Mercedes-Benz CLA Shooting Brake: Space for something new
Breathtakingly sporty proportions and a powerfully dynamic design idiom with sensuously shaped surfaces already made the CLA unmistakable in its four-door Coupé guise. It is now followed by a further design icon, the CLA Shooting Brake, with a unique look all of its own. The lower overall height and the elongated coupé-style roof contour line, the low greenhouse and the sweep of the high beltline are the key design features of its distinctive profile. As is the gentle downward slope of the roof line, which makes for significantly more headroom than in the four-door Coupé. The CLA Shooting Brake (length/width/height: 4630/1777/1435 mm) will initially be available with a choice of two diesel and three petrol engines as well as with 4MATIC all-wheel drive. It goes on sale in January 2015, with the first models going to customers towards the end of March 2015.
"The new CLA Shooting Brake is the latest member of our successful family of compact models. The range, which now includes five models, covers an extremely wide spectrum: with the spacious B-Class sports tourer, the youthfully dynamic A-Class, the avant-garde CLA-Class Coupé and the compact GLA-Class SUV, we cater for a host of different customer wishes in this segment," says Ola Källenius, Member of the Divisional Board Mercedes-Benz Cars, responsible for Marketing & Sales. "Like its big brother, the CLS Shooting Brake, the CLA Shooting Brake is targeted at active customers who are looking outside of the mainstream for a car that impresses with a high utility value."
The guiding principle behind the designers' work was that of sensual purity as an expression of modern luxury. "The new CLA Shooting Brake offers a contemporary interpretation of sensual purity and represents the perfect synthesis between the emotionality of a coupé and the intelligence of a shooting brake," explains Gorden Wagener, Head of Design at Daimler AG. "The styling of our CLA Shooting Brake is extremely progressive as well as unmistakable. Once again, we have created a whole new class of vehicle."
The thrilling design details of the limited-edition OrangeArt Edition special model ensure that it brings an exciting note to the market launch. Orange highlight rings around the bi-xenon headlamps ensure that they stand out in spectacular style. The rim flanges of the AMG light-alloy wheels are painted in orange on the OrangeArt Edition. Orange/black sports seats and orange contrasting topstitching help to define the interior.
As spacious as they come: beauty in its most practical guise
The elegantly long drawn-out Shooting Brake tail end, in conjunction with the variability that this offers, guarantees exceptional recreational value without compromising on the CLA's aspiration to represent design at its best. At the same time, headroom in the rear is significantly greater than in the four-door CLA. At 94.7 cm, the effective headroom in the rear is 4 cm higher than it is in the companion model. Access to the second row of seats is also much easier.
This spaciousness is one of the strengths of the Shooting Brake. The load compartment offers a capacity that ranges from 495 to 1354 litres (when loaded up to the upper edge of the rear seat backrests or loaded to the roof with the rear bench seat folded down, respectively). If the rear seats are moved into the more steeply raked "cargo" position, the load capacity increases to 595 litres while still leaving space for five occupants.
The width of the luggage compartment, at up to 1328 mm, is leading in this segment. Clever little details, including the magnetic catch on the through-loading flap in the rear-seat backrest for long items, such as skis, are further typical examples of this carefully thought-out concept.
Options such as the electrically operated EASY-PACK tailgate or the Load Compartment package help to enhance convenience and variability when using the load compartment. Apart from the "cargo" positioning option for the rear-seat backrests, the Load Compartment package includes a collapsible box, a 12 V socket and an additional stowage net at the side of the load compartment. To add to the exclusive ambience, aluminium strips with anti-slip inlays are available as an option for the load compartment floor.
With a Cd value of 0.22 in its BlueEFFICIENCY Edition guise, the four-door CLA sets a new benchmark – both within the Mercedes model portfolio and among all series-production vehicles. The CLA Shooting Brake, too, holds its own alongside the world champion with outstanding aerodynamics while likewise leading its segment with a Cd value of 0.26. The drag area Cd x A, a decisive factor when it comes to wind resistance, is 0.57 m2 on the CLA Shooting Brake.
The engine range available with the CLA Shooting Brake is extensive right from the start of sales, comprising two diesel and three petrol units. All engines impress with their agile performance, low noise levels and low emissions. The CLA 200 CDI, with an output of 100 kW (136 hp), is particularly efficient: it has a top speed of 215 km/h and a combined consumption figure of just 3.9 l/100 km, with emissions of 101 g CO2/km.
All versions are equipped as standard with the ECO start/stop function and are Euro 6-compliant. All-wheel drive is likewise available straight from the market launch, initially in the CLA 250 4MATIC and CLA 250 Sport 4MATIC (features include: dynamic styling, sporty tuning of engine, accelerator and transmission as well as sporty engine sound). Diesel variants in the form of the CLA 200 CDI 4MATIC and CLA 220 CDI 4MATIC will follow in September 2015.
