The new Mercedes-Benz CLA Shooting Brake - Sports Car with Load Space

The new Mercedes-Benz CLA Shooting Brake - Sports Car with Load Space

Attractive, intelligent – and at the same time practical: the latest iteration of the extravagant synthesis of four-door coupé and estate-car rear end will appear from January in the form of the Mercedes-Benz CLA Shooting Brake. Like the CLA Coupé, the Shooting Brake reinterprets the design idiom of sensual purity, turning the interior into a cool and stylish user interface for intelligent digital technology. From the striking "shark nose" at the front of the vehicle and the smooth expanses of its sides, the design displays elegant athleticism right through to the muscular lines of its rear end. The latter serves to provide the CLA Shooting Brake with a crucial extra element of functionality. While just as much a designer piece as the CLA Coupé, it offers more space for spontaneity, be that on an extended shopping spree or for sports and outdoor activities where space is required.

OneShift Editorial Team
OneShift Editorial Team
08 Jan 2020

The interior of the CLA Shooting Brake displays the modern, cool and high-quality ambience of the Coupé. In addition, it offers passengers more space than the predecessor model in the shoulder, head and elbow areas. The digital environment of the CLA's technophile customers is integrated into the interior in a creatively and technically pioneering way. All elements are arranged according to the overarching design themes of "high tech" and "youthful avant-garde" – be that the steering wheel, the door handle operating module, the centre console or the seats.

Thanks to MBUX (Mercedes-Benz User Experience) with further improved voice recognition, the operation of ever more functions is becoming more natural and much simpler.

Great emphasis is placed on individualisation in the new Shooting Brake with the Progressive and AMG Line design and equipment lines.

“The CLA Shooting Brake improves on an already proven and well-loved design. Combining a sporty coupé silhouette with the practicality and versatility offered by an estate makes for a highly-desirable, all-rounded package.” said Philipp Hagenburger, President and CEO, Mercedes-Benz Singapore. We continue to find success with the CLA Shooting Brake and cannot wait to begin delivering these iconic vehicles to local car buyers.” Mr Hagenburger added.

With expressive design, revolutionary technology coupled with an intuitive operating concept, it embodies the self-expression that CLA drivers strive for – creativity, culture, emotional design and a strong sense that only they define. Their journey is of the utmost importance to them. They have a taste for the uncommon. For the extra-ordinary. For the exceptional.

Design: sports car with load space

The CLA Shooting Brake is a five-door model and clearly a coupé in terms of its proportions, yet it offers considerable effective load space thanks to a roof that is continued through to the rear and rounded off by the tailgate. It is a designer car, the proportions of which ensure that it appeals first and foremost to the emotions: a long bonnet, compact greenhouse with coupé-like window lines, muscular shoulders over the rear wheel arch and a sinuously crouched rear, which clearly shows its sports car genes. The outline of the frameless windows is identical to the outline of the Coupé itself up to the B-pillar. Behind it, the window line runs considerably higher, which makes entering for rear passengers easier. Elongated into the rear, it tapers off into an acute angle.

The flat headlamps, distinctively forward-tilted front end ("shark nose"), the elongated, low-slung bonnet and the diamond radiator grille with central star mark the typical Mercedes-Benz sports car look. The powerdomes are dynamic styling elements.

The number of character lines has been reduced, for example the shoulder line has been completely dispensed with. The surfaces are structured with soft sculptural curvatures. These emphasise outlines and proportions, thereby helping to define the vehicle's sporty character.
The narrow two-part rear lamps and the licence plate positioned in the bumper are typical for the GT rear with a flush transition between the rear bumper and the tailgate. The CLA Shooting Brake strikes an impressive pose on the road and looks athletic from every angle. At 871 millimetres, the boot opening is significantly wider than in the previous model (635 mm). In addition, the tailgate can also be opened contactlessly with EASYPACK and HANDS-FREE ACCESS.

The concept for its dimensions: longer, wider and more grown-up

The interior of the passenger compartment is identical to that of the Coupé. Both CLAs offer a unique interior architecture, especially on account of the avant-garde instrument panel: the widescreen display is completely free -standing with no cowl on the wing-shaped main body of the instrument panel. This stretches continuously from one front door to the other. The lower section of the instrument panel is visually separated from the main body of the instrument cluster by a "trench". The ambient lighting amplifies this effect, offering a selection of 64 colours, ten colour schemes and various effects in three brightness zones. The three air vents are incorporated here, and their sporty turbine look appeals to the senses even without the lighting.

Digital home on wheels: MBUX keeps on learning

Mercedes-Benz User Experience, MBUX for short, defines the experience in the interior of Mercedes-Benz models since the beginning of 2018 and is developing from model to model in line with the digital world. A highlevel computing capacity, bright screens and graphics, individualisable presentation, highlights available on request such as a full-colour head-up display and navigation with augmented reality; additionally, software capable of learning and voice-operated control that goes beyond the conventional automotive standards and accepts passengers' instructions following the command "Hey Mercedes". MBUX is completely customised to the wishes of modern users.

ENERGIZING comfort control: wellness while driving

The new CLA Shooting Brake is even more comfortable thanks to ENERGIZING comfort control, which networks the various comfort systems in the vehicle. Functions of the air conditioning system and the seats (heater, ventilation, massage) as well as lighting and musical moods are used in a targeted manner to enable a specific wellness set -up tailored to the mood and need of the customer.

Suspension: agile yet comfortable

Along with the CLA Coupé, the CLA Shooting Brake has the sportiest driving characteristics of all the models in the new compact car generation from Mercedes-Benz. This is down to the wider track which makes the new CLA Shooting Brake look even more athletic, as well as the lower centre of gravity and the multi-link rear suspension generally fitted in these models. The wheel suspensions are not only precisely guided, but also designed for ride comfort and quiet-running with acoustic control arms that decouple vibrations at the rear and hydromounts at the front. A large-scale stabiliser bar reduces the roll angle.

An Adaptive Damping System is available on request, which allows the driver to switch between more comfort or particularly sporty tuning. The ESP® tuning has been specially adapted to the CLA's potentially high cornering speeds and handling performance.

Aerodynamics: extensive flow simulation helps to save fuel

Aerodynamics was always one of the first CLA's strong points. Thanks to extensive flow simulation on the computer and fine tuning in the wind tunnel, the new model maintains the high level despite its wider track. The Cd value of 0.26 is naturally above that the Coupé (0.23), whose tapering rear inherently creates somewhat less flow. Apart from just aerodynamic resistance, development work also focussed on the reduction of wind noise.



The CLA Shooting Brake features the current range of driving assistance systems with cooperative driver support and thus provides a very level of active safety for this segment, with functions adopted from the S-Class. For the first time, the CLA Shooting Brake is able to drive semiautonomously in certain situations. Thanks to improved camera and radar systems, the CLA can drive partially autonomously in certain situations, for example by conveniently adapting the speed before corners, junctions or roundabouts using Active Distance Assist DISTRONIC (part of the optional Driving Assistance Package) with recourse to maps and navigation data. As part of the Driving Assistance package, the CLA also offers the Active Emergency Stop Assist, Evasive Steering Assist, Active Blind Spot Assist with exit warning function, Active Steering Assist, Active Braking Assist with cross-traffic function, PRE-SAFE® system and PRE-SAFE® Plus.

Intelligent Drive: functions from the S-Class

The new CLA comes with enhanced Active Braking Assist as standard. Depending on the situation, it can effectively help to mitigate the consequences of rear-end collisions with slower-moving, stopping or stationary vehicles ahead, and even with crossing pedestrians and cyclists, or to prevent them altogether.

Active Lane Keeping Assist is able to warn the driver by means of pulsed vibrations in the steering wheel when the vehicle is unintentionally drifting out of its lane at speeds between 60 and 200 km/h. If the vehicle passes over a solid line, it can pull the vehicle back into lane by applying the brakes on one side. In the case of a dotted line, such intervention takes place only when there is a danger of collision with a vehicle in the adjacent lane (danger from oncoming traffic).

PRE-SAFE® PLUS can detect an imminent rear-end collision. If the danger of a collision persists, the system can also firmly apply the brakes of the stationary vehicle, thus lowering the risk of injuries by reducing the forward jolt caused by an impact from the rear.

Powertrain: efficient and powerful four-cylinder engines

The new CLA Shooting Brake relies on the four-cylinder petrol engines, which were completely updated for the relaunch of the compact model series. In comparison to the previous generation, they are characterised by significantly increased power and by improved efficiency and emissions.

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