MERCEDES BENZ CLA Shooting Brake Models/Series Timeline, Specifications & Photos

Along with its four-door coupe sibling, the CLA Shooting Brake was unveiled at the beginning of 2023 for the 2024 model year.

The German automaker continued the saga of its CLA Shooting Brake with a well-deserved upgrade that improved the vehicle in all areas. It could've done just some minor aesthetic changes, but instead, it went the whole nine yards.

With this bodywork version, Mercedes-Benz found a way to offer a bigger trunk space and a sleek look to the station wagon variant of the CLA. The facelifted version came with a new 3D grille that sported a horizontal bar. Furthermore, to emphasize the vehicle's sporty character, the lower bumper featured an AMG-inspired A-shaped center grille flanked by two scoops that channeled the air on the side of the car. In addition, the headlights received an LED upgrade and a different pattern. Also, the long roof version featured the same raked-forward tailgate.

Inside, the CLA came fitted as standard with a pair of 10.25" displays, one for the instrument panel and the second, touchscreen, for the infotainment system. In addition, high-seatback seats were installed for the front occupants. Thanks to the long roof, the rear passengers enjoyed better headroom than in the CLA four-door coupe version.

Under the hood, Mercedes-Benz offered a choice of turbocharged gasoline engines helped by a new 48 volts starter generator. While that didn't provide too much power (13 hp), it helped smooth the departures. Power went to the front or all wheels, depending on the version.

The second-generation Mercedes-Benz CLA Shooting Brake is aimed at customers for whom, just a few years ago, Mercedes-Benz was not the first thing that came to mind when they were looking to buy a car. Like the previous model, the new CLA Shooting Brake will be manufactured at the Kecskemet plant in Hungary and came onto the market in September 2019.

Along with the CLA Coupé, the CLA Shooting Brake has the sportiest driving characteristics of all the models in the new compact car generation from Mercedes-Benz. This is down to the wider track, which makes the new Mercedes-Benz CLA Shooting Brake look even more athletic, as well as the lower centre of gravity and the multi-link rear suspension generally fitted in these models.

The wheel suspensions are not only precisely guided, but also designed for ride comfort and quiet-running with acoustic control arms that decouple vibrations at the rear and hydro-mounts at the front. A large-scale stabilizer bar reduces the roll angle. An Adaptive Damping System is available on request, which allows the driver to switch between more comfort or particularly sporty tuning. There is a huge selection when it comes to the wheels. The wheel diameters range from 16 to 19 inches, tire size starts at 205/60 R 16 and finishes at 225/40 R 19 ex works.

After successfully introduced the CLA lineup in 2013, the German automaker expanded the range with a stylish, Shooting Brake version, albeit in four doors.

The original shooting brake type of bodywork was a two-door station wagon. Later on, when the "four-door coupe" nickname became accepted by customers, automakers saw no reason why not to call a station wagon derived from a four-door coupe as a shooting brake. And Mercedes-Benz was among the first to do that with the CLS shooting brake. So, in 2014, it added this type of shape to the four-door coupe CLA, resulting in the CLA Shooting Brake.

While the front side of the vehicle carried over elements from its CLA sibling, the car was different from the B-post rearward. It featured a longer and curved roof that extended past behind the rear seats. In addition, the rear overhang's size was increased, and a set of side windows were added between the C- and D-pillars. Last but not least, at the back, a raked-forward tailgate completed the car's shape.

Inside, a thick three-spoke steering wheel, round air vents, race-inspired seats, ambient lighting, and a floating infotainment system screen were all part of the new packaging. The rear seats offered more headroom for their occupants, and a split-folding bench was added to the standard features of the Shooting Brake version.

A fully independent suspension, four-disc braking system, and electromechanical power steering ensure the car is both comfortable and very maneuverable. Power comes from a choice of new turbocharged, direct-injected four-cylinder engines coupled with both 6-speed manual and 7-speed automatic transmissions. Both front- and all-wheel-drive systems were available.