GIMS 2019: New Mercedes-Benz CLA Shooting Brake revealed
Even though Shooting Brakes are not offered in India due to their low to none demand among Indian car buyers, the CLA Shooting Brake is considered by many around the world to be the most practical member of the A-Class product family.
By Divyank K. Bansal
Even though Shooting Brakes are not offered in India due to their low to none demand among Indian car buyers, the CLA Shooting Brake is considered by many around the world to be the most practical member of the A-Class product family.
Mercedes-Benz had introduced the first generation of the CLA Shooting Brake way back in 2015. Despite its coupe-like proportions, the CLA Shooting Brake offered a considerable amount of boot space and unique styling owing to its tapered rear-end. The new model, which has been revealed at the ongoing Geneva Motor Show, also takes forward those same characteristics: a long bonnet, coupe-like window lines, muscular rear haunches but with better space utilisation for enhanced passenger comfort.
Over its predecessor, it is 48mm longer and 53mm wider but a bit lower (by 2mm) for a more sportier stance. At 871mm, the boot opening is also up by 236mm. To maximise headroom for rear passengers, which is often the Achilles heel of a shooting brake, the swooping roofline has also been tinkered with to up the rear passenger headroom by 8mm. Strangely, a 30mm wheelbase extension has not resulted in any legroom increase.
Mechanically, the shooting brake remains identical to its sedan counterpart. In its top-spec version, it will be offered with the four-pot petrol motor from the CLA 250, generating 221bhp and 350Nm of torque. Power will be sent to the front wheels via a 7-speed DCT automatic gearbox. However, by the time of its commercial debut, the CLA Shooting Brake will be offered with multiple engine options, with a manual or automatic gearbox, front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive 4MATIC setup to choose from.
The interior too remains identical to the new A-Class and CLA sedan, with Mercedes' new MBUX infotainment system dominating the dashboard. However, the dash design has been enhanced with the help of quirky colour accents finished in the same shade as the exterior colour.
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