Mercedes-Benz CLS250 Reviews

Ewan Kennedy road tests and reviews the Mercedes-Benz CLS 250 CDI.

You'd expect a car the size and weight of Mercedes-Benz's CLS 250CDI to suck a bit of fuel. It's a big, rear drive, four-door 'coupe' with swoopy lines crammed with luxury kit weighing in at 1785kg.

The original Mercedes-Benz CLS was credited with inventing the luxury four-door coupe body style, and the current generation remains the most successful in its field.

The term shooting brake isn’t a common one here, but it’s a more common term in Europe for a prestige wagon.

When the Benz CLS four-door coupe first appeared it attracted plenty of criticism by a bunch or wowsers but went on to spawn a whole new class of vehicle. Benz has just started a new trend using the same CLS formula - in a 'wagon' though they don't like the CLS Shooting Brake referred to as such.ARCING ROOFWhatever, it's a wagon with sexy lines and the characteristic CLS arcing roofline, full stop. Like the "coupe" before, the Shooting Brake boasts a blend of luxury and sportiness this time with a greater measure of practicality.Is it as confronting a design as the coupe? Well, yes, possibly even more so. We have never seen anything like it and the sheer audacity of styling a "carry-all" vehicle like this is to be admired.PREMIUMOne thing's certain, when you see one on the road, you won't forget it in a hurry. The "Shooter" is likely to be compared with a brace of premium, luxury, mid-size European "estates" like the Volvo V70, BMW 5-Series and Audi A6 but that would be missing the point.It's a stylemeister more than a load toter... pure and simple. Built more for conveying you and your passengers to the golf, yacht club, polo, skiing or scuba diving rather than take the tribe to the footy.ATTENTIONA look at me vehicle for someone who enjoys being the centre of attention. And when you actually get behind the wheel and drive one, that attention from other drivers is clearly evident. It's almost like driving art on wheels.LINEUPWe get CLS Shooting Brake in two models with the diesel-engined 250 CDi and petrol-powered 350. A 5.5 litre, twin-turbocharged, V8-engined AMG is possible later on. The diesel is a 2143cc, turbocharged, four-cylinder seen in numerous other Benz models.A cracker of an engine good for a wall of torque, it propels the largish Shooter like a sports sedan while using as little as 5.5-litres/100km. The numbers are actually 150kW/500Nm thanks in part to a twin-turbo installation under the curving bonnet.ON THE ROADDrive goes to the rear wheels through a seven-speed automatic transmission. Automatic stop-start shuts down the engine when the car comes to a stop to save fuel in traffic. The 350 has a naturally-aspirated, direct-injection, 3.5 litre V6 and develops 225kW and 370Nm.It too is used in numerous other Benz models. Like the diesel, it powers the rear wheels through the same 7G-tronic conventional auto. Stop-start helps the 350 achieve 8.2 litres/100km. So, you get head turning looks, generous standard equipment, impressive ride and handling characteristics and something really special though it's an option that should be standard.TIMBERIt's a cherrywood timber load floor done in boat deck style available for $4900. Now that's something no other car currently offers - a real talking point with a wow factor guaranteed to hit the envy button. And after all, isn't that what the Benz Shooting Brake is all about...HOW MUCH?The diesel is $129,000 while the petrol is $173,000.Mercedes-Benz CLS Shooting Brake 250 CDIPrice: from $129,000Resale: N/AService interval: 12 months/25,000kmCrash rating: Not ratedSafety: 6 airbags, ABS, EBD, EBA, TC, ESCEngine: 2.1L twin-turbodiesel, 150kW/500NmTransmission: 7-speed automatic, RWDDimensions: 4.96m (L), 1.89m (W), 1.42m (H)Weight: 1801kgSpare: Space-saverThirst: 5.5L/100km (diesel), 144g/km CO2

A new era of style-driven wagons is adding class to the traditional load-lugger and the Mercedes-Benz CLS Shooting Brake leads the convoy.

Mercedes-Benz surprised the motoring world in 2003 by launching the CLS four-door coupe. People said a coupe could not have four doors and that the CLS wouldn't work.Tens of thousands of sales have proven the doubters wrong and cheekily, Mercedes has introduced what it calls a coupe-estate, a stylish five-door CLS station wagon. Or rather a CLS Shooting Brake.The name shooting brake was coined centuries back for horse-drawn wagons used to carry shooting parties to country estates. Over 100 years ago the term reached the automotive field when Rolls-Royce built what it called a shooting break. We first admired the stylish Mercedes CLS wagon at the 2010 New York Motor Show and later attended its world debut at the famed Brooklands racing oval in England. Now we have finally had the chance to drive one in Australia.Priced from $129,000 the most fascinating thing about the all-new Mercedes-Benz CLS Shooting Brake is that it exists in a field of one. Sure there are other upmarket competitors, but none of them has the style and elegance of this one.Jaguar has already shown a concept of what it calls a Sportbrake at recent European motor shows and it will be interesting to see if other topline marques try to chase Mercedes into what could become an expansive niche in the market.At the rear the roof slopes down in a similar manner to that of the CLS four-door coupe. We particularly like the way the side windows finish at their rear point and love the old-style shiny finish that surrounds them. A nice retro touch. Inside, the Shooting Brake is finished in quality materials giving a pleasant appearance and a warm ambiance. In very Mercedes’ fashion there are easy to read dials that will be familiar to all Mercedes owners.While the Shooting Brake’s shape is unashamedly sleek it doesn’t do too badly in the practicality stakes. The rear seat has good headroom and legroom and we would have no problem sitting back there for a long interstate trip. Sensibly, the rear area is set up for two individuals, however there’s also a somewhat cramped centre seat so five can be carried for short, but not particularly comfortable trips.Luggage space is surprisingly good as well, the extravagantly long tail of the Shooting Brake means substantially long objects can be transported. However, large boxy items are restricted by the slope of the roof. In a lovely touch harking back to the days of the horse drawn shooting brakes and the old motor wagons, the Mercedes-Benz CLS Shooting Brake has the option of a mahogany timber-lined floor complete with shiny cross bracing.Two versions of the CLS Shooting Brake are now on sale in Australia, the $129,000 250 CDI powered by a twin-turbo diesel engine producing up to 150 kW of power and 500 Nm of torque. Its official fuel consumption rating of just 5.5 litres per hundred kilometres means it avoids some Luxury Car Tax (LCT).Then there’s the 3.5-litre V6 petrol unit in the CLS 350 Shooting Brake comes with 225 kW and 370 Nm. Its fuel usage of 8.2 litres per hundred kilometres means it attracts the full ire of the Australian taxation people, as LCT adds a whopping $26,277 to the price, bringing it up to $173,000.On the road we only had the chance to test the four-cylinder CLS 250. It has plenty of performance, indeed we suspect the great majority of owners would never ask for more. Once minimal turbo lag has been passed the engine has strong acceleration. Overtaking speeds, typically getting as fast as possible from 80 to 120 km/h are despatched quickly to maximise safety.Road noise is well damped, though we suspect there may be slightly more intrusion into the rear of the cabin because of the wagon body. Comfort levels are high and this is the sort of car that could transport four people across vast expanses of Australian countryside, leaving them cool and relaxed at the end of a long day’s driving. Handling is neat and precise with good steering feel and the ability to get the large Shooting Brake hustled into corners with ease.

In a world dominated by hulking SUV family haulers, Mercedes-Benz is bucking the trend with its CLS Shooting Brake.