Shooting brakes were conceived and crafted to carry people and
their assorted gear on hunting trips. Go hunting in the CLS 63 AMG
S version and sports cars become fair game. That's preposterous for
a luxury vehicle that's the curvaceous offspring of a four-door
coupe and a wagon … but the big Merc is a preposterous kind of
car.
VALUE
At this end of the market, the "transaction price" can be
distinctly different from the sticker price. Which is a good thing
when the official cost is $265,145 before on-roads. The money buys
the best looking wagon on the market - everyone's tried to copy the
CLS look and the shooting brake variant is just as
attractive.
It will pack five grown-ups and their luggage in a cabin
fitted with premium leather, heated and cooled front seats,
tri-zone aircon and a Harman Kardon surround sound system for the
digital radio.
It also has the full suite of Mercedes-Benz driver assistance
software to keep the occupants safe and aware of their
surroundings. And there's nothing else on the market quite like
it.
TECHNOLOGY
The 5.5-litre twin-turbo V8 is so potent it poisons
perceptions of other, lesser engines. Even the naturally aspirated
6.2-litre engine fitted to the latest 507 edition of the C63 AMG
can't match its ferocious acceleration or fuel efficiency. Both
vehicles hit 100km/h just 4.2 seconds after takeoff but the
smaller, lighter C ingests fuel at an official 12 litres every 100
clicks against 10.3Lfor the bigger, bulker CLS.
The AMG multi-clutch auto shifts seamlessly in comfort mode up
to a neck-aching surge in the sports setting, giving owners a
limousine ride or rocket launch simulation at the flick of the
rotary switch between the front seats. The dampers can also be
progressively stiffened and the stability control settings loosened
or disabled for track work. Track work?
DESIGN
This is the result of letting the CLS coupe snuggle up under
the car covers with an E-Class estate. With a cargo space of 590L,
the CLS Shooting Brake can't match the E for capacity but it more
than compensates in the looks department.
Front-on the big tri-star badge tells the world it's a sporty
Merc while down the back four chromed exhaust tips - and the AMG
badge - are an equally assertive declaration. The profile is pure
eye-candy, from the upwardly tapering character line to the
glasshouse arc. AMG thankfully shifts the transmission selector
from the steering column to the centre console.
SAFETY
Set off all 11 airbags and the interior of the CLS 63 Shooting
Brake would transform into a mini jumping castle. Before that
happens, the massive AMG brakes will have scrubbed off speed. It
hasn't been tested but is based on the five-star E-Class, so it'll
do all right if the driver is inept enough to ignore or defeat the
myriad safety systems and hit something.
DRIVING
The Shooting Brake is an automotive chameleon, blending in
which whatever mode the driver dictates. It can't be faulted as an
executive shuttle. Legroom doesn't match the cavernous S-Class but
is more than adequate for those smaller than NBA forwards.
It is equally well suited to the role of weekend cruiser,
coping with a set of luggage or pair of golf bags without fuss. The
relatively small rear opening means it won't be carrying bulky
furniture, assuming owners would deign to move it themselves in the
first place.
People buy AMG variants because they want to have fun or
simply want the best. Either way, the CLS doesn't disappoint. It's
only on the tightest of roads at the most inappropriate speeds that
the five-metre length starts to become evident. Even then, the grip
and body control is phenomenal for a two-tonne vehicle.
The AMG-tweaked steering has all the precision of a
neurosurgeon - point the blunt nose at the apex and it performs a
duet with the suspension to ensure it's clipped irrespective of the
road conditions.
Get to your destination and it's hard not to take a second
look at the curvy CLS, not just for the looks, but the satisfaction
of seeing brake dust on the front wheels and the bug-splatter on
the screen. It affirms to passers-by the Shooting Brake is being
broken in.
VERDICT
The automotive gods have smiled on the CLS 63 AMG S Shooting
Brake. It is practical, insanely powerful and prettier than a
photoshopped supermodel.
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