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2015 Mercedes-Benz CLA Shooting Brake revealed


Merc's compact four-door coupe grows a bigger boot.

Mercedes-Benz has revealed its newest member of the expanding A-Class family, the CLA Shooting Brake.

As indicated over a year ago by Mercedes-Benz design boss Gordon Wagener, the new Shooting Brake will enter production in January 2015 becoming the prestige marque’s second coupe-come-wagon model after the larger CLS Shooting Brake.

Mercedes describe the Shooting Brake as a more practical and spacious version of the stylish CLA sedan, for those buyers who don’t want to compromise style for usability, or plump for a more expensive C-Class Estate.

From the A-pillar forward the design mirrors that of the standard CLA with the same headlight and grille design, the doors also feature the same swooshing character lines that have been adopted by most of the Mercedes passenger lineup in recent times.

The roofline and D-pillar are new however, and there’s a sleek tailgate that exaggerates the length of the car giving almost yacht-like proportions in a similar fashion to the CLS Shooting Brake.

Inside, the CLA Shooting Brake features the same youth-orientated interior design as the CLA four-door coupe, though the new roof design is said to give rear passengers greater headroom.

Boot space has also swollen by 25-litres to 495-litres VDA. With the rear seats folded flat a total of 1354-litres VDA is available.

Mechanicals for the wagon mirror the rest of the CLA range with a choice of turbocharged petrol and turbodiesel engines available with front-drive or 4MATIC all-wheel drive.

In overseas markets a manual transmission will be offered, but Australia’s love affair with autos will likely see the 7-speed double-clutch automatic the sole gearbox for locally delivered models.

International turbodiesel options include the 100kW/300Nm CLA200 CDI and the CLA220 CDI with the same 2.1-litre turbodiesel unit in 130kW/350Nm tune. Both models can achieve around 4.2L/100km combined on the European cycle.

The petrol range kicks off with the 90kW/200Nm CLA180 followed by the 115kW/250Nm CLA200 with both models capable of using around 6.0L/100km combined.

The CLA250 uses a 2.0-litre turbo four-pot producing 155kW/350Nm and can hit 100km/h in 6.8 seconds in all-wheel drive 4MATIC form. Combined fuel consumption for the all-paw Shooting Brake is 6.6L/100km.

Mercedes is also launching a CLA45 AMG version of the Shooting Brake which gets the same 265kW/450Nm 2.0-litre turbo unit as the performance arm’s other '45' models.

Mercedes has carved yet another niche in the market

A 4MATIC all-wheel drive system and double-clutch transmission with launch control function helps the new model reach 100km/h in just 4.7 seconds – a tenth off the slightly lighter CLA45 sedan, but a tenth quicker than the GLA45 SUV with the same powertrain. 

The AMG model also features bigger brakes, more track-focused suspension and tyres and a number of styling pieces to give a sportier look. 

The new CLA load lugger won’t have any direct rivals when lands in Australia next year, as Mercedes has carved yet another niche in the market.

Though Australian pricing and specifications are unconfirmed, expect the CLA Shooting Brake to be slightly more expensive than its sedan sibling, which starts at $50,900.