2020 Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 Shooting Brake Revealed as Sexy Wagon Killer

We think it's safe to say that this is a performance car unlike any other, which is more than you can say about most German speed machines. It combines the practicality of a wagon, the sexy lines of a coupe and the most powerful AMG 2-liter engine of all time.

But you probably already knew all that, so let's get to the nitty-gritty. Under the hood of the normal CLA 45 SB resides a turbocharged 4-cylinder capable of delivering 387 HP and 480 Nm of torque (354 lb-ft). This is enough to get you from 0 to 100 km/h (62mph) in only 4.1 seconds and reach the usual limited top speed of 250 km/h (155mph).

Now, that's already faster than the previous CLA 45 model, which did it in 4.3 seconds thanks to its 381 HP setup. However, Mercedes knows its customers always want the best, so it put out the CLA 45 S Shooting Brake. It's a long name, we know, but when you have 421 HP and 500 Nm (369 lb-ft), a noble title is a given.

Unique design

The 45 Shooting Brake shares its DNA with lesser Mercedes models, such as the CLA 35, which only packs 306 HP. It's based on the same platform as the A-Class, but somehow ends up looking different from all of them.

The official photos and videos Mercedes released show a striking matte grey finish, two-tone wheels which are specific to the Edition 1 models and plenty of AMG goodies. The front bumper is more aggressive, with larger intakes and a bulging grille. Meanwhile, the rear sports quad exhaust pipes and diffuser.

It may not be as practical as a normal compact wagon, such as the Skoda Octavia, due to the narrower trunk opening. But we certainly have an improvement over the previous generation, and those soft roof curves just make you want to create an Instagram profile for it.

The interior is nothing to write home about, just some red accents and bucket seats, though it's not like you can't get that on regular models. At least the Alcantara steering wheel looks like that in AMG supercars!