Mercedes-Benz's previous A-class-based shooting brake was only on sale for three and a bit years, but this June it will replaced by the mark IV-based CLA Shooting Brake using the underpinnings of the latest (mk4) A-class; bigger, more curvaceous, all new and, if we might observe, a great deal better looking. It is based on the new MFA platform, which will spawn eight A-class-based models compared with the previous platform's five. The new Shooting Brake is 48mm longer, 53mm wider and 2mm higher that the outgoing model, with a 30mm longer wheelbase, which releases more cabin and luggage space. From the front to the B-posts behind the frameless door windows it is pure A-class coupé, but after that the roof line slopes sharply and the rear haunches spread like a sleeping predator. The luggage space has been expanded to 505 litres, with a wider tailgate, although that heavily sloping rear window which gives the car such a racy profile might not be appreciated by dog owners as the radiated heat will make the load space too hot.<doc-sep>Hide press release Show press release The new Mercedes-Benz CLA Shooting Brake Sports car with load space Stuttgart/Geneva. Attractive, intelligent – and at the same time practical: The new Mercedes-Benz CLA will also be available as a Shooting Brake from September. Just like the four-door CLA Coupé, the Shooting Brake puts its own spin on the design idiom of sensual purity and turns the interior into a coolly designed user interface for intelligent digital technology. From the striking sharknose at the front of the vehicle to the clean edge with accented surfaces, the design displays elegant athletics right down to the gently muscular rear. The latter on the CLA Shooting Brake ensures a decisive addition in terms of functionality. While just as much a designer piece as the CLA Coupé, it offers more space for spontaneity, be it on an extended shopping spree or for sports and outdoor activities where space is required. The interior of the CLA Shooting Brake displays the modern, cool and high quality ambience of the Coupé. In addition, it offers passengers more space than the predecessor model in the shoulder, head and elbow areas. The digital environment of the CLA's technophile customers is integrated into the interior in a creatively and technically pioneering way. Thanks to MBUX – Mercedes-Benz User Experience with intelligent interior assistants and refined voice recognition – operation of ever more functions is becoming more natural and much simpler. Great emphasis is placed on individualisation in the new Shooting Brake with the Progressive and AMG Line equipment lines as well as an increasing and diverse range of apps and services, which can be downloaded from Mercedes me depending on your own preferences and called up via MBUX. This CLA is thus 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. "We want to address young individualists with the particularly expressive design of the CLA Coupé and CLA Shooting Brake. Furthermore, the new CLA Shooting Brake offers more space than its predecessor – for sports equipment and much more", states Britta Seeger, Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG responsible for Mercedes-Benz Cars sales. Like the previous model, the new CLA Shooting Brake will be manufactured at the Kecskemét plant (Hungary) and comes onto the market in September 2019. Design: Sports car with load space Mercedes-Benz introduced the first generation of the CLA Shooting Brake in 2015: a five-door, clearly a Coupé in terms of its proportions, and yet with considerable effective load space thanks to the roof which continues through to the rear and the rear door. The new CLA Shooting Brake is also a designer car, which in the first instance is emotionally appealing on account of its proportions: a long bonnet, compact greenhouse with coupé-like windowlines, muscular shoulders over the rear wheel arch and a supplely crouched rear, which clearly shows its sports car genes. The outline of the frameless windows is identical to the outline of the Coupés itself up to the B-pillar. Behind it, the windowline runs considerably higher, which makes entering for rear passengers easier. Elongated into the rear, it tapers off into an acute angle. The distinctive front end tilted forward ("sharknose") and the elongated bonnet with striking powerdomes form dynamic style elements. The number of character lines has been reduced, for example, the shoulder line has been completely dispensed with. The surfaces are structured with soft sculptural curvatures. These emphasise outlines and proportions and define the vehicle's character. It is 48 millimetres longer than before, 53 mm wider but 2 mm lower. The flat headlamps, the low-slung bonnet and the diamond radiator grille with central star mark the typical Mercedes-Benz sports car look. The narrow two-part rear lamps and the license plate positioned in the bumper are typical for the GT rear with a flush transition between the rear bumper and the tailgate. The CLA Shooting Brake strikes an impressive pose on the road and looks athletic from every angle. At 871 millimetres, the boot opening is significantly wider than in the previous model (635 mm). In addition, the tailgate can also be opened contactlessly with EASY-PACK and HANDS-FREE ACCESS. The interior of the passenger compartment is identical to that of the Coupé. Both CLAs offer unique room architecture, especially on account of the avant-garde instrument panel: the widescreen display is completely free-standing with no hood on the wing-shaped main body of the instrument panel. This stretches continuously from one front door to the other. The lower section of the instrument panel is visually separated from the main body of the instrument cluster by a "trench". The ambient lighting amplifies this effect, offering a selection of 64 colours, ten colour worlds and various effects in three brightness zones. The three air vents are incorporated here, and their sporty turbine look appeals to the senses even without the lighting. The concept for its dimensions: longer, wider and more grown-up CLA Shooting Brake Predecessor Diff. Exterior dimensions Length mm 4688 4640 +48 Width mm 1830 1777 +53 Width incl. exterior mirrors mm 1999 2032 -33 Height mm 1442 1444 -2 Wheelbase mm 2729 2699 +30 Front track mm 1612 1549 +63 Rear track mm 1602 1547 +55 Interior dimensions Max. headroom, front mm 1025 1016 +9 Headroom, rear mm 955 947 +8 Legroom, front mm 1062 1063 -1 Legroom, rear mm 861 860 +1 Elbow room, front mm 1457 1422 +35 Elbow room, rear mm 1454 1410 +44 Shoulder room, front mm 1400 1391 +9 Shoulder room, rear mm 1372 1350 +22 Load compartment width max. mm 1394 1328 +66 Load compartment depth max. mm 1054 1003 +51 Width of load compartment opening mm 871 635 +236 Boot capacity, German Association of the Automotive Industry l 505 495 +10 Digital home on wheels: MBUX keeps on learning Mercedes-Benz User Experience, MBUX for short, defines the experience in the interior of Mercedes-Benz models since the beginning of 2018 and develops from model to model in line with the digital world. A high-level computing capacity, bright screens and graphics, individualisable presentation, highlights available on request such as a full-colour head-up display and navigation with augmented reality; additionally software capable of learning and voice-operated control that goes beyond the conventional automotive standards and accepts passengers' instructions following the command "Hey Mercedes". MBUX is completely customised to the wishes of modern users. The latest achievement is the MBUX interior assistant, which allows for intuitive and natural operation of different comfort and MBUX functions by recognising movement, among other things. It is even able to distinguish between the driver's and front passenger's wishes – and thus knows for whose seat the massage function is to be activated, for example. Voice control understands questions from an increasing number of fields of knowledge and searches for appropriate answers online while the driver concentrates on the road. Due to ongoing development of the system, it is also possible to take into consideration country-specific content providers. "In addition, the voice assistant no longer gets confused by other passengers talking, rather it only answers the command of the person who last activated the system with 'Hey Mercedes'", Sajjad Khan emphasises, Deputy Member of the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz Cars for CASE and head of Digital Vehicle & Mobility. ENERGIZING comfort control: wellness while driving The new CLA Shooting Brake is even more comfortable thanks to Energizing comfort control, which networks the various comfort systems in the vehicle. Functions of the air conditioning system and the seats (heater, ventilation, massage) as well as lighting and musical moods are used in a targeted manner to enable a specific wellness set-up tailored to the mood and need of the customer. Based on an intelligent algorithm, the ENERGIZING COACH recommends one of the ENERGIZING packages' programmes depending on the situation and individual. If the Mercedes-Benz vivoactive® 3 smartwatch or a compatible Garmin® wearable is connected, the driver's well-being is taken into consideration in the recommendation based on his/her stress level, pulse frequency or sleep quality the previous night. Suspension: agile yet comfortable<doc-sep>Here at Motor1.com, we are all huge fans of video games. I mean, we love all kinds of virtual racing simulators – from the most realistic ones to titles with arcade game-inspired graphics and surrealistic physics. Like, you guessed it, Mario Kart, Nintendo’s mega-hit from the 1990s. You can imagine how excited we were when we discovered Mercedes-Benz has presented a Mario Kart integrated into the infotainment system of the new CLA sedan. During the 2019 Mobile World Congress held in Barcelona from 25 to 28 February, the German automaker had a CLA on display at its stand. It was there to showcase the latest improvements of the brand’s MBUX (Mercedes-Benz User Experience) infotainment system, including a number of new applications. Visitors were able to play Mario Kart on the vehicle’s central screen. Gallery: Mercedes-Benz at Mobile World Congress 2019 5 Photos In fact, the game in question is SuperTuxKart, an open-source version of Mario Kart. It’s a cross-platform, running on Linux, macOS, Windows, and Android systems, and – apparently – on Mercedes’ latest generation infotainment system. Interestingly, the manufacturer has involved a lot more than just the steering wheel and pedals in the experience. For example, the air vents blow air and the airflow depends on the speed of the car in the game. In addition, the interior’s LED ambient lighting switches from red to green at the start of the race. Finally, when the kart of the player crashes with a competitor, the seat belt tightens. While the integration of Mario Kart in the MBUX is just an exercise to show what the system is capable of, Mercedes plans to deliver gaming applications to its customers in the very near future. You can already play a medley of classic Atari video games on the infotainment screen of your Tesla – and soon you will be able to race a tiny kart from the driver's seat of your Mercedes. Digitalization might not be that bad after all. Source: Mercedes-Benz<doc-sep>
The Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class is an A-Class that's been chopped up to add style at the cost of capacity. But what if you want some style and cargo room simultaneously? You could get a regular A-Class hatchback, sure, or you could opt for the new CLA Shooting Brake. Mercedes-Benz on Tuesday unveiled the CLA-Class Shooting Brake at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show. Just like the last CLA Shooting Brake, this one builds on the style of the CLA-Class with an extra dose of wagon at the back for added versatility. In terms of looks, it's pretty darn close to the new CLA-Class. The headlights are on the more angular side, the side is largely free of character lines while the rear end relies on the same "coupe" taillights seen on the CLA and CLS. The Shooting Brake's wagon-ish rear end packs an aggressive taper that helps separate it from the A-Class Hatchback. Its 0.26 drag coefficient is a little less slippery than the CLA-Class (0.23), but not by much. Enlarge Image Andrew Hoyle/Roadshow The interior is almost a carbon copy of the CLA, with both its screens slapped onto the same "surfboard" piece of glass. There's ample storage space ahead of the redesigned touchpad controller. If you've seen the A-Class or the CLA-Class, the story is pretty much the same here. The centerpiece of the CLA Shooting Brake's tech is MBUX, Mercedes-Benz's latest and greatest infotainment system. Like the A-Class and CLA-Class (again), MBUX packs a digital assistant with natural language processing, and the system itself is vastly more responsive and capable than the outgoing COMAND system. It also packs a suite of active and passive driver aids that allow the vehicle to hold itself in a lane on the highway, but it can also change lanes automatically after the driver applies the turn signal. In Europe, the CLA Shooting Brake will be offered with a variety of gas and diesel engines. Both manual and dual-clutch transmissions will be available, and buyers will have a choice of two or four driven wheels. The CLA Shooting Brake goes on sale in Europe in September and, as with the previous iteration, it's unlikely we'll ever see it in the US. Heck, we don't even get the A-Class Hatchback.