2026 Mercedes-Benz CLA Gets the Svelte Shooting Brake Treatment
The CLA Shooting Brake pairs extra cargo space with a panoramic glass roof with illuminated star design elements.
The CLA Shooting Brake will go on sale in Europe next spring, but it won't be sold on our side of the pond.
The third-generation Mercedes-Benz CLA-class arrives this fall as an electric compact sedan, with a hybrid variant joining the lineup early next year. Now, the CLA is spawning the German automaker's first electric station wagon, with the newly revealed CLA Shooting Brake pairing the electric powertrain with a swoopy longroof body.
Ahead of the B-pillar, the CLA Shooting Brake shares its sheetmetal with the sedan. Its wide grille and unusual headlights are linked by a light bar. Unlike the sedan, however, the roofline doesn't drop as dramatically, although it does still curve downwards more than a traditional wagon with a descending window line that gives it a sleek, aerodynamic appearance. A small rear spoiler juts out over the rear window and the full-width taillight.
Mercedes-Benz
The CLA Shooting Brake also sports a large panoramic glass roof, which incorporates heat-insulating laminated glass to help reduce the impact of the summer sun on the cabin and minimize heat loss during the winter. As an option, the glass roof can also transform from transparent to opaque at the push of a button. It even includes built-in ambient lighting, a first for Mercedes. The glass features 158 stars that can glow in an array of colors, with the light fed from the front of the panel by LED modules.
Mercedes says the longer roof gives rear passengers an extra inch or so of headroom and also provides extra storage space, offering 46 cubic feet of space with the rear seats folded flat. The frunk adds an additional 4 cubes of cargo room, and the CLA Shooting Brake comes standard with roof rails in case you need to carry even more stuff.
Mercedes-Benz
Like the sedan, the Shooting Brake will be initially offered as an EV. The rear-wheel-drive CLA250+ makes 268 horsepower and has a 473-mile range, per Europe's optimistic WLTP cycle, which translates to a roughly 400-mile range by EPA test standards. The dual-motor CLA350 adds all-wheel drive and ups the output to 349 horsepower, while range drops slightly to around 386 miles.
All CLA EVs have a two-speed gearbox on the rear axle, with first gear aiding acceleration and second gear providing adequate power at higher speeds. The CLA250+ Shooting Brake can go from zero to 62 mph in 6.8 seconds, Mercedes claims. Both models feature an 85-kWh battery and an 800-volt architecture that allows fast-charging at up to 320 kilowatts. Mercedes says more EV variants will join the lineup next year, as will a hybrid powertrain as seen on the sedan.
The Mercedes-Benz CLA Shooting Brake is set to go on sale in Europe in March 2026. Sadly, Mercedes confirmed to Car and Driver that the CLA will be sold exclusively as a sedan in the United States, so we will have to admire it from afar.
Caleb Miller
Associate News Editor
Caleb Miller began blogging about cars at 13 years old, and he realized his dream of writing for a car magazine after graduating from Carnegie Mellon University and joining the Car and Driver team. He loves quirky and obscure autos, aiming to one day own something bizarre like a Nissan S-Cargo, and is an avid motorsports fan.
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