CLS Shooting Brake vs A7

Rather than pitching the Mercedes CLS Shooting Brake against a conventional estate for its first test here, we thought it should face another stylish outsider with a practical twist. The Audi A7 Sportback narrowly lost out to the four-door CLS in our previous test, but it returns with the kind of powerful engine its sporty design was always crying out for: the twin-turbo 3.0 BiTDI.

Yet the car trails the Mercedes on style. The Shooting Brake looks even more dramatic than the CLS saloon, and the extended LED tail-lamps and gently curved roofline allow the extra glass area to be neatly integrated without spoiling the sleek profile.

The wide rear wheelarches seem even more pronounced on the Shooting Brake, and the 19-inch alloys, xenon lights and AMG bodykit ensure maximum visual impact.

All this pushes the A7 – one of the most desirable cars in the whole Audi line-up – firmly into the shade. Despite featuring Audi’s all-new BiTDI engine, this model is just as discreet as less powerful versions, and even though the long tailgate is neatly tapered, the car can’t quite match the perfect proportions of the CLS.

Climb inside, though, and the Audi quickly gains the initiative. Impeccable build quality and high-grade dash materials give the Sportback the edge on luxury, while the stylish pop-up media screen that folds neatly into the dash feels much more hi-tech than the dull fixed unit fitted to the Mercedes.

Although the Shooting Brake is nearly as well finished inside, there are still some areas lower down on the dashboard where it doesn’t feel as solid. Plus, despite carrying a higher price tag, it isn’t as generously equipped.

Still, with leather, sat-nav and rear parking sensors, both cars feel suitably lavish from behind the wheel. The newcomer is a little narrow up front and its clever COMAND infotainment system isn’t as intuitive as the MMI controls in the Audi, but the Mercedes has a number of advantages over the A7 hatch.

Because the company has chosen to fit five seats rather than four, the CLS is more spacious in the back. In contrast, the A7 is hampered by its sloping roofline and high transmission tunnel – so tall passengers will be left feeling rather squeezed for cabin space.

Open the bootlid, and the CLS presses home its advantage. Whether the back seats are up or down, it has a much larger luggage bay. While the Audi offers more space than you might expect – 535 litres to be exact – its load area is narrower and doesn’t have the flexibility of a traditional estate. Practicality isn’t the only priority with cars like these, though, so both will need to deliver on the dynamic promise of their dramatic styling.

On paper, there doesn’t appear to be much between them, as both V6 diesel engines produce well over 600Nm of torque from below 2,000rpm and transfer their power to the road through slick automatic gearboxes. Yet at the track, the four-wheel-drive A7 stormed ahead.

It was over a second faster from 0-60mph – with a time of 5.1 seconds – and although this gap was much closer during the in-gear tests, the rumbling exhaust note and sharper gearchanges made the Audi feel a lot more engaging than the Mercedes at the track.

Its quattro system is rear biased, but still provides loads of grip, and this allows you to get back on the throttle much earlier than you can in the Mercedes. Plus, the A7 has much better body control through tighter corners.

On the road, though, the Shooting Brake feels a lot more at home thanks to its relaxed and refined character, and as a result it covers longer distances with minimal effort. The steering is more naturally weighted, too, and delivers more feedback to the driver – allowing you to place the car precisely in faster bends. Even so, the Audi does enable the driver to alter the weight of the steering and throttle response via the Drive Select button on the dash, although it never feels quite as nimble or adjustable as the Merc.

Yet while these cars are closely matched in most areas, the Audi makes slightly more financial sense. Not only does it undercut the Mercedes on price, it also proved more economical in our hands, returning 29.9mpg on test. But you buy such models with your heart as much as your head – and on this basis the desirable Shooting Brake edges in front.

Factor in its greater practicality and engaging driving experience, and the CLS could be in with a shout of victory.