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2017 Mercedes-Benz CLA Shooting Brake Facelift Looks Its Usual Good on the 'Ring

The CLA Shooting Brake was a little gamble on Mercedes-Benz's side, but one that seems to have paid off. It might not be doing quite as well as the CLA sedan (they call it a coupe, but...), but nobody at Mercedes seems to be complaining.
2017 Mercedes-Benz CLA Shooting Brake facelift on Nurburgring 9 photos
Photo: S. Baldauf/SB-Medien
2017 Mercedes-Benz CLA Shooting Brake facelift on Nurburgring2017 Mercedes-Benz CLA Shooting Brake facelift on Nurburgring2017 Mercedes-Benz CLA Shooting Brake facelift on Nurburgring2017 Mercedes-Benz CLA Shooting Brake facelift on Nurburgring2017 Mercedes-Benz CLA Shooting Brake facelift on Nurburgring2017 Mercedes-Benz CLA Shooting Brake facelift on Nurburgring2017 Mercedes-Benz CLA Shooting Brake facelift on Nurburgring2017 Mercedes-Benz CLA Shooting Brake facelift on Nurburgring
And it's all down to the car's design. While I'm perfectly aware that looks are a completely subjective department, I just have to get this out of my system: even though I'm not a fan of wagons, I think the Shooting Brake is the best looking of the two siblings. The rear end of the CLA sedan looks somewhat unfinished, a problem the Shooting Brake does away with.

And so if the design is not an issue, what other advantages does the CLA sedan have over the Shooting Brake? In a word, none. Dynamically speaking, they're both front-wheel driven cars with the same four-cylinder engines and the same transmission options. The difference in weight is negligible (60 kilograms or 132 pounds), and so handling is basically the same.

What isn't the same is the interior space. Headroom on the backseat is mostly the same, but the luggage compartment is vastly more useful on the Shooting Brake. And since there's nothing to be lost by going for the more practical option (except for some dignity, maybe), in my book the CLA Shooting Brake should overtake the sedan (OK, OK, coupe) in terms of sales any time now. Even though it won't.

The facelift won't bring any major novelties (which explains why I haven't touched the subject all the way towards the end of the article), and that's mainly because Mercedes-Benz has already implemented the technical updates and new gadgets earlier this year after the A-Class facelift. There will be a new bumper design and different headlights and taillight graphics, and that's about it.

With Mercedes-Benz announcing they're dropping the CLS Shooting Brake, the compact sized cross between a coupe and an estate looks safe for now. And if sales continue do grow, we'll hopefully see a new version as well in the future.
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About the author: Vlad Mitrache
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"Boy meets car, boy loves car, boy gets journalism degree and starts job writing and editing at a car magazine" - 5/5. (Vlad Mitrache if he was a movie)
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