Mercedes Creates CLS Shooting Brake, the Most Beautiful Wagon Ever

The MercedesMercedes-BenzGermany, 1924 > present197 models
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CLSMercedes-Benz CLS-Class Gen.2Germany, 2010 > present50 versions
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Shooting Brake has been coming for quite some time, but Mercedes has finally fully revealed the car. Honestly, it might the best looking wagon ever made. 

The car takes the four-door coupe lines of the current CLS and extends them into a wagon. The car looks taut, fast and beautiful. The hood is rather long with frameless windows. Mercedes calls the wagon a sports car with five seats, which might be overstating things slightly, but it is certainly an attractive package. To keep weight down, the doors are made from aluminum. 

Power comes from four available engine options. The CLS 250 CDI has a 2.1, four-cylinder diesel engine with 204hp and 500Nm of torque, the CLS 350 CDI has 265hp and 620Nm of torque from a 3.0 liter V6 diesel, the CLS 350 has 306hp and 370Nm of torque from a 3.5 liter petrol V6 and the CLS 500 has 408hp and 600Nm of torque from a 4.6 liter petrol V8. The CLS 350 CDI and CLS 500 are also available with optional 4Matic all-wheel drive but power and torque figures remain the same. 

"The CLS Shooting Brake is based on the great tradition of stylish sportiness which has always characterized 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," said Gorden Wagener, Head of Design at Mercedes‑Benz.

The car is equally luxurious inside with available wood trim and wood luggage compartment floor. In the highest trims, the interior appears more like a boat from the 50s than a car. That optional floor is made from American cherry wood that is sliced into veneers, then bonded into five layers and inlaid with smoked oak. Aluminum rails are added for extra strength and a more high-class appearance. The rear offers 590 liters of load room with the rear seats up or 1550 liters with the seats down.  

In addition to the wood floor, Mercedes has equipped the CLS Shooting Brake with a wide variety of interior options. There are five available interior colors, five trim designs and three qualities of leather to choose from. The trim designs include three different woods, lacquer or carbon fiber. 

The CLS Shooting Brake will be on sale later this year. Mercedes has not announced a price for the car. However, expect prices to be slightly more for each model than the €59,897 German base price.