Crossovers and SUVs may have taken over, but Mercedes insists there’s still room in the luxury segment for a good ol’ wagon. The CLA lives to see a next-generation model and retains the naming misdemeanor by carrying the Shooting Brake moniker once again. It has too many doors to be a true shooting brake, but nevertheless, we’re glad the long-roof model soldiers on for a third iteration.
Up to the B-pillars, it’s identical to the CLA “coupe,” retaining the unibrow look if you spring for the optional light strip. Instead of a traditional grille, it gets a black panel with 142 illuminated three-pointed stars. Mercedes was able to forgo the front grille because there’s no engine under the hood that requires cooling. Yes, this is a fully electric CLA Shooting Brake. However, a mild-hybrid model with a gas engine is also planned.
Photo by: Mercedes-Benz
Although we’re not enamored with the car’s profile, we’d still prefer the extended CLA over the GLA crossover. Mercedes is stretching the definition of a compact car by making the new wagon even bigger than its predecessor. At 185.9 inches (4723 millimeters) long, 73 in (1855 mm) wide, and 57.8 in (1469 mm) tall, it’s 1.3 in (35 mm) longer, 1 in (25 mm) wider, and 1.1 in (27 mm) taller than before.
Additionally, the wheelbase has been elongated by 2.4 in (61 mm) to 109.8 in (2790 mm). Weight isn’t mentioned, but it’s undoubtedly a porker. The dual-motor CLA sedan weighs 4,706 pounds (2,135 kilograms), and logic suggests that the equivalent wagon will be slightly heavier due to its larger format.
Despite being a bigger car than the model it replaces, the 2026 CLA Shooting Brake is actually less practical in the back, presumably due to the batteries. Cargo volume with the rear seats in place drops by 1 cubic foot (30 liters) to 16 cubic feet (455 liters). Fold down the 40:20:40-split bench and the number grows to 45.5 cubic feet (1,290 liters), or 2.1 cubic feet (60 liters) less than its predecessor. However, Mercedes compensates for the downgraded rear cargo compartment by adding a front trunk that accommodates 3.5 cubic feet (101 liters).
Making the most of the extended roof is a massive, one-piece panoramic glass panel stretching from the windscreen frame all the way to the black rear spoiler. Even on a hot summer day, the interior won’t feel like a sauna, thanks to the CLA Shooting Brake’s heat-insulating laminated safety glass featuring an infrared-reflecting and low-emissivity (LowE) coating on the inside. The latter also pays dividends in winter by reducing heat loss. The panoramic glass roof is illuminated by 158 stars embedded in the glass surface, color-coordinated with the ambient lighting.
Photo by: Mercedes-Benz
A growing trend among cars is to offer a dimmable panoramic roof. Mercedes allows you to switch from opaque to transparent in 10–20 milliseconds, but requires you to use the infotainment system. As with the regular CLA, the Shooting Brake is all about displays, combining a 14-inch touchscreen with a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster. Customers can pay extra to add a 14-inch display for the front passenger. Without it, that section of the dashboard contains backlit stars because you apparently can’t have enough of those. An optional head-up display is also offered.
Mercedes intends to initially sell the CLA Shooting Brake in 250+ and 300 4Matic electric flavors. Both share a nickel-manganese-cobalt battery pack with an 85-kWh usable energy content. The former can travel 473 miles (761 kilometers) on a single charge, while the latter can cover 454 miles (730 kilometers). If you’re running low on battery juice, DC charging for 10 minutes at 320 kW will enable 193 miles (310 kilometers) of range for the CLA 250+ and 186 miles (300 kilometers) for the CLA 300 4Matic.
The single-motor variant offers 268 horsepower and 247 pound-feet (335 Newton-meters) of torque, good for 0 to 62 mph (100 km/h) in 6.8 seconds and a top speed of 130 mph (210 km/h). Step up to the all-wheel-drive variant, and Mercedes will reward you with 349 hp and 380 lb-ft (515 Nm). The extra oomph cuts the sprint time to five seconds flat, but the top speed remains unchanged.
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Source: Mercedes-Benz
These two electric versions will be the first to hit Europe in March 2026, when additional EV variants will join the lineup. Around the same time, a cheaper mild-hybrid featuring a turbocharged 1.5-liter gasoline engine will launch as well. It’ll be powered by a transversely mounted M252 four-cylinder engine paired with an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. It should mirror the CLA sedan by coming in both front- and all-wheel-drive configurations and two outputs.
We’re asking Mercedes-Benz USA whether the CLA Shooting Brake is coming to North America, but we’re not holding our breath, seeing as how the previous two generations were forbidden fruits. In other markets where it will be sold, this car won’t have any direct rivals to worry about. BMW doesn’t sell a 2 Series wagon, Audi won’t bring an A3 Avant to market, and the Volkswagen Arteon Shooting Brake was discontinued at the beginning of the year.
The only adversary potentially on the horizon is the rumored i3 Touring, but BMW hasn’t confirmed it yet.
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