The Mercedes-Benz CLS ushered in the four-door coupe craze when it was first introduced back in 2004. Since then we’ve seen several other luxury rivals attempt to emulate the design, with cars like the Porsche Panamera, Aston Martin Rapide, Audi A7 and most recently, the BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe.
The second-generation CLS went on sale last year and now Mercedes is set to capitalise on this niche segment once again, this time with the ‘Shooting Brake’ bodystyle as previewed by the concept from 2010.
Pictured are prototypes for a production CLS Shooting Brake from Mercedes-Benz, and given its almost showroom look, we could be seeing it formally unveiled in the very near future, most likely at the 2012 Paris Auto Show in September. With four doors and a rear cargo area, the CLS Shooting Brake is more of an estate/wagon than a true shooting brake, which is typically a two-door, extended-rear, coupe-based car, like the Ferrari FF for example.
Nevertheless, we’re glad to see that Mercedes’ design team has stayed true to the gorgeous lines of the previous concept, guaranteeing that this new model will be one of the hottest cars on sale this year. Note, one feature that doesn’t appear to have made production is the concept’s awesome panoramic glass sunroof pictured above.
Expect the base CLS350 model to feature a 3.5-litre V6 rated at 225 kW and 370 Nm of torque, while the CLS550 should sport the same twin-turbocharged 4.6-litre V8 found in the current CLS550 coupe and be rated at 300 kW and 600 Nm of torque.
Of course there will also be a high-performance CLS63 AMG Shooting Brake model – the black car in the included images. The Mercedes CLS63 AMG Shooting Brake will receive the typical AMG styling and aerodynamic tweaks that include, newly designed front and rear bumpers, an aggressive-looking set of wheels and a new quadruple exhaust system, while the braking system will be upgraded as well.
Powered by AMG’s twin-turbocharged 5.5-litre V8, the CLS63 AMG Shooting Brake will channel 386 kW and 700 Nm of torque to the rear wheels via a 7-speed automatic ‘Speedshift’ transmission – a transmission that has been specifically developed for AMG models.
Look out for the new Mercedes-Benz CLS Shooting Brake in showrooms around the end of the year, most likely as a 2013 model.
