Mercedes-Benz has revealed the sleek estate version of its CLA at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show and it looks… pretty great.
Since when is a fanfare made for a new estate car anymore? They’re going the way of the Dodo what with the SUV onslaught, right? For Mercedes, however, the wagon is alive and well.
‘A sports car with load space’
The Shooting Brake version of the CLA continues the saloon’s ethos of minimal lines and bold shapes. Its swooping roofline is perhaps the boldest since the original CLS ‘four-door coupe’ debuted in 2004.
There’s genuine muscularity about the CLA SB, without it looking overly aggressive. That styling is functional, too, with an impressive 0.26 drag coefficient.
Inside the 2019 CLA Shooting Brake
The cabin is almost a direct carryover from the saloon, and that’s no bad thing. Mercedes is on a roll at the moment with its excellent MBUX operating system. When you’re not looking at a screen, you’re looking at a cabin that could pass for something twice as expensive.
Mercedes is also very proud of the new Shooting Brake’s practical credentials. The boot opening is 236mm wider (at 871mm) than that of its predecessor. Boot capacity is improved by 10 litres, to 505 litres, while passengers gain head, leg, shoulder and elbow space.
Class-leading driver assistance and safety
The CLA Shooting Brake combines Distance Assist Distronic, Active Steer Assist, Active Lane Change Assist, Active Park Assist, upgraded cameras and improved radar to be (almost) able to drive itself.
It can scan the road up to 500m ahead and ‘drive partially autonomously in certain situations’.
AMG versions coming soon
A familiar range of petrol and diesel engines will be available by the CLA Shooting Brake’s market launch in September 2019. Topping the range is the CLA 250, with a 225hp four-cylinder turbocharged unit, driving via a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.
What about the AMG versions? Well, you can expect a CLA 35 and CLA 45 to be along soon afterwards. The latter should boast well over 400hp.