2015 Mercedes-Benz CLA Shooting Brake is Super Cool, Super Not Coming Here
Although we aren’t a beef-lover living in India or a Singaporean chewing gum enthusiast, we have a pretty good idea of how miserable their existences must be. That’s because we’re unabashed fans of the noble station wagon, a genus of vehicle that is for all intents and purposes extinct as far as the crossover-and-SUV-mad U.S. new car market is concerned. And even the companies that are currently keeping the faith over generally here don’t send all of their wagons here. Case in point: Mercedes-Benz.
Oh sure, they send over two versions of the E-Class wagon (the E350 and the E63 AMG S-Model, both with mandatory 4Matic AWD), but imports of the square-rumped C-Class ended after 2005 and it hasn’t been back since (Formula 1 medical cars notwithstanding), and the CLS Shooting Brake (so named to keep the whole “four-door coupe” shtick going) has never been offered here. Well, now you can add the CLA Shooting Brake to Merc’s list of family-friendly forbidden fruit.
As you might expect, there’s a full complement of regular CLA Shooting Brakes that will be offered to buyers in Europe and elsewhere, powered by the same family of gasoline and diesel inline-fours driving the front or all four wheels. And like the four-door on which it’s based, it’s also available in hot-shot CLA45 AMG form, complete with hand-assembled 355 horsepower 2.0L turbo four and sport-tuned chassis. The only major difference is the considerably longer (but still low and sloping) roof and the commodious cargo area (nearly 48 cubic feet with the rear seat folded flat). We’d definitely take a CLA Shooting Brake over a GLA but, alas, Mercedes-Benz is choosing to make the choice for us. And you know where else choices get made for you? Prison. Chew on that while you peruse the gallery below.
Source: Mercedes-Benz