So you want the performance of the Golf R Variant but think it looks boring as hell? We agree, but up until now, you didn't have much of a choice. Sure, there's the Leon Cupra ST 300 with AWD, but its interior is inferior to the Golf. Thankfully, Mercedes is working on a super-sexy alternative, the CLA 35 Shooting Brake.
It's not a perfect car; we know that even before the camouflage has come off. But how many other efficient AMG family cars can you name? Considering the EU is cracking down on emissions, sipping fuel is especially important these days.
Under the hood is the same engine we saw in the regular CLA 35 four-door coupe earlier this week. It's a 2-liter with a twin-scroll turbocharger that produces 306 HP and 400 Nm, going through a 7-speed DCT to 4Matic AWD with an electronically controlled coupling at the back.
Carrying a weight of around 1,550 kilos, the Shooting Brake should be able to reach 100 km/h in under 5 seconds. The short spy video, captured at a gas station near the Nurburgring, gives us a small bit of the soundtrack produced by this four-cylinder AMG. It's less impressive on the track, but still produces the pops and bangs that are typical of a hot hatch.
The Shooting Brake will be the most exciting car in its class. Unfortunately for Mercedes, the new Golf R Variant should be ready by 2021 with a 330 HP configuration and styling improvements.
As far as we know, Mercedes is still going to launch the CLA 45 Shooting Brake, which will deliver an unmatched 421 HP and pack “drift mode.” Unfortunately, these could be the last models of their kind in Europe before the big ban on combustion imposed by all the big cities.
Even though it's fully camouflaged, we know what to expect in the design department. It's a combination of the recently revealed CLA 35 and the Shooting Brake body. The only thing that's new is a chunky trunk lid spoiler.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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