When Mercedes-Benz presented the first generation of the CLS in 2004, nobody expected that it would virtually reestablished the so-called four-door coupe segment and go on to sell some 170,000 examples throughout the world.
Now, the Stuttgart-based automaker is getting ready to bring the shooting brake category into the limelight with a new variant of the second generation of the CLS.
The company not only acknowledged the production of the Shooting Brake model a few months after the presentation of a concept study at the Auto China motorshow in 2010, but even announced that sales will start in 2012.
Our spy photographers caught up with a very thinly camouflaged prototype, in which only parts of the rear end were hidden.
The shape of the production CLS Shooting Brake remains more or less faithful to the concept with the only visible change being the slightly higher roofline that should improve interior space for both passengers and their luggage.
Don’t expect any surprises under the hood as the powertrain lineup will be directly sourced from the sedan model and range from the entry-level 2.2-liter turbo diesel with 204HP (for Europe) to the ferocious 5.5-liter bi-turbocharged V8 with up to 557-horsepower and 800 Nm of torque in the CLS 63 AMG.
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