Mercedes-AMG CLA 35 Shooting Brake announced
AMG goes all-in on the CLA range with the final - and possibly winning - piece of the jigsaw. A wagon...
Mercedes-AMG must have more 'entry points' than a game of Kerplunk by now, with the CLA 35 now spawning the wagon-shaped CLA 35 Shooting Brake. Described as combining "the powerful proportions of a sporty coupe with decisive extra functionality thanks to the extended roof, the large tailgate, the wide load compartment opening and the variable interior", it brings a touch more practicality to Mercedes' compact range.
Powered by the same 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine as the CLA 35, producing the same 306hp, for the same 0-62 time of 4.9 seconds, it's largely, well, the same. Which is no bad thing. Of course, the increased carrying capacity has necessitated one obvious change, which comes at the rear of the car. The raised roofline arguably presents a better resolved form than that of the standard CLA, although the crescent-shaped window still appears somewhat awkwardly proportioned, with rather too much metal both above and below it.
Talking about the new Shooting Brake, Tobias Moers, Chairman of Mercedes-AMG said: "The new CLA 35 Shooting Brake, with its expressive design, the agile vehicle dynamics and the flexible load compartment is an attractive alternative for young customers who lead an active life with various leisure activities. With the Shooting Brake we are offering these individualists access to the exciting world of AMG Driving Performance, which is tailored to their specific requirements."
ORIGINAL STORY - 09.04.2019
I'll be honest, when the press release for the new CLA 35 arrived in my inbox, I thought I'd already written about it, so similar is it on paper to the A35 Saloon which Mercedes-AMG announced just two weeks ago. Also spawned from the A-Class hatch, the CLA features the same 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo engine found in its siblings, producing the same 306hp, which is again distributed to all four wheels via the same 7-speed dual-clutch transmission. It results in a 0-62 time of 4.9 seconds - one tenth down on the Saloon and two tenths slower than the hatch - and a limited top speed of 155mph.
So what's different? Well, as is the way with these things, the CLA's changes are mainly of an aesthetic nature. There's a revised front end, featuring more sculpted headlights, redesigned intakes and two bonnet 'powerdomes' (creases, basically) for a sportier look. The rear also receives the new light design, as well as a new diffuser insert, though the real change comes in the licence plate's relocation, giving the CLA a wider appearance and making room for its raison d'etre, the sloping roofline.
The changes undoubtedly give the CLA 35 a more aggressive appearance than the A35 Saloon, with the front end alterations a particularly noticeable improvement. The fastback redesign also seems to better resolve the combination of A-Class proportions and larger saloon body style than was managed with the A35 Saloon itself. With both AMG cars so closely matched, but only one appearing truly 'sporty', then, the case for the Saloon does become somewhat hard to make.
Tobias Moers, Mercedes-AMG's CEO, said of the decision to add to the hot A-Class lineup: "With its iconic design and agile driving dynamics, the new CLA 35 is an attractive offer for a young, active and lifestyle-conscious target group. These customers define their requirements very clearly: They expect exciting design from their vehicle alongside superior performance and inspiring handling characteristics. The new CLA 35 embodies just this attitude to life - and enables stepping in to the fascinating world of AMG Driving Performance in a particularly emotional way."
For those Mercedes buyers looking for "exciting design", the new CLA 35 is set to premiere at the New York International Auto Show on April 16th, with sales commencing on April 29th. For everyone else, well, the rest of the A-Class range is available now...
Did one department at Mercedes design and build the A35 Saloon, not knowing that the CLA (which is an A-Class saloon) already existed?
Both have the same engine, AWD system, & dashboard. Both are Saloons with 4 doors and a boot. So what's the difference? Really what's the difference? Slight different external design?
Think Mercedes have introduced a car that they already had covered. Either drop the CLA, or don't go to all that cost of designing and building the A35 saloon.
Wonder how they stack up price wise? If the CLA is more money for basically the same car, why would people buy the CLA? Yes some will, but most will go for the A-Class Saloon and save £5-10k at the same time.
Did one department at Mercedes design and build the A35 Saloon, not knowing that the CLA (which is an A-Class saloon) already existed?
Both have the same engine, AWD system, & dashboard. Both are Saloons with 4 doors and a boot. So what's the difference? Really what's the difference? Slight different external design?
Think Mercedes have introduced a car that they already had covered. Either drop the CLA, or don't go to all that cost of designing and building the A35 saloon.
Wonder how they stack up price wise? If the CLA is more money for basically the same car, why would people buy the CLA? Yes some will, but most will go for the A-Class Saloon and save £5-10k at the same time.
The CLA should have been the saloon or the saloon should have been the CLA....
Having said the above is there a similar argument between the CLS and E Coupe / Saloon?
As I understand it Mercedes \ AMG didn't have a AMG lite to battle against the BMW Mxxx models or Audi S models? They already had the A35 platform so this is just ensuring there's a niche covered.
Quite like it.
I don't understand those who moan that there's too much choice. Choice is a good thing. Those who need more rear headroom or want to save a couple of grand will buy the saloon, those who can get away with less headroom and prefer the look of the CLA will buy that one.
I don't like this new Mercedes design language at all. In yellow, that huge overbite at the front makes it look like Bart Simpson, and the back is just generic German saloon. I won't even start on the random bunch of materials and shapes they've thrown at the interior.
The interior looks quite odd based on the above image. I guess it's flashly, I don't mind the use of TFT dashboard screens but I can't really get into the tablet sitting on a shelf design though. It just doesn't seem very practical to me, it looks like it would be a dust trap and potential suffer from screen glare in direct sunlight since there is no bezel surround that extends out from the top edge. Maybe this is the future and I will just have to paradigm shift and get used to it...
I've always considered the CLA to be a wannabe mini CLS, the irony being that the first one was a lot uglier than the larger car. I think it's the other way round now as the current CLS is (in my eyes at least) no where near as good looking as the old ones.
As said already though, I'm not sure why you'd need the A35 saloon and the CLA35! Both seem to be in such similar segments although both do look pretty good.
with the ongoing war on speed I can see why more people are turning to cars with character or 'white goods' when they just want basic transport. personally I'm more interested in cars like the Dacia Duster, Jimny, MX-5, Jeep concepts that I am with cars like this.
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