Mercedes CLS Shooting Brake spy video

The new Mercedes CLS Shooting Brake caught on video

The Mercedes CLS Shooting Brake – the CLS Estate – is close to production reveal, and we have video of the CLS Estate out testing.

The car world thought Mercedes had gone mad when it launched the CLS to a world that thought a four-door coupe a niche too far. But Mercedes were right, and the E-Class based CLS when on to be a strong seller. Now in its second iteration, the CLS is about to spawn an Estate version – the Mercedes CLS Shooting Brake – which could debut as early as Geneva next month.

So it’s no surprise that Mercedes are out playing with the CLS Shooting Brake (although it’s unlikely Mercedes will give the Estate version of the CLS the Shooting Brake moniker when it arrives) ahead of a production reveal and an aim to have it in showrooms later in 2012.

Looking pretty much like the CLS Shooting Brake Concept we saw in Beijing in 2010, the CLS Estate won’t be a load carrier in the way the E-Class Estate is, but will be much more a lifestyle car with its swoopy coupe roofline. It seems likely that Mercedes will offer the CLS Estate with all the engines currently available in the CLS, although whether they’ll go the whole hog and offer a CLS 63 Shooting Brake remains to be seen.

Prices for the CLS Shooting Brake will be a notch higher than the CLS and, assuming the CLS Estate does debut at Geneva in March, should be on sale in the Summer.

(28 photos – click any thumbnail for full gallery)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6ssy-ALKWE

By Cars UK