SPY: The 2012 Mercedes-Benz CLS Shooting Brake (X 218) scooped in Stuttgart

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Even though we were expecting a NYIAS 2012 premiere for the newest addition to the Mercedes-Benz' niche lineup, the CLS Shooting Brake will make the first stage appearance at the Goodwood Festival of Speed 2012 at the end of June. The estate version of the business 4-door coupe will most likely become a hit, given Europe's appetite for special types of vehicle which combine multiple attributes from various automobile classes.

However, being the first 4-door wagon coupe on Earth gives the CLS SB in some serious challenge as entitling yourself as trendsetter is a risky attitude no matter how many successful past experience you have. This difficult task is somewhat eased as the X 218 project builds its confident package on the winning formula of its coupe brother, which meant design over practicality to stand visibly above the crowd.

The heavily dropping roofline is transposed on a longer wheelbase body without many efforts, in a true Mercedes-Benz style that would make even classy the CL 2-door coupe feel envious about. Other than that, the entire styling you find on the standard CLS is carefully adapted to the new version. Inside, one should find the same aristochratic atmosphere as in the C 218 thanks to the high-quality, premium touch, the minute attention to details and the exquisite equipment. COMAND Online, top performance audio system, 6-DVD changer video entertainment system, THERMOTRONIC automatic climate control with 4 areas and several of the latest assistance solutions by Mercedes-Benz, like the ATTENTION ASSIST or the PRE-SAFE, complete and further refine the essence of this car.

The new CLS Shooting Brake comes standardly equipped with rear-driven traction, but in the future the 4MATIC will also be available, probably beginning with spring 2013. The engine range is made up of BlueEFFICIENCY units, in both diesel and petrol variants. The basic models are the CLS 250 and CLS 250 CDI with 204 hp, whereas the high-end versions are the CLS 500 with V8 power and probably 435 hp instead of the current 408 hp and the supersporty CLS 63 AMG with no less than 525 hp, which is set to arrive later this year. There's no indication if Mercedes-Benz plans to sell this car Stateside, but in Europe, prices for the new CLS SB could start from around € 64,000-65,000 in Germany.

Photo Credits: Autoblog

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