Think back to the era of the station wagons (circa 1970 through 1985) and imagine the wagons that graced the garages of large families. These were typically massive slabs of iron with not enough power to outrun a 3-year-old on a tricycle and massive faux-wood stickers plastered on the side. Yeah, they weren’t necessarily things of beauty, to say the least.

As we progressed through the 1980s and 1990s, the minivan took over for the station wagon and emasculated men around the world. Now it looks as if the station wagon has come full circle in the automotive realm, as minivans are slowly disappearing, and crossovers and station wagons are taking their place.

Of course, now station wagons are called either 5-door sedans or “shooting brake.” Much like when Prince decided to change his name to an unpronounceable symbol, we’ll continue to think of these as station wagons. However, with Mercedes-Benz releasing the all-new CLS Shooting Brake, we can’t help but notice that the station wagon isn’t quite the underpowered, puke green, wood-trimmed gas guzzler that we recall. With Brabus now getting its expert hands on the CLS Shooting Brake, we are in for a big change.

That’s right, Brabus->ke368 decided to take the entire CLS Shooting Brake line – from the CLS 250 Shooting Brake all the way to the CLS 63 AMG Shooting Brake – and pump it up a notch in the “cool” department. Well, however “cool” a station wagon can really be.

Click past the jump to read all about the Mercedes-Benz LS Shooting Brake by Brabus.

2013 Mercedes-Benz CLS Shooting Brake by Brabus

Specifications
  • Make: Array
  • Model: 2013 Mercedes-Benz CLS Shooting Brake by Brabus
  • Engine/Motor: inline-4
  • Horsepower: 235
  • Torque: 413
  • [do not use] Vehicle Model: Array
Pros
Cons

Exterior

First of all, the CLS Shooting Brake is not your typical station wagon. It is elegant, stylish, and, in some cases, downright fast. Its body lines are not something you would expect from a wagon and Brabus made sure to take care when developing its exterior modifications, as to not harm the CLS’s already stout exterior.

On the CLS 250 and CLS 350 CDI BlueEfficiency models, as well as the CLS 350 and CLS 500 BlueEfficiency with the factory-added aerodynamics package, you can upgrade to the Brabus exterior package. Up front, this package offers a Brabus front spoiler to help add a little down-force to the front end, but mostly to enhance its overall appearance. You also get the Brabus front fascia attachments with integrated LED daytime running lamps, which is a bit of a lowlight on this package, as it features faux air vents that simply look tacky. The CLS’s factory fenders are replaced sport fenders, which feature faux heat extractors that look almost as if they were glued in place – not too clean of a job. Finally, you get a set of Brabus side skirts with integrated entrance light, which are relatively well-fit when you compare them to the rest of the kit.

For those lucky enough to have the AMG sport package, you get an additional front spoiler lip, fender attachments with an illuminated “Brabus” logo, and an additional front spoiler. All of the additions to the AMG sport package are clear coated carbon-fiber to help add to the already stout appearance of the CLS AMG Shooting Brake.

On the corners, you have six different wheel packages to choose from, ranging from 8.5J x 17 to 10.5J x 20. In the 20-inch variety, you can choose from the Brabus Monoblock F, Q, or R design. The Monoblock R design is the newest addition to Brabus’ line and features two sets of five double spokes arranged in two plains. The inner spokes are painted Liquid Titanium and the outer spokes are diamond polished and sealed with a tinted clear coat.

We absolutely love the rim packages that Brabus has brought to the table for the CLS Shooting Brake. Unfortunately, the body kit just doesn’t do it for us. It looks clunky, out of place, and downright cheap in some cases.

Interior

On the inside, Brabus will make your CLS Sport Brake exactly how you like it. You can choose to drape the seats in a Brabus Mastik leather and Alcantara. You can also add in scuff plates that feature a Brabus back-lit logo and opt for 340 km/h (211 mph) or 400 km/h (250 mph) speedometer faces, rear tray tables, aluminum pedals, door-lock pins, and shift paddles. You also can get clear coated carbon-fiber inlays for the dashboard and center console or wood inlays for the same areas.

Brabus went above and beyond by custom crafting a multimedia system for the CLS->ke539 Shooting Brake that also allows you to integrate your Apple iPad with the car.

For the mess that Brabus made on the outside, its offerings on the inside made up for it with the subtle, yet luxurious, changes it made.

Engine and Drivetrain

Okay, under the hood is where Brabus typically makes its biggest mark, so let’s see what it has in store for us.

At the base level, the CLS 250 CDI, Brabus installed the PowerXtra D4 performance kit, which brings the CLS 250 CDI BlueEfficiency from 150 kW (204 horsepower) to 172.8 kW (235 horsepower) and from 500 Nm (369 pound-feet) of torque to 560 Nm (413 pound-feet), that’s a 15-percent and 12-percent increase, respectively.

The CLS 350 CDI Blue Efficiency gets the aid of the Brabus ECO PowerXtra D6S tuning kit. This tune is much more in depth than the CLS 250 CDI model, as this one also changes up the 7G-Tronic Plus gearbox. When your 350 CDI is in “ECO” mode, the 350 CDI’s torque is increased from its standard 620 Nm (457 pound-feet) to 690 Nm (509 pound-feet), but its 195 kW (265 horsepower) is left unchanged. Once you shift your 350 CDI manual or change it to “Sport” mode, the real fun kicks in, as an extra 35 kW (48 horsepower) heads to the wheels, giving it a stout 230 kW (313 horsepower). This gets the fairly large CLS 350 CDI to 100 km/h (62 mph) in just 5.9 seconds, a full 0.7 seconds faster than stock. The Mercedes top speed limiter remains at the factory-set 250 km/h (155 mph).

Next in line is the CLS 500 BlueEfficiency model, which Brabus used its B50-500 performance kit on to boost its power from 300 kW (402 horsepower) to 368 kW (500 horsepower). The base torque output for the CLS 500 is 600 Nm (442 pound-feet) and this upgrade bumps it up to an impressive 720 Nm (531 pound-feet). There is no mention of the CLS 500 CDI’s 0-to-100 km/h time, but this kit does bump it up to a 300 km/h (186 mph) top speed – its standard top speed it 250 km/h (155 mph).

Now onto the big dog: the CLS 63 AMG Shooting Brake. Brabus installed the B63-620 performance kit on the CLS 63 AMG, which pumps its output from an already impressive 415 kW (557 horsepower) and 720 Nm (531 pound-feet) of torque to 455 kW (619 horsepower) and 900 to 1,000 Nm (663 to 737 pound-feet) of torque. This drops its 0-to-100 km/h time from 4.4 seconds to 4.2 seconds and increases it top speed from an electronically limited 249 km/h (155 mph) to 320 km/h (200 mph).

In addition to the tuning on the CLS 63 AMG Shooting Brake, Brabus also installed a sports exhaust system with a butterfly valve to allow you to tune the exhaust not on the fly. A steering wheel-mounted button allows the driver to choose from “Coming Home” mode and “Sport” mode, with the former being a quiet operation and the latter being a more sporty tone. Additionally, the dual ceramic-coated exhaust tips hanging from the rear end are a nice visual addition. The other models get a full-stainless-steel quad-sport exhaust system that both increases power output and exhaust note.

Finally, Brabus installed a clutch-type limited-slip differential with a 40-percent locking rate, which helps keep the CLS’s tires from slipping when cornering at high speeds.

Driveline Specifications:

Model

Engine Output

0-to-100 km/h (62 mph)

Top Speed

CLS 250 CDI BlueEfficiency

172.8 kW (235 horsepower) and 560 Nm (413 pound-feet)

Not Tested (7.4 second TopSpeed Est.)

Not Tested (150 mph TopSpeed Est.)

CLS 350 CDI BlueEfficiency

230 kW (313 horsepower) and 690 Nm (509 pound-feet)

5.9 seconds

250 km/h (155 mph) electronically limited

CLS 500 Blue Efficiency

368 kW (500 horsepower) and 720 Nm (531 pound-feet)

Not Tested (5 seconds TopSpeed Est.)

325 km/h (155 mph) electronically limited

CLS 65 AMG

455 kW (619 horsepower) and 900 to 1,000 Nm (663 to 737 pound-feet)

4.2 seconds

320 km/h (200 mph)


Suspension and Handling

Brabus did a little bit of tuning to the CLS Shooting Brake’s suspension system too. It offers up a wide range of suspension options, ranging from sports springs to a Brabus suspension module that lowers the CL’s ride height by 35 mm (1.37 inches), which is only available on CLS models with the Airmatic air suspension system installed. You also get a wide array of low-profile tires to choose from to help keep the CLS glued to the ground.

Conclusion

You know, we often have a love-hate relationship with all things Brabus. It’ll do one thing absolutely right, then completely screw up another. This is a glowing example of this situation, as the body kit is a complete mess and looks like it was designed by a 16-year-old kid with his first Honda Civic. Under the hood and inside the car, however, Brabus created near perfection, but adding just enough to set it apart from every other CLS Shooting Brakes on the road. If Brabus offers the option to install everything but the body kit, we highly recommend this setup.