Second-generation of Mercedes’ sleek station wagon debuts in Singapore at S$188k with COE, will be at the Motorshow 

SINGAPORE 

Mercedes-Benz is hitting 2020 right off the bat, as the first new car of the year to be priced here is the new CLA Shooting Brake. It’s already in the Mercedes-Benz showroom but will also be at the 2020 Singapore Motorshow, which kicks off this Thursday, 1300h,  at Suntec City. 

The wagon variant of the CLA four-door coupe begins at S$187,888 with COE for the Progressive model, and S$190,888 with COE for the sportier AMG Line model. 

That makes it S$9k more expensive than the Coupe, which is priced at S$178,888 with COE for the Progressive model, and S$185,088 with COE for the AMG Line model. All photos shown in this article are of the AMG Line model unless otherwise stated. 

But given the AMG Line model is only S$3k more expensive for the Shooting Brake, most buyers would be better off going for that model directly, unless they dislike AMG-ness. 

Here’s a pic of the Progressive model – see the different grille? Note that this depicts the car with the ‘Night Package’ option that has rear privacy glass which isn’t present on models in Singapore with this option.

The differences are similar to those seen throughout the Mercedes range: The AMG Line model has a AMG body kit with chrome front splitter and the ‘diamond pin’ grille and 18-inch wheels with AMG design. The interior sees a flat-bottomed sport steering wheel, aluminium sport pedals, and aluminium trim – the Progressive model has (oddly) carbonfibre-look trim instead and no sporty bits, and ‘regular’ 18-inch wheels. 

The CLA Shooting Brake is based on the new second-gen CLA, which has grown prettier, as well as expanding its footprint for a more spacious, upmarket feel that was absent from the not-so-nice-driving previous model. 

Before continuing you may wish to read our international drive story which covers all the changes on the new CLA coupe, the local launch story of that car which covers local variants, and our test drives of the CLA 200 Progressive and CLA 200 AMG Line. 

Trim differences aside, the Shooting Brake has exactly the same interior with the new 10.25-inch dual screens and new MBUX (Mercedes-Benz User Experience) interface. 

Here’s the previous-gen model – doesn’t look all that pretty anymore, does it?

The Shooting Brake was our choice of the lineup for the first-gen CLA, since we also felt it was the best looking – read our review here to find out more. It only packed 25-litres of additional boot space, though it had a slightly larger loading aperture.

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READ MORE: Why the new Mercedes-Benz GLA is finally a proper SUV

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Station wagons have never been very popular here in Singapore, but judging from the numbers of the first-gen CLA SB that can be seen on our roads, we’re not damning it with faint praise to call it the most popular luxury station wagon here.

When’s the last time you saw an Audi Avant or BMW Touring, or Mercedes-Benz Estate? We thought so.

The new model is far more practical, at least on paper. It has 45-litres more boot space than its brother, at 505-litres expandable to 1,370-litres, and the opening of the loading compartment is 236mm wider (871mm across), while the cargo area is 66mm wider and 51mm deeper (1394mm and 1054mm respectively). 



As you can see from the chart, it has the most capacious boot of all the non-SUV small Mercedes cars –  the B-Class has just 455-litres – so it’s a great alternative to a boring MPV, or if you simply dislike SUVs.

The rest of the improvements are identical to what we see with the four-door. Only the CLA 200 model will be sold here, and it has a 1.33-litre turbocharged engine mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox that drives the front wheels, with 163hp and 250Nm of torque. 

Performance and efficiency is very similar to its brother, naturally, it’s a tiny bit slower and less efficient – 0-100km/h in 8.4 seconds (0.2 seconds difference) and 5.7L/100km (same) with 130g/km of CO2 (vs 125g/km). 

 

The difference is because the wagon has more sheetmetal and reinforcements to allow for the larger boot and it’s 25kg heavier than the coupe, at 1,445kg. 

As it is with the CLA four-door coupe, there’s a CLA 180 (136hp) with the 1.33-litre engine, a CLA 220 (190hp) and CLA 250 (224hp) with the 2.0-litre engine and optional all-wheel drive, but it’s not likely any of these will be offered in Singapore. The 250 might be offered on an indent basis – kick up a ruckus at the Mercedes-Benz Centre if you want one.

The CLA SB runs the improved MFA2 platform that underpins all of Mercedes-Benz’s revamped small car range. In Singapore that includes the CLA four-door, the A-Class hatch, the A-Class Saloon, the B-Class MPV. 

It brings into focus the crazy amount of choice you now have if you’re interested in a small Mercedes below the S$200k mark – the A-Class hatchback, the A-Class Saloon, the CLA four-door coupe, and now the CLA wagon. That situation will only get worse (better?) in 2020 with the new GLA and seven-seat GLB SUVs on the way too. 

 

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