Shooting Brake becomes Merc's cheapest CLS

Mercedes-Benz has lowered the price of admission to its sleek CLS-Class range by more than $30,000 with the addition of the Shooting Brake wagon, which becomes available in January priced from $129,000 plus on-road costs.

However, while the cheapest CLS wagon – the four-cylinder CLS250 CDI - is powered by a 150kW/500Nm 2.1-litre turbo-diesel engine, the CLS350 Shooting Brake employs a 225kW/370Nm 3.5-litre petrol V6 and costs $173,000 which is $14,300 more than the equivalent CLS350 'coupe', which opens the four-door range at $158,700.

Confusing matters further, Benz will also release a new 250 CDI version of the CLS sedan in January. Pricing is yet to be confirmed but will likely be close to $120,000, making it the new entry-level CLS model.

The hard-charging CLS63 AMG Shooting Brake will also arrive from May, but one New Zealand and four Australian orders for the 410kW/800Nm 'Edition 1' version of the uber-wagon are expected to arrive a few months ahead of this, as early as January.
 
The Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG Shooting Brake Edition 1 was revealed at the Sydney motor show, and though Benz is not talking about pricing for either regular or Edition 1 AMG models, expect to pay significantly more than the Coupe's $263,500.

CLS63 AMG Shooting Brake models are motivated by 5.5-litre twin-turbo V8 engines outputting 386kW/700Nm. Power is sent to the rear wheels via AMG's Speedshift MCT seven-speed transmissions.

Based on Benz's genre-busting CLS-Class coupe, the Shooting Brake adds more boot space (just don't call it a wagon...) but comes with different specification levels aimed at a slightly different buyer - customers with expanding families, for instance.

Making direct comparisons between coupe and wagon difficult, the CLS250 CDI Shooting Brake comes standard with an AMG sports package comprising an aggressive body styling, 19-inch AMG wheels, a new grille, lowered suspension and twin trapezoid exhaust outlets.

However, while 11 airbags and an array of other safety features remain standard, the base Shooting Brake misses out on the CLS350 sedan's Harman Kardon sound system, TV tuner, Thermotronic three-zone climate-control and LED headlights, all of which are optional instead.

Claimed fuel consumption is 5.5L/100km and 8.2L/100km for the four-cylinder diesel and six-cylinder petrol models respectively, and you can read all about our drive impressions of the new CLS Shooting Brake from the international launch.

Other standard features on the rear-drive wagons include keyless entry and engine starting, an electric glass sunroof, voice-controlled COMAND infotainment system with colour screen and 10GB music storage, satellite-navigation with SUNA updates, Bluetooth phone and audio streaming, a flat-bottom three-spoke steering wheel, black roof liner and black carpets.

Also standard is self-parking, climate-control, cruise control, self-dimming mirrors, leather upholstery, a glass sunroof, ambient lighting and electric front seat adjustment with memory.

Of course, there's also a larger 590-litre boot, expanding to 1550 litres of space with the 65/35-split rear seats folded.

All models also feature three rear seats with more headroom than the CLS sedan, an 'easy pack' tailgate with auto open/close function and self-levelling rear suspension.

Step up to the CLS350 Shooting Brake and you get the driver assistance package plus, which incorporates a range of radar- and camera-based driver aids such as Distronic Plus, Presafe brake, active lane keeping and blind spot assistants.

Like the CLS350 sedan, the wagon scores a digital audio tuner, the Harman Kardon Logic 7 premium stereo system, digital TV tuner, three-zone climate-control, adaptive LED headlights and 'nano-ceramic' metallic paint as standard.

One of the premium features is American Cherry wood panelling for the boot, which costs $4900 on all models - even the big-bang AMGs (except the sold-out Edition 1).

Also on the long options list is a $5600 Exclusive upgrade pack comprising Passion premium leather upholstery, microfibre headlining and Nappa leather trim for the dash, doors, arm rests, head restraints and centre console (not in conjunction with a sunroof).

Then there's heated and ventilated front seats ($3500), heated rear seats ($950), night vision ($3500), air suspension ($3990), AMG carbon-fibre interior trim ($6900), premium upholstery (from $3500) and premium paint finishes costing up to $8400.

Mercedes-Benz reckons the Shooting Brake will sell in smaller numbers than the CLS Coupe, the latter expected to add around 200 annual sales to the 350-odd CLS-Class sedans expected to find homes by the end of 2012.

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