Published on July 3rd, 2012 | by Ramon Trotman

Mercedes Benz CLS63 AMG Shooting Brake

Here comes Mercedes Benz with a unique name, a unique play on the CLS body and a hell of a get up all around. Pay close attention to the AMG portion of the name because that ushers in a wild 549 hp and a delicious 590 lb-ft torque! Not bad for a super station wagon…not bad at all!

The body features frameless, all-aluminum doors made from deep-drawn aluminum panels with extruded sections, and in comparison with conventional steel doors, are about 24 kilograms lighter.
Also made of aluminum are the tailgate, hood, front wings, various support profiles and substantial parts of the suspension and engines.
With a frontal area of 2.30 m² and a Cd value of 0.29, the drag area is 0.67 m².
The CLS Shooting Brake will be available with four different engine variants – two diesel engines and two petrol engines, all coupled with the 7G-TRONIC PLUS automatic transmission and the ECO start/stop function.
The entry-level mode is the CLS 250 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY , while the top-of-the-range model is the CLS 500 BlueEFFICIENCY with a V8 biturbo engine producing 300 kW (408 hp).

In addition, two models are available with all-wheel drive: the CLS 350 CDI 4MATIC BlueEFFICIENCY and the CLS 500 4MATIC BlueEFFICIENCY.
Among the technical features are the dynamic full LED High Performance headlamps, which combine the color elements of LED technology – similar to those of daytime driving lights – with the performance, functionality and energy efficiency of today’s bi-xenon generation.

“The CLS Shooting Brake is based on the great tradition of stylish sportiness which has always characterized Mercedes, and takes these unique icons an exciting step further”, explains Gorden Wagener, Head of Design at Mercedes Benz.
“It stands for the enhanced design idiom of Mercedes-Benz which is oriented towards aesthetic, avant-garde principles”.
Interior Design
Like the CLS coupé, the CLS Shooting Brake will offer a wide range of customization options for the interior, including five colors, five trim designs, three qualities of leather and three wood types: high-gloss brown burr walnut, high-gloss black ash and satin-finish light-brown poplar.
The interior is given an even more progressive look with the addition of piano lacquer or AMG carbon fibre/black piano lacquer trim elements.
A completely new addition comes in the form of porcelain interior appointments which afford both CLS models a sense of luxury normally found in the S-Class.
The load volume ranges between 590 and 1550 liters, and can be accessed via the automatically opening tailgate.

Luggage compartment wooden floor
Among the interior features is the Cherry tree wooden luggage compartment floor, which takes inspiration from luxury yachts and underscores the hand-finished nature of the cabin.
Selected veneer sheets are glued and pressed together by hand in five cross-bonded layers to achieve high dimensional stability.
The blanks are milled into their precise shape using a CNC machine, and the surfaces sanded to a smooth finish and waterproofed to maintain the natural beauty of the wood.
The design is enhanced by inlaid work using darker smoked oak, cut into three millimeter strips using laser technology.
The aluminum rails have a brushed finish and rubber inserts, and not only help to protect the wooden floor but also feature anti-slip properties.
The origins of the name “Shooting Break”
Break, or the homonym Brake, was the name once given to carriages used to “break” in wild horses and also to restrict (or “brake”) their urge to move, so that they could be put to use as work horses.
Since the carts could easily be broken as part of this process, people tended not to use ones which they may have urgently needed for other purposes. Where necessary, “Brakes” were often fitted out with variable bodies, which were only really used to carry along anything that may have been necessary for the hunt, for example.
Any such vehicle which was used when going out shooting was called a Shooting Brake or Shooting Break.
Motorized Shooting Brakes were popular in England in the 60s and 70s – exclusive two-door sports cars, which combined the luxury and style of a coupé with a larger load compartment and large tailgate.