Mercedes-Benz has started testing the next-gen CLA
Shooting Brake ahead of its debut next year. A spy video shows the redesigned model undergoing testing in Sindelfingen,
Germany. The familiar proportions are an instant giveaway of what’s hiding
underneath the camouflage. With an emotional yet purist design, the next-gen
Mercedes CLA Shooting Brake will blend seamlessly into the evolved Sensual
Purity design language for the three-pointed star’s compact family.
A marked improvement on the inside is a given, with
a strong reminiscence of the latest A-Class and B-Class’ avant-garde interior
design. MBUX will make way for a significantly higher level of digitalisation.
Seamlessly merged 12.3-inch virtual instrument cluster and 12.3-inch central
display in the style first seen on the Mercedes S-Class in 2013 will make the
cockpit look a lot more futuristic than today’s model.
The next-gen Mercedes CLA Shooting Brake should come
with a wide range of turbocharged engines having displacements ranging from
1.3- to 2.0-litre. It is safe to assume that Daimler will offer the all-new M
282 1.3-litre petrol unit co-developed with Renault and available in 136 PS/200
Nm and 163 PS/250 Nm versions as the entry-level option. Expect this unit with
6-speed manual and 7-speed automatic transmission choices.
Other options may include the M260 2.0-litre petrol
unit (224 PS/350 Nm), the OM 608 1.5L diesel unit (116 PS/260 Nm) and the OM
654q 2.0L diesel unit (150 PS/320 Nm and 190 PS/400 Nm). Select configurations
should come with the 4MATIC AWD system.
As for the AMG variant, we expect two models, going
with the new strategy adopted for the A-Class: 35 and 45. The former should
sport an uptuned M260 engine delivering 306 PS and 400 Nm of torque. It may
have a 7-speed automatic transmission and the 4MATIC AWD system as standard.
The latter may pack an all-new 2.0-litre mill dishing out over 400 PS and a
newly developed all-wheel drive system.
The 2020 Mercedes CLA Shooting Brake could debut in
the second half of 2019, a few months after the 2019 Mercedes CLA that year.
