Like low profile, sporty wagons? Look at the new Mercedes Benz CLS Shooting Brake and you’ll see why this exciting new entry for the German Marque has the goods to offer plenty of power and practicality to make the CLS-Class even more desirable.

Shapely lines swoop from the long CLS bonnet up-and-over the low roofline, and then the lines drop quickly away over the Shooting Brake’s swoony rear-end. Two large exhaust outlets and bold wrap-around taillights finish the CLS Shooting Brake off nicely. Shades of the Porsche Panamera are mirrored in the sleek Mercedes Benz CLS Shooting Brake’s outline.

Gordon Wagener is Head of Design at Mercedes-Benz Cars, and he states that “The CLS Shooting Brake is based on the great tradition of stylish sportiness which has always characterised Mercedes, and takes these unique icons an exciting step further. It stands for the enhanced design idiom of Mercedes-Benz which is oriented towards aesthetic, avant-garde principles”.

It sure looks good, and with a length of 4956 mm and a width of 1881 mm there is plenty of room inside to stretch out in and enjoy the Shooting Brake’s carpet-like ride. Practical load space swallows 590 litres with the rear seats up, and this changes to 1550 litres with the rear seats down. Now, just to give you an idea of the type of luxury you’ll enjoy in the Mercedes Benz CLS Shooting Brake, the boot’s floor is trimmed in varnished wood! I love the look, and it’s nice to see wood getting a look in again – more than just the dash veneers we see a lot inside many flagship models.

The Mercedes Benz CLS Shooting Brake features frameless, all-aluminium doors made from deep-drawn aluminium panels. The tailgate, bonnet, front wings, various support profiles and substantial parts of the suspension and engines are all also made of aluminium, so for such a big vehicle the Shooting Brake is exceptionally light and nimble in the handling department.

Two engines are provided in Australia for powering the Mercedes Benz CLS Shooting Brake: one diesel engine and one petrol engine – both of which offer outstanding performance that is both swift and responsive. The engines work with the Mercedes Benz seven-speed automatic transmission, and the ECO start/stop function is standard to ensure that the performance is kept efficient.

Overseas, the motorway marauder is most definitely the Mercedes Benz CLS63 AMG Shooting Brake which has the AMG V8 biturbo engine rated at 386 kW of power and a massive 700 Nm of torque! The rare “Edition 1” variant pushes these performance figures up to 410 kW and 800 Nm. These heady power stats sadly have not reached our shores…yet.

On-board the CLS Shooting Brake, there are more than twelve driver assistance systems working to prevent an accident from occurring. Systems like Active Blind Spot Assist and Active Lane Keeping Assist are available as part of the Driving Assistance package Plus. Other features are DISTRONIC PLUS, BAS PLUS and the PRE-SAFE Brake systems that are huge leaps forward in modern car safety. Having the ability to detect an unintentional lane change or vehicles in the blind spot areas and then correct a mistake is leading-edge car safety.

Some might say that the name Shooting Brake is a little dull, however a small delve into the history of the name reveals that Brake or Break was the name once given to carriages which were commonly fitted out with light, variable bodies to transport hunting equipment. Larger hunting parties required more seats, and these were fitted so as to offer greater comfort to those participating in the hunt. These vehicles were referred to as Shooting Brakes or Shooting Breaks. Motorised Shooting Brakes were popular in England in the 1960s and 1970s, and these exclusive two-door sports cars boasted much luxury and style, along with a coupe shape with a larger load compartment and large tailgate. So there is real meaning behind the name: Mercedes Benz CLS Shooting Brake. Completely luxurious and fast, this s the car that has all the style you could wish for.

Taking a look at some of the luxury equipment inside this exciting new CLS model displays premium items like PASSION leather seats, innovative interior materials, a mixture of satin and high-gloss finishes used on the metal surfaces, matt galvanised air vents, a high-gloss-trimmed analogue clock, everything electrically operated, electric steering wheel adjustment, steering wheel heating, cruise control with a variable SPEEDTRONIC function, an in-car telephone, THERMOTRONIC Climate Control, nine airbags, NECK-PRO safety, an adjustable Airmatic Suspension, a Command On-Line Navigation system, internet connection and the choice of two amazing audio systems.

Simply an amazing vehicle, the new Mercedes Benz CLS Shooting Brake is the ultimate luxury performer that has enviable status and a heady purchase price.

The current Mercedes Benz CLS Shooting Brake models include the:

• Shooting Brake CLS 250 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY
• Shooting Brake CLS 350 BlueEFFICIENCY

For any more information on the new Mercedes Benz CLS Shooting Brake or, for that matter, any other new car, contact one of our friendly consultants on 1300 303 181. If you’d like some fleet discount pricing (yes even for private buyers!), we can submit vehicle quote requests out to our national network of Mercedes Benz dealers and come back with pricing within 24 hours. Private Fleet – car buying made easy!

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