Mercedes has released the first official pictures of its CLS Shooting Brake which goes on sale in the UK in November.
Mercedes-Benz created the four-door coupe market with the original CLS back in 2004 and since then other manufacturers have jumped on the bandwagon -- Audi now has the A7 and BMW the 6 Series Gran Coupe.
The Stuttgart firm has a tendency to create niches in almost imperceptibly small gaps in the market and the latest result of this is the CLS Shooting Brake: the world's first coupe-estate.
Despite the apparent pointlessness of such a car, Mercedes has done a good job of making the CLS look rakish and sleek. From the front of the car to the A-pillar, the Shooting Brake is identical to the standard CLS, and the sloping roofline and wrap-around taillights make for a very handsome profile.
There's plenty of space inside too, with 590-litres of carrying capacity with the rear seats up and a full 1,550-litres with the seats folded down. Customers can even choose to have the boot floor finished in wood rather than the traditional carpet; Mercedes claims that this gives the CLS "a touch of elegance normally found on yachts." Quite.
Only two models are on offer: the CLS250 CDI and the CLS350 CDI. The former comes with a straight-four 2.1-litre engine which develops 204bhp and propels the car from 0-62mph in 7.8 seconds. The 350, on the other hand, is fitted with a 3.0-litre V6 which develops 265bhp. This means 0-62mph in 6.6 seconds and a top speed of 155mph.
The smaller engine manages 53.3mpg and CO2 emissions of 139g/km while the V6 returns 47mpg and 159g/km.
Full pricing and specifications are still to be confirmed.
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