Mercedes’ stunning new CLS Shooting Brake is ready for the road, and Auto Express has the first exclusive pictures to prove it.
Our spies scooped this production ready example testing in public.
Sources close to the project have told Auto Express that the car will be revealed next summer, with a UK launch scheduled to coincide with the Goodwood Festival of Speed in June.
The car will hit showrooms in September. Prices are expected to start from £48,000 - £1,500 more than the CLS Saloon.
The engine range will be identical to that offered by the standard CLS. It will include 2.2 and 3.0-litre diesel engines, and 3.5 and 5.5-litre petrol engines. A powerful AMG version will also be offered, fitted with a new turbocharged 5.5-litre V8.
Cars will be rear-wheel drive, and feature a seven-speed automatic gearbox. There are currently no plans for a four-wheel drive version, or a hybrid.
Auto Express understands Mercedes plans for hybrid power in 2012 focuses entirely introduction of the E-Class BlueHybrid, which will be launched in the first half of 2012.
These first shots of the luxury five-door don’t just prove that Mercedes has made good on the promises it made to bring its original concept to production, they also show off that almost all of the show car's detailing has been kept too.
Key details include the steeply raked windscreen, arcing roofline, and sloping hatch at the rear, all of which are virtually identical to those shown off by the concept.
Under the disguise, the window area is expected to finish in a sharp point, while slender tail lamps will wrap around the rear wings.
Inside, the four-seater cabin will be almost identical to that offered by the CLS – save for one important detail… The boot. Expected to be similar in size to that offered by the C-Class estate, it will include underfloor storage options.
One key change that has been made, however, is in the spelling of the name.
Mercedes attracted some criticism from traditionalists when it named the original concept Break – experts agreed that the correct spelling, as used by cars in the past was Brake.
As a result, Mercedes has decided to change the official name of the road going car to Shooting Brake. For more details click here.
Thanks to: Auto Express
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