New Mercedes CLA Shooting Brake spotted with a big trunk for all your junk

This is our first look at the new Mercedes CLA Shooting Brake: the more practical estate car version of the brand’s hugely important and super-sleek CLA saloon that’s finally going to be revealed to the world very soon. 

Of course, we’ve seen lots of prototypes of the new Mercedes CLA out and about testing over the past few years – and even went for a ride in one recently – so we already know what’s underneath the camouflage on this CLA Shooting Brake. 

For starters, the sharp headlights will incorporate elements designed to mimic Mercedes’ three-pointed star badge, a huge version of which will also sit in pride of place on the wide front grille. We can see the same three-pointed star signature has been used for the tail-lights, connected by a full-width light bar, which is customary these days.

The striking profile is very similar to the outgoing CLA Shooting Brake. The whole design is very streamlined, with its rounded nose and rear-end shape, pop-out door handles and swooping roofline that should all help with airflow and boost efficiency – a key focus for Mercedes with the next-generation CLA. 

The CLA saloon and Shooting Brake are two of the four ‘entry luxury’ models Mercedes is launching in rapid succession over the next few years, the others being the next-generation GLA and GLB SUVs. All of them will use Mercedes’ new MMA platform that can accommodate hybrid and pure-electric powertrains. 

Mercedes’ new fuel-sipping mild-hybrid set-up, which will be available in the CLA, pairs a highly compact 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with a 27bhp e-motor, which is integrated directly into the eight-speed dual-clutch transmission. Mercedes says it will allow for pure-electric driving at low speeds, zero-emissions coasting at up to 62mph and recuperate up to 25kW of energy when slowing down, in any gear.

The electric CLA, which will officially be called the CLA with EQ Technology, will feature an “extremely efficient” powertrain with an 800v electrical architecture to allow for ultra-rapid charge speeds. It is powerful enough, Mercedes claims, for drivers to add 186 miles of range in only 10 minutes. 

With the new Mercedes CLA saloon being revealed soon and expected to hit the streets later this year, it seems likely that the CLA Shooting Brake won’t make its debut until later in the year as well, and presumably the first examples won’t arrive until 2026.

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