Mercedes-Benz CLA Shooting Brake review

There’s plenty of head room up front, especially if you avoid the panoramic sunroof that comes with the optional Premium Plus package. As is the case with the Mercedes A-Class hatchback on which the CLA Shooting Brake is based, oddment storage is pretty good, too.

Space in the back is adequate rather than generous when compared with the wider estate car class. Leg room is decent enough, but those over six feet tall will find there isn’t a vast amount of space between the top of their head and the car’s roof lining. If rear seat space is your priority, you can pick up a very well specified Skoda Superb Estate with limo-like leg and head room for similar money.

Move to the boot and things are a little mixed; the CLA has a bigger capacity than the Audi A4 Avant (and Mercedes’ own C-Class estate), but is trickier to load. That’s because its wide rear lights reduce the width of the lowest section of the loading aperture. There’s also a high loading lip to lug heavy items over before you drop them into the boot. At least you get a handy 40/20/40 split folding rear seat backrest as standard; you can set these to accommodate various combinations of passengers and luggage.