Mercedes CLA Shooting Brake spied

This is the Mercedes CLA Shooting Brake. It will join the Mercedes line-up in 2015, and will become the fifth model to use the company’s MFA small-car architecture, along with the A-, B-, CLA and GLA-Class models.

Although these pictures are very grainy, as they were taken at some distance from the subject, you can make out that the Shooting Brake features the same signature ‘dropping line’ as the CLA, and prominent shoulder line.

You can also see that the rear window will be steeply raked, in a similar way to the larger CLS Shooting Brake, but should still offer more rear seat and luggage space than the CLA on which it’s based.

Expect the same spec levels to be carried over from the rest of the small Merc line-up, including the AMG Sport specification of this test car marked out by the larger alloys and bejewelled front grille.

The Shooting Brake is likely to feature a similar engine range to the CLA, too, with the 136bhp and 170bhp 1.8-litre diesels and 1.6-litre petrol carried over. Six-speed manual and seven-speed dual-clutch gearboxes will also be offered, as will the option of 4MATIC four-wheel drive, which debuted on the CLA 250.

However, tweaks to the small car engine line-up are expected later in 2014, which will be unveiled around the same time as the facelifted B-Class. That car was the first to use the small car platform, and will receive its mid-life updates around November 2014.

If the CLA follows the CLS, a CLA45 AMG Shooting Brake will also be offered, powered by the same 360bhp 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine used in the A45, CLA45 and GLA45 AMG models.

As for prices, the CLA Shooting Brake is likely to cost more than the CLA, just like the CLS does. That means a starting price of around £28,000 is likely for a diesel, and £26,000 for the petrol.