2026 Mercedes CLA Shooting Brake What It Could Look Like?

Here is my rendering for the 2026 Mercedes-Benz CLA Shooting Brake or the Station Wagon version of the all-new CLA.
 

The CLA has never been the most engaging car in its class. Far from it, actually, as there is something called the BMW 2 Series Coupe (M2) that can always teach it a few things about proper driving credentials. However, we cannot deny this model’s visual coolness, regardless of the body style.
 
Speaking of the latter, the three-pointed star brand already unveiled the four-door sedan, or four-door coupe as it likes to call it, stating that the Shooting Brake will follow. That’s great news for station wagon lovers, as the all-new Mercedes-Benz CLA Shooting Brake should be one sexy estate when it debuts, presumably later this year.
 
The spy shot realm has already given us a few looks at this model in prototype form, and given that its shorter roof sibling is already out, we know what to expect. The upcoming CLA Shooting Brake will feature an identical front fascia, a redesigned back end, a longer roofline that is slightly arched toward the rear, larger rear three-quarter panels, and tweaked taillights.
 
Combining its four-door sibling’s sleek design with added practicality in the form of a more generous cargo area, the 2026 Mercedes-Benz CLA Shooting Brake will ride on the MMA architecture. It will likely launch with a couple of electric powertrains, likely named the CLA 250+ with EQ Technology and CLA 350 4Matic with EQ Technology, just like the four-door CLA, and while those may not be the nicest names we’ve seen (far from it, actually), the model will pack sufficient power for daily drives.
 
The former has a rear-mounted electric motor making 268 hp (272 ps/200 kW), and the latter uses a dual-motor setup with a combined 349 hp (354 ps/260 kW). The WLTP-rated range is 431-492 miles (694-792 km) and 418-479 miles (672-771 km), respectively. The CLA 250+ has 247 pound-feet (335 Nm) of torque, and the CLA 350 4Matic’s thrust is rated at 380 pound-feet (515 Nm). Both tap out at 130 mph (209 kph), and we expect the same from the CLA Shooting Brake.
 
Feeding electrons to the motors is an 85 kWh lithium-ion battery pack with an 800-volt electric architecture. It supports fast charging up to 320 kW, so plugging it in for just ten minutes will give it 200+ miles (325 km) of range. If you don’t dig the EV, you may want to wait for the hybrid, which will combine a 1.5L four-pot with a motor integrated into the 8sp DCT, fed by a 1.3 kWh battery. FWD and AWD versions of this model will be available, and there is no reason to believe that the CLA Shooting Brake won’t get the same recipe.
 
On the inside, the long roof model will use the same screen fest as the four-door variant, with dual 14-inch screens for the infotainment system and passenger display and a 10.25-inch digital gauge cluster. The infotainment system uses AI from Google and Microsoft, and there is a new MBUX Virtual Assistant on deck, so tech aficionados will certainly like it, though we don’t think it will blow anyone’s socks off ten years from now. So, remember, kids, the more tech a car has, the less you’ll want it when production ends.
 
Now, we already know pretty much everything about the all-new Mercedes-Benz CLA Shooting Brake courtesy of its four-door brother debuting and the three-pointed star brand announcing a whole lot of stuff about it. What we don’t know, not entirely, anyway, is what it will look like exactly on the outside. Fortunately, this is where the rendering crowd steps in to fill the void. We have already seen a few interesting digital illustrations of this model, and the list just grew to include another one, which came from SRK Designs on social media.
 
The quoted rendering artist did more than post the CGI on Instagram, as he also released a video on YouTube that reveals the entire creation process in a sped-up way with background music. The pixel master started off with the regular CLA sedan (four-door coupe), extended its roofline, made the rear three-quarter panels and windows bigger, updated other aspects, and called it a day. And for what it’s worth, this appears to be a realistic rendering. Well, save for a few bits and bobs that will be visible when the wraps officially come off its body.
 
But when will that be? Well, probably in a few months from now, as it appears that Mercedes still has a few things to sort out before premiering the all-new CLA Shooting Brake. You should also know that an AMG variant, presumably adding the familiar ’45’ suffix, appears to be in the making, and rumors speak of a battery-electric powertrain with over 500 hp combined from its three axial flux motors. Let’s hope that a punchy 2.0L four-banger will also be part of the Mercedes-AMG CLA family, though we wouldn’t bet on it.