Mercedes CLA Shooting Brake Hybrid: a test drive of the new estate car
The new version combines the original styling with the efficiency of Mercedes-Benz’s latest-generation 48-volt hybrid system, which also allows it to function somewhat like a full hybrid
It made its debut by highlighting the fact that it was Mercedes’ first all-electric estate car, but now, the new generation of the CLA Shooting Brake follows in the footsteps of the saloon-cum-coupé by offering both petrol and hybrid versions featuring the 48-volt technology developed by Mercedes, which allows the car to run on electric power alone in certain situations to reduce petrol consumption. The new model competes, in particular, with certain versions of the BMW 3 Series Touring – which use the 48-volt technology primarily as a boost for acceleration and coasting – and the Audi A5 Avant, which, by contrast, also uses it to drive with zero emissions.
Mercedes CLA Shooting Brake Hybrid: an in-depth look
Like all of Mercedes’ new smaller models – which should be considered mid-size rather than compact, as they are over 4.70 metres long – the CLA Shooting Brake is based on the MMA multi-energy architecture, integrated with the MB.OS digital platform featuring built-in AI that manages all the car’s systems and functions. The Hybrid range comprises three versions, all powered by a 48-volt system consisting of a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine with a Miller cycle, available in different power outputs (136 cavalli for the 180 version, 163 cavalli for the 200 and 190 cavalli for the 220) and an electric motor delivering 30 cavalli, powered by a 1.3 kWh lithium-ion battery, housed within the eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox. The electric motor provides additional thrust in certain driving situations but, above all, enables the CLA to operate with zero emissions when manoeuvring in car parks, in city traffic and for short distances even at low speeds on the open road if the battery has sufficient charge, both in the case of the front-wheel-drive variants and the 4Matic all-wheel-drive models, which are only available with the more powerful engines. By combining the power of the petrol engines with that of the electric motor, the 180 delivers a total power output of 156 cavalli, the 200 of 184 cavalli and the 220 of 211 cavalli.
As for ADAS features, the Shooting Brake comes with an advanced Level 2 semi-autonomous driving system as standard, even on the entry-level trim.
The Mercedes CLA Shooting Brake Hybrid: an unconventional estate car
Aesthetically, the CLA Shooting Brake retains the saloon’s sharp, low-slung front end, the distinctive lighting signature of the Matrix LED headlamps – dotted with small three-pointed stars – and the grille that juts forward. Furthermore, whilst maintaining the muscular look of the rear wheel arches, the car takes on a distinctly different character thanks to the combination of the lowered ride height and the roofline that extends and then slopes down over the boot area towards the rear, blending seamlessly with the steeply raked tailgate, which gently rounds off the car’s profile. This stylistic definition is complemented by a focus on aerodynamics which, thanks in part to the fully fairing underbody, results in a drag coefficient (Cx) of just 0.23 – a record for a mid-size estate car.
