8 May 2015
Shooting Season
Many versions of the origin of the term Shooting Brake abound, but the modern meaning generally relates to some kind of station wagon or estate car; both also terms whose specific origins are open to interpretation, but terms that are well understood by comparison.
The most popular held view is that in the early 19th century, a brake was a wagon used to convey shooting parties with their dogs and guns when heading away on a hunt. Originally a traditional contraption used to break in horses, the brake had evolved into a wagon that could be used for shooting breaks, and on occasion you’ll see it written (incorrectly) as Shooting Break.
In the early twentieth century, the shooting brake had evolved to become a coach built estate car, usually based on a prestige vehicle chassis with finely crafted wooden bodywork which often involved the doors receiving the wooden treatment too.
The French are referenced in some circles as well, with some French vehicle manufacturers calling their wagons Breaks to this day. The French origin comes from the term “Break de chasse” which literally translates as “Hunting Break”.
Later in the twentieth century, the term was more often applied to special bodied wagons, usually the more sporty and sleek upmarket British ones, and while it was more accepted for a shooting brake to be a two door wagon, four door models were not excluded.
So yes, it’s a term that has varying opinions on the exact origin, but ultimately, they all lead to the same place; a swish looking prestige station wagon.
But is the CLS a real, traditional Shooting Brake?
Based on the current E-Class platform, the CLS Shooting Brake meets the description regardless of how we arrived at this point. It’s built on a prestige vehicle chassis, it’s an estate car, definitely sporty looking, no doubt about it being sleek, and there’s even some beautiful American cherry wood back there for the traditionalists, although it’s the load compartment floor and can’t be seen from the outside! And of course, Mercedes-Benz said so, so it must be!
Two versions are offered for our market; a 2.1 litre 150kW/500Nm direct injected diesel powered CLS-Class 250 CDI with a 7 speed automatic transmission, and a grunty petrol powered bi-turbo V8 CLS 500 that produces 300kW of power and 600Nm of torque. The 4.7litre V8 drives the rear wheels through a 9 speed (yes, NINE speed!) transmission. Fuel consumption is claimed to be 5.6L/100km for the CLS 250 CDI and the CLS 500 is said to consume 8.9litres of 95 octane juice per 100km.
A head-turner with features you never knew you needed
It was the latter model we drove recently. For $184,000 you’ll get the most head-turning wagon on the market today and a spec list that includes everything that opens and shuts, with Adaptive this and Active that, and highly useful features that you didn’t know you needed. And like a good V8 should, it plays quite a decent tune when on song.
The orthopaedically designed Active Multicontour Seats, with their massage and dynamic functions for driver and front seat passenger that provide additional lateral support when cornering, can be adapted to the user’s individual build via the COMMAND controller on the centre console. As well as being heated, front seats are air-conditioned too.
Side bolsters, backrest lumber and backrest shoulder supports can all be individually adjusted, with all the various settings being displayed on the 21.3cm colour screen.
The AMG sport seats with red topstitching are trimmed in Exclusive Passion finest quality leather. Topping off the wooden luggage floor is a protective load compartment cover and an EASY-PACK load securing kit. This is a little bag full of nifty clamps that can be fitted into rails set into the cargo floor that will slide back and forth, locking into place with nets and securing straps to stop your luggage from sliding around.
The Harman Kardon Logic 7 sound system is sensational for those who like their music loud, and with Bluetooth, navigation, 10GB music register, voice activation, a TV tuner with digital TV reception and internet access, the infotainment system is left wanting for nothing.
There’s a 360 degree camera, 11 airbags, Active Blind Spot Assist, Active Lane Keeping, Attention Assist (driver fatigue warning) and some of the most advanced safety features yet invented. Active Parking Assist, Airmatic suspension, electric tailgate, electric glass sunroof – the never-ending spec list goes on and on.
The piece de resistance is the MULTIBEAM LED Headlamp set-up, with Adaptive Highbeam Assist Plus. Plus what, you may ask? Well, more than your “average” adaptive headlamps, these things have a cornering function as you’d expect, but they add a roundabout feature which uses the navigation system to activate a low, wide beam when entering a roundabout.
More advanced than other high beam assistance systems, the MULTIBEAM LED technology uses 24 individual high performance LEDs which can be controlled independently of each other, using advanced camera technology to exclude other vehicles from the beam and their drivers from being dazzled. Four control units calculate the ideal light pattern 100 times per second.
The CLS 500 Shooting Brake is refined, exquisitely finished and that V8 packs a mean punch. For such a large vehicle, handling is superb and ride quality on the 19 inch rims is firm but comfortable.
It’s relatively practical, although the roof does rake down at the rear, compromising rear headroom somewhat, but it is the styling feature that makes the Shooting Brake so distinctive.
So there’s safety, refinement, equipment and technology that’s leading edge by any measure, but it’s that beautiful lump of wood in the back that did it for us! But whether a car such as this will ever be used for shooting breaks is doubtful, and while it would look perfectly at home in the carpark at a luxury lodge or golf club, if we see one within a country mile of a maimai, we’ll eat our beanie.