Review: Mercedes-Benz CLA Shooting Brake (2015 – 2018)

Mercedes-Benz CLA Shooting Brake (2015 – 2018): At A Glance

• Insurance Groups are between 22–46
• On average it achieves 76% of the official MPG figure

Mercedes-Benz CLA Shooting Brake (2015 – 2018): What's It Like Inside?

• Boot space is 470–1354 litres

Dimensions
Length	4630–4691 mm
Width	2032 mm
Height	1417–1439 mm
Wheelbase	2699 mm
Full specifications

Compared to the four-door CLA, the Shooting Brake version has slightly more headroom, although it's still far from roomy for taller passengers in the back. Plus it's pretty cramped back there unless you have two particularly short people sat in the front. 

You can fit a rear facing child seat in the back but if it's reclining model, you'll need to slide the passenger seat nearly all the way forward to fit it in. And the sloping roofline means it's not easy to get your little one in or out. 

There's better news with the boot though. While this is labelled a 'lifestyle' estate, whatever that exactly means, it is surprisingly practical given its compact size. So it's never going to compete with a Honda Civic Tourer, but the boot is deep and wide, so you can easily get a proper pushchair (a Bugaboo, iCandy or Uppababy for example). Plus there's room for a bit of shopping. It's certainly viable as an everyday family car.

You won't be able to get anything boxy in the boot due to the sloping tailgate, but there is a very handy - and large - underfloor storage area which is ideal for keeping stuff out the way and out of sight. Standard boot space is a healthy 495 litres and this can be increased to 595 litres if you opt for the £545 Load Compartment Package. This does however lock the rear seat backs in a more forward position, ruining the comfort for anyone unfortunate enough to be sat in the rear.

Four different trims are available - Sport, AMG Sport, OrangeArt and Engineered by AMG (with the flagship CLA 45 AMG considered more of a standalone model). Each are well equipped and come with different styling. Worth mentioning is the extroverts-only OrangeArt trim, which has bold orange accents on the front and rear bumpers, wheels and interior for those who really want to stand out from the crowd.

Standard equipment from launch:

Sport comes as standard with 18-inch twin-spoke alloy wheels, Active Parking Assist with Parktronic, a diamond grille with pins in high-gloss black, ambient lighting and cruise control with variable speed limiter

AMG Sport has lowered comfort suspension – which lowers the front axle by 20 mm - xenon headlamps, AMG body styling on front apron, rear apron and side skirts, privacy glass and Artico leather seats with red contrast stitching.

OrangeArt gets 18-inch AMG multi-spoke wheels in black with orange rim, orange trim element on front and rear aprons, orange edging on seatbelts and floor mats, orange contrast stitching on leather sports seats.

Engineered by AMG includes all round AMG body styling, 18-inch AMG five-spoke alloys, lowered ‘Engineered by AMG’ sports suspension with AMG speed-sensitive sports steering, red calipers with ‘Mercedes-Benz’ lettering, red designo seat belts and ARTICO leather interior with red contrast stitching

What's the Mercedes-Benz CLA Shooting Brake (2015 – 2018) like to drive?

• Engines range from CLA 180 to CL A220 d Automatic
• Readers report Real MPG to be between 25–56 mpg

Like the CLA saloon, the Shooting Brake comes with the choice of three petrol engines, a 122PS 1.6-litre turbo petrol in the CLA 180 and two versions of a 2.0-litre turbo petrol with either 211PS in the CLA 250 or an incredible 360PS reserved for the CLA 45 AMG.

But it's the diesels that are more popular. The CLA is powered by the familiar 2.1-litre engine that's used in everything from big vans to the GLE. Here it develops 136PS in the CLA 200 CDI and 177PS in the CLA 220 CDI. 

The more powerful CLA 220 CDI diesel - only available with the 7G DCT automatic -  certainly delivers on paper. It will sprint to 62mph in 8.3 seconds, while averaging an official 67.3mpg and emitting just 108g/km of CO2.

Unfortunately, those numbers fail to tell the whole story. The diesel might be willing in a straight line, producing its maximum 350Nm of torque from just 1400rpm, but it's also pretty noisy and not especially refined. It's better once warmed up - and good sound proofing in the cabin helps mitigate that noise somewhat - but you can't escape the fact that it feels like an ageing engine.

Also disappointing is the seven-speed 7G DCT dual-clutch automatic. Accelerate away from a standstill and it's great, with flawless and fast upshifts, but in everyday driving it is slow to react to downshifts and often jerky when coming to a halt.

That unresponsiveness is really noticeable when slowing down for roundabouts and then wanting quick acceleration. Too often the gearbox is too slow to get you going again. There is a manual setting where you can use the steering wheel paddles plus a sport mode, but the latter is simply too hyperactive. It's a problem that we've found with this combination of 220 CDI engine and 7G DCT automatic across the Mercedes-Benz range.

There's better news when it comes to handling. The CLA may not be a traditional Mercedes-Benz in the sense that it's front-wheel drive, but it still handles very well. The majority of drivers won't notice any difference as the CLA Shooting Brake puts its power down cleanly with good traction, even in the wet.

It's good in corners too, thanks to precise and responsive steering that occasionally lacks feel but is nicely weighted to give the CLA Shooting Brake a true sporty feel. Body roll is well controlled and the ride quality is impressive too. It's on the firm side - part of the more 'youthful' CLA image - but it doesn't crash over bumps and deals well with all but the poorest of road surfaces, even when fitted with 18-inch wheels.

Engine	MPG	0-62	CO2
CL A220 d Automatic	67 mpg	7.8 s	108 g/km
CLA 180	41–49 mpg	9.1–9.4 s	134–158 g/km
CLA 180 Automatic	45–51 mpg	8.8–9.3 s	128–144 g/km
CLA 200	43 mpg	8.5 s	150 g/km
CLA 200 Automatic	43–44 mpg	8.2–8.5 s	146–150 g/km
CLA 200 d	66 mpg	9.7 s	111–112 g/km
CLA 200 d Automatic	69 mpg	9.2 s	106–107 g/km
CLA 220 4Matic Automatic	38 mpg	7.2 s	168 g/km
CLA 220 d Automatic	67 mpg	7.8–8.3 s	108–109 g/km
CLA 220 d Automatic 4Matic	59 mpg	7.8 s	126 g/km
CLA 220d 4Matic Automatic	50 mpg	7.8 s	148 g/km
CLA 220d Automatic	51 mpg	7.8 s	144 g/km
CLA 250 Automatic 4Matic	41–43 mpg	6.7–6.8 s	152–160 g/km
CLA 45 AMG	33–41 mpg	4.3–4.7 s	162–195 g/km

Real MPG average for a Mercedes-Benz CLA Shooting Brake (2015 – 2018)

Real MPG was created following thousands of readers telling us that their cars could not match the official figures.

Real MPG gives real world data from drivers like you to show how much fuel a vehicle really uses.

Diesel or petrol? If you're unsure whether to go for a petrol or diesel (or even an electric model if it's available), then you need our Petrol or Diesel? calculator. It does the maths on petrols, diesels and electric cars to show which is best suited to you.