Mercedes-Benz CLA Shooting Brake 2026: stove hot 5.0-second dual-motor 660km-capable performance wagon coming to Oz in Q4

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Mercedes-Benz Australia has confirmed to Chasing Cars that a Shooting Brake version of the just-launched CLA sedan will arrive in Q4 this year, and will follow in the four-door powertrain strategy of offering both turbo-petrol hybrid and electric powertrain choices, now in two body styles.

The CLA Shooting Brake medium wagon will follow the ‘new’ GLB small SUV, arriving in Q3 this year, which is also underpinned by the same Mercedes-Benz Modular Architecture (MMA) and powertrain variety.

While Benz’s local arm is yet to confirm what variants and exact powertrain choices will be offered for both the CLA Shooting Brake (and GLB), the announcement was accompanied by an image of a 350 4Matic electric variant, which will be offered in sedan guise locally from July.

A CLA 350 4Matic Shooting Brake would offer Aussie gearhead buyers an enticingly and rare combination if it mirrors the four-door’s spec: electric 260kW/515Nm outputs, dual-motor all-paw drive, circa-5.0-second 0-100km performance and around 663km of range.

With the 350 4Matic sedan listing from $91,300, it’s fair to presume that an identically specified Shooting Brake iteration would carry a modest premium, if still landing below six figures before on-roads.

While Mercedes-Benz Australia confirmed that features and specification between the sedan and Shoot Brake would be almost identical, it’s unclear as to whether the wagon body style will be offered in some or all of the three-hybrid and two-electric sedan trims launching in Australia.

Specifications

In Europe, the hybrid-powered CLA Shooting Brake is offered in 115kW/280Nm ‘180’, 135kW/330Nm ‘200’ and 155kW/380Nm ‘220’ guises, with the 200 and 220 offered in both front and 4Matic all-wheel drive formats. All power figures shown here are combined petrol-electric.

The three BEV versions of the wagon are offered in Europe: a rear-drive 200 with 165kW/335Nm and up to 525km of range, a 200kW/335Nm rear-drive 250+ with up to a whopping 769km(!); and the top-dog dual-motor 350 that mirrors the sedan, if with a one-tenth acceleration shortfall (5.0sec).

Like the sedan, the Shooting Brake sits on a new modular platform with a three-link front and multilink rear suspension architecture, one specifically designed with flexibility for both electric and transverse ICE-derived powertrains: a first for Mercedes-Benz passenger cars.

The self-charging series-parallel hybrid system features a 1.5-litre turbo petrol four-pot engine, 48-volt integration, a 1.3kWh lithium ion battery and electric only driving up to 100km/h when 22kW (the motor peak) or less is demanded. It fits an eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox.

Meanwhile, the electric versions boast 800-volt architecture, feature a 58kWh lithium-ion or 85kWh nickel-manganese-cobalt battery, between 200kW and 320kW DC charging capabilities and, unlike many EVs, a two-speed transmission system.

Elsewhere, the Shooting Brake sits on the same 2790 wheelbase as the sedan, while measuring 4723mm in length, 1855mm in width and 1469mm in height. Boot space is 455 litres, up 50 litres over the sedan, and expands to an advertised 1295L. Like the four-door, the electric Shooting Brake is expected to fit a 101L frunk.

Pricing

While pricing is yet to be confirmed, it’s expected that, like the 350 4Matic, wagon offerings will command a modest upcharge over the sedan equivalent.

For relative context, the current sedan line-up has three hybrid choices that includes the CLA 180 ($66,500), the CLA 200 ($68,100) and the all-paw 220 4Matic ($84,300). Meanwhile, electric sedan choices include the rear-driven single-motor 200 Electric ($72,200) and the tree-topping dual-motor 350 4Matic Electric ($91,300).  

While actual specifications will only be revealed by Mercedes-Benz’s local arm closer to its Q4 release, it has been confirmed that the Shooting Brake will largely mirror the sedan variant of like-for-like variant nameplates, as outlined here.