Mercedes chose the eve of the German Grand Prix for the official world premiere of its CLS 63 AMG Shooting Brake. Revealed on a catwalk on the “Night of the Stars” at the Hockenheim, the car boasts the same AMG 5.5-liter V8 biturbo engine outputting 386 kW (525 hp) and delivering 700 Nm of torque found in the sedan model. Mercedes will also offer an “Edition 1” model for a limited time, which ups the power output to 410 kW (557 hp) and the torque to 800 Nm.
Mercedes says it is looking to establish a new market segment with the high-performance, station-wagonesque vehicle, which becomes the flagship of the company’s CLS Shooting Brake range. With its extended, flowing roofline, the vehicle boasts a roomy interior and luggage compartment with 1,550 liters of space, yet manages to retain the same 0-100 km/h (62 mph) time of 4.4 seconds as the sedan. The Edition 1 variant does get there 0.1 seconds quicker though, with both offering an electronically limited top speed of 250 km/h (155 mph).
Both variants also offer fuel consumption figures of 10.1 liters per 100 kilometers (23.28 US mpg) and CO2 emissions of 235 g/km.
The engine is mated to an AMG SPEEDSHIFT MCT 7-speed sports transmission that comes equipped with automatic double declutching, RACE START functions and four individual transmission modes. In “Controlled Efficiency” mode, the ECO start/stop function is engaged and the eight-cylinder engine is automatically turned off when at standstill, while the Sport, Sport plus and Manual transmission modes provide more responsiveness.
The AMG RIDE CONTROL sports suspension includes steel suspension struts on the front axle and air suspension struts on the rear, along with automatic level control that is assisted by an electronically controlled damping system that automatically adjusts in response to the driving conditions to reduce body roll.
On the exterior, two chrome twin tailpipes and LED headlamps with Mercedes’ Intelligent Light System and adaptive Highbeam Assist come as standard, while the interior sees nappa leather AMG sports seats with memory functions, AMG black lacquer trim and an AMG-specific analogue clock.
Optional extras include a designo wooden luggage compartment floor made of open-pore American cherry wood, and designo metallic and magno paint finishes. There are also a range of AMG Performance Studio options including an exterior carbon fiber package, ceramic high-performance brakes, carbon fiber/black piano lacquer trim, rear axle differential lock, illuminated front sill panels, and light-alloy wheels in either a 5-twin- or 10-spoke design. There’s also the option of a Bang & Olufsen BeoSound AMG surround sound system with 16-channel DSP amplifier, ICEpower amplifier and 14 speakers offering a total output of 1200 watts.
Mercedes will launch the CLS 63 AMG Shooting Brake, along with the “Edition 1” variant in Europe in October 2012. But despite the sedan being available in the U.S., the Shooting Brake is unlikely to be available in the land of the free.
Mercedes' promo trailer for the CLS 63 AMG Shooting Brake can be viewed below.
Source: Mercedes-Benz
