The Mercedes CLA-Class->ke3130 is one of Mercedes’->ke187 baby models, having only been around since 2013. The compact->ke140 four-door luxury sedan->ke142 immediately became one of the company’s most popular models, selling over 100,000 units in just it first year. Mercedes even called it its “best launch in 20 years,” which is no small feat considering the multitude of successful models the company has released in that time. Not surprisingly, the success of the CLA gave Mercedes the idea of expanding the family to include the CLA Shooting Brake. So, here we are.

Launched at the 2014 Los Angeles Auto Show->ke211, the CLA Shooting Brake was presented as a solution for customers in the market for an entry-level luxury wagon->ke143. It currently sits just below 2015 Mercedes-Benz CLS Shooting Brake, but carries with it a lot of the design elements from the 2014-2015 Mercedes-Benz CLA Coupe.

On its face, the CLA Shooting Brake shows a lot of promise. It has the trademark Mercedes engineering on its side and more importantly, it’s priced reasonably enough to make it affordable even for those who would’ve been priced out by the CLS Shooting Brake.

But other than style and pricing, is the CLA Shooting Brake really good enough to warrant a purchase? Or is it simply a premature expansion of a new model that might have been better off sticking to what it was in the beginning?

Continue reading to learn more about the Mercedes-Benz CLA Shooting Brake.

mercedes-cla-shooting-brake

Specifications
  • Make: Array
  • Model: mercedes-cla-shooting-brake
Pros
Cons

2015 Mercedes CLA Shooting Brake

Specifications
  • Make: Array
  • Model: 2015 Mercedes CLA Shooting Brake
  • Engine/Motor: inline-4
  • Horsepower: 122 @ 5000
  • Torque: 147 @ 1250
  • [do not use] Vehicle Model: Array
Pros
Cons

Exterior

The CLA Shooting Brake’s overall design is arguably its high point. At the very least, it’s more proportioned than the four-door CLA Coupe ever was. That in itself is a victory for the CLA Shooting Brake as it clears away any confusion of what it really is. I’m sorry, but no matter how successful it is, the CLA Coupe is a sedan no matter how Mercedes tries to spin it as a “four-door coupe.”

The CLA Shooting Brake gets rid of all the pretentiousness with a profile that justifies its shooting brake - or wagon->ke143, in common speak - classification.

The longer roof does most of the trick, but the flashy front profile and the aggressive body lines also adds some flair to the CLA Shooting Brake, preventing it from become another dreary-looking wagon with the personality of an Evander Holyfield cardboard cut-out. There’s enough of those in the world already.

That said, the CLA’s rear roofline does look a little swollen, and for all the touting of this being one of the longest wagons in the market, it didn’t do much in helping add more cargo space.

Still, it has and identity of its own, which is more than what you can say for other models of its ilk.

Exterior Dimensions

Length

4,630 MM (182.28 Inches)

Width

1,777 MM (69.96 Inches)

Height

1,435 MM (56.49 Inches)


Side-by-side comparison

Interior

For better or worse, the interior of the CLA Shooting Brake feels like a world unto its own.

While it does carry over the dashboard design from the CLA Coupe, Mercedes apparently spent little to no time simplifying the dizzying number of buttons, switches, and controls on the cabin. It might be aesthetically pleasing, particularly if images of a plane’s cockpit enters your head, but it’s not that convenient for a driver.

Even the floating screen looks a little out of place and, dare I say, a little “aftermarket-ish.” Again, that’s not necessarily a bad thing, but we expected more from Mercedes.

Adding to the operational trickery is the placement of the command toggle at the transmission tunnel. As if navigating around the myriad of buttons on the flat-bottom steering wheel and the console just below the turbine-inspired A/C vents is hard enough, Mercedes had to place the command toggle of the screen separate from the rest. Last I checked, we can only use two hands for driving, right?

Confusion aside, I do like the sporty front seats, which aren’t what you’d normally find in a station wagon. It’s probably one of the best things about the CLA Shooting Brake’s interior because it accomplishes two things: bring a racy element to the cabin while also providing reasonable comfort for both the driver and the front passenger.

This brings us to the rear seating accommodations, one of the biggest flaws of the CLA Coupe. Sadly, Mercedes didn’t do too much to improve the legroom at the back. The more upright roofline does add almost 1.6 inches of space, but it’s still not enough to completely make it a comfortable riding experience. Even with the seats in place and the better proportions, cargo space tops out at just 495 litres, 25 liters more than the CLA Coupe.

The solution to this, as this case with most wagons, is to flatten the rear seats altogether. When that happens, cargo space improves to 1,354 litres, good enough for a wagon but still falls short of a car like the Volkswagen Golf Estate, which has 1,620 liters of cargo space at its disposal.

Drivetrain

The Mercedes CLA Shooting Brake is being offered with three different engine options, each coming with its own set of advantages and disadvantages.

First up is the 2.1-liter, inline-four turbo diesel that powers both the 200 CDI and the 220 CDI. Output figures for both engines come up to 136 horsepower and 221 pound-feet of torque and 177 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. Both models are fitted with seven-speed DCT dual-clutch transmissions, which sends power to the two front wheels. With that, the 200 CDI is capable of sprinting from 0 to 62 mph in 9.9 seconds to go with a top speed of 133 mph. Those are respectable numbers but if you’re choosing between one of the two, the 220 CDI gets to the same 62-mph speed in just 8.3 seconds and has a top speed of 141 mph.

Moving on to the gasoline engines, we have a 1.6-liter turbocharged, four-cylinder engine that powers the CLA 180 and CLA 200. Just like their diesel counterparts, the CLA 180 only has 122 horsepower and 147 pound-feet of torque on tap, much lower than the CLA 200 and its 156-horsepower and 184-pound-feet of torque figures. There’s also a significant gap in performance figures as the 180 can only sprint from 0 to 62 mph in 9.4 seconds, six-tenths-of-a second slower than the CLA 200. It’s the same story with top speed. While the CLA 180 can top out at 130 mph, the CLA 200 can go higher at 139 mph.

Finally, we move to the range-topping trims: the CLA 250 and the CLA 250 4MATIC., It’s actually just the same car in terms of the engine (a 2.0-liter turbo four), output (211 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque), and performance ( top speed of 149 mph).

The only difference between the two is that the CLA 250 4MATIC can sprint from 0 to 62 mph in 6.8 seconds, a tenth-of-a-second faster than the CLA 250. That’s partly due to the former being the only CLA Shooting Brake that runs on all four wheels instead of just the two front wheels.

If you want to go all-out, there is also a 2016 Mercedes-Benz CLA 45 AMG Shooting Brake version, whose turbocharged, 2.0-liter, four-cylinder outputs 381 horsepower and can hit 62 mph in just 4.3 seconds.

Drivetrain Specifications

Diesel

CLA 200 CDI

CLA 220 CDI

Number of cylinders/arrangement

4 in-line

4 in-line

Displacement (cc)

2143

2143

Rated output

136 HP @ 3,200-4,000 RPM

177 HP @ 3,600-3,800 RPM

Rated torque

221 LB-FT @ 1,400-3,000 RPM

258 LB-FT @ 1,400-3,400 RPM

Combined fuel consumption from (l/100 km)

4,4-4,1

4.3-4.0

Combined CO2 emissions from (g/km)

115-108

112-105

Efficiency class

A+

A+

Acceleration 0-100 km/h (s) (62 mph)

9,9

8.3

Top speed (km/h)

215 km/h (133 mph)

228 km/h (141 mph)


Petrol

CLA 180

CLA 200

CLA 250

CLA 250 4MATIC

Number of cylinders/arrangement

4 in-line

4 in-line

4 in-line

4 in-line

Displacement (cc)

1595

1595

1991

1991

Displacement (cc)

122 HP @ 5,000 RPM

156 HP @ 5,300 RPM

211 HP @ 5,500 RPM

211 HP @ 5,500 RPM

Rated torque

147 LB-FT @ 1,250-4,000 RPM

184 LB-FT @ 1,250-4,000 RPM

258 LB-FT @ 1,200-4,000

258 LB-FT @ 1,200-4,000 RPM

Combined fuel consumption from (l/100 km)

6,0-5,5

6,0-5,6

5,7-5,5

6,8-6,6

Rated output

140-128

140-130

132-124

132-128

Efficiency class

B

B

B

C

Rated torque

9,4

8,8

6,9

6,8

Combined fuel consumption from (l/100 km)

225 km/h (139 mph)

240 km/h (149 mph)

240 km/h (149 mph)


Prices

Of all the things that’s been said about the Mercedes CLA Shooting Brake, this one is arguably the most important: it’s not available in the US.

That’s because the growing popularity of crossovers->ke288 and SUVs->ke145 have basically created a shift in the perception of what an ideal people-mover is for most American families. Wagons, especially of the premium variety, aren’t as important as they were in the past.

For its part, Mercedes already has the E-Class->ke373 in the US filling the wagon slot so the higher-ups in Germany probably thought that it wouldn’t make sense to have two wagons in the mix, even if both models are reasonably apart from each other in Merc’s lineup.

In any case, pricing for the CLA Shooting Brake starts at £26,030 in the UK.

Competition

2015 Volvo V60

By default, the Mercedes CLA Shooting Brake’s absence in the US means one less competitor for the Volvo V60->ke3667, arguably the closest thing you’ll find in our neck of the woods to the CLA wagon. If you look at it from another perspective, though, it’s probably a good thing that the CLA Shooting Brake isn’t here because it’s going to have its hands full against the V60.

By and large, the V60 is considered one of the best wagons in the market. Say what you will about Volvo’s seeming lack of panache, but it knows how to make wagons. The V60 itself seamlessly blends a mixture of luxury and functionality. The interior, for example, may be too simplistic compared to the CLA Shooting Brake, but there’s still enough high-quality materials and stylish amenities to make for a seamless and comfortable ride.

Three different engines are available for the V60, beginning with the base, turbocharged, 2.0-liter that produces 240 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. This Drive-E engine is mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission. A little north of that is the traditional five-cylinder that’s rated at 250 horsepower and 266 pound-feet of torque with a six-speed automatic and an all-wheel-drive system. Finally, the 3.0-liter six-cylinder sits at the top of the range, sending 325 horses and 354 pound-feet of torque to all four wheels courtesy of a six-speed auto transmission.

The only drawback to the V60 is the lack of a diesel option, but with a base price of just $35,750, I’m sure people won’t mind too much with what they have to pay for the model relative to the market.

Conclusion

It’s a shame that the Mercedes CLA-Class Shooting Brake isn’t available in the US because I actually think it’s going to do well in this market. But as it is, Mercedes doesn’t appear to be changing its stance on that anytime soon.

Still, the CLA Shooting Brake has a lot of potential, if you know what you’re looking for in a wagon. It fits the perfect profile of a wagon and it stands out quite a bit in the open road, a testament to the design genius of Mercedes. The interior is a mixed bag go awesomeness and disappointment, but if you can take one with the other, I don’t see any reason why it should be a deal-breaker. Likewise, the engine options offer enough variety to suit a customer’s gas-guzzling preference.

All in all, the CLA Shooting Brake should be worth its price tag. Now if only there was a way for American customers to get their hands on one. A change of mind from Mercedes, perhaps?

Spy Shots

October 28, 2014 - Mercedes CLA Shooting Brake testing on the autobahn

Rendering

2015 Mercedes-Benz CLA Shooting Brake spied testing on the Nürburgring