Dms remap?

[ParanoidAndroid]

Hi chaps, bit of an update and a couple of questions now I've lived with the car for just over a month now. So far, really enjoying life with the CLS SB. Wife loves it (which is saying something as she hates estate cars normally). Whilst it's not really chuckable its clearly not that sort of car and is so smooth, comfortable and generally a really lovely place to be. The interior ambiance and general quality feel standout for me - maybe the lighter interior helps here but it does feel expensive inside. I also really like the looks myself, I'm sure its not everyone's cup of tea but I think it looks pretty cool and a bit unique. I even had thumbs up from a few passing cars which wasn't expected at all!

I bought the Mercedes fitted boot floor protector and a dog bag (one of these) which just about fits in the boot but is flexible enough to allow me to squash the top down slightly to fit the CLS's lower roofline. The car is pretty much protected from the dog now meaning my weekly clean out of the boot is a doddle! Also purchased the Thule roof bars so can sling my bikes on the roof as needed.

Ref the rattles BigBrin mentioned, touch wood, mine appears to be rattle free. Only time I've really heard anything was when I had the boot cover pulled over and hit a drain or something in the road. Generally it seems really well built. Did you manage to get yours sorted?

As mentioned, have a few questions

1. Intelligent Light System - love this however I do seem to get flashed by other drivers quite a lot. I've got the lights set to 'traffic on the left' so that they are angled into the kerb but still get flashed. Is there a way to adjust these down slightly?

2. Sat Nav volume - can this be linked to the Stereo volume? I seem to be able to adjust the sat nav volume up or down but it's independent of the stereo volume. Therefore if I turn the stereo up I can't hear the sat nav until I then turn that up. Then if I turn the stereo down the sat nav volume stays loud and gives you a heart attack.

3. Active Park Assist - Seems this only works if parking on the left, is there a way to park on the right using this? Assume not but thought I'd check.

4. Eco - do you guys leave this on? Find it a bit frustrating myself. Is there a way to stop it defaulting to on?

5. Are there any winter tyre options for the 19" wheel? Tried a few places online but showing nothing available.

Cheers
Graham

Edited by ParanoidAndroid on Tuesday 25th November 18:32