Mercedes-Benz CLS500 Shooting Brake review

Cars are expensive. They’re expensive to buy, to run, to fix when they inevitably break. Your mind constantly does mathematical backflips, trying to work out if what you have parked outside is actually worth all your hard earned Rands.

But there are some cars on the market that feel like they might be worth twice or three times what the sticker price says. The Mercedes-Benz CLS500 Shooting Brake is one of those cars.

Mercedes-Benz CLS500 Shooting Brake reviewed by Ciro De Siena

Elegant Exterior

First of all, there are the looks. I am an unashamed fan of station wagons, unlike most of my fellow countrymen. I can’t understand why South Africans just don’t like wagons – I think they’re fantastic. And this particular car is one of the very best in a long while. That swooping roofline, combined with just the right amount of muscle gives it a graceful yet powerful stance. It has bucketloads of presence, this thing.

The schoolrun

The week I had the Mercedes-Benz CLS500 Shooting Brake on test, I was looking after my uncle’s home and running his kids to and from school. His children are teenagers. Teenagers are not impressed by anything. These teenagers absolutely fell in love with this car.

Luckily they are the sort of characters who realise that in a country where many children walk to school, it was a real privilege to glide to school in a million Rand Mercedes. We all enjoyed every minute of it – it’s that sort of car. Every drive is an occasion.

The power, the engine

Helping make every drive an event is a stonking V8 with 300kW and 600Nm of torque. This is a lot, and the CLS500 absolutely leaps when you put your foot down. 0 – 100km/h comes up in a claimed 5.2 seconds, which would worry many sports cars. It gives you that “punch in the gut” feeling, in the most pleasant way possible, obviously.

The 8 speed ‘box however does an excellent job of making the car cruise – if you’re in a lazy mood, the big Merc will make you feel like you’re being massaged while on holiday. With so much torque available so low down (from 1600rpm) and spread nicely across the rev range, the car is capable of wafting with very little effort from your right foot. It is very, very comfortable, and very, very smooth.

With a 4.7 litre turbocharged V8, Mercedes has downscaled the displacement from previous generations, but the transition has meant more power and less fuel consumption. The claimed figures are 9.0 litres/100km. My test unit was returning figures around the 13 mark, but that was with some spirited driving. If you’re not in a hurry, I would say you could get close to that official figure, which is remarkable for a car of this size, with this much power.

The interior

Modern Merc’s feature all the modernity you would expect, however it is all neatly ensconced in a beautiful wooden finish, if you so choose. I think I would so choose. It gives the whole cabin a classic feel. The way the cockpit is laid out, the wood, the instruments – it makes you feel like you’re in charge of a luxury yacht.

Interacting with the infotainment system quickly becomes intuitive and you soon realise that this might be one of the loudest sound systems ever fitted to a car. The clarity and bass are extraordinary.

The seats are a particular highlight. The test unit featured massage functionality, heating and cooling, and dynamic side bolsters, which tighten to hold you in place during cornering. All of this adds up to what can only be described as a wonderfully luxurious experience. I’m certain you could drive to Durbs in this thing without realising you had left the Western Cape.

The Mercedes-Benz CLS500 Shooting Brake model has an optional automatic tail gate, which I would recommend. It’s obviously not very difficult to open and close yourself, but it’s just that much cooler when the car does it for you. Your boot area can be lined in a beautiful teak wood finish, which makes it feel even more like a yacht in there.

The ride and handling

On one particular evening, I had to dash to town to fetch one of my cousins. This meant I could test the car along one of my Top Secret New Car Handling Test Facilities, which is the M6 (otherwise known as Victoria Road) between Hout Bay and Bakoven.

Employing some spirited driving, I flicked the big lass into Sport mode and promptly scared myself half to death. The car wallowed and rolled like a long-retired rugby player, trying to get up to his old tricks. I concluded that this car had too much power for its own good, and that I was indeed the captain of a boat, and not a car.

On further investigation I realised the active suspension system was separate from the Sport mode. Flicking this on, the whole car changed character. Suddenly it was sharper, body roll was significantly reduced and the car felt confident and sure-footed. The difference was remarkable, which is why I’m remarking on it now.

Summary – Mercedes Benz CLS500 Shooting Brake

This car is a future classic. There’s just nothing quite like it out there – an intoxicating mix of classic and modern. Elements of vehicles from a time forgotten, which make many of us hanker after vintage cars, are brought in here and mashed up seamlessly with all the new tech and features that make modern cars so great.

There is a CLS250 CDi in the range on sale for almost R300 000 cheaper than the CLS500, and that might be all the car you ever need. You get to park a Shooting Brake in your driveway, save a whackload of cash and probably save a great deal of fuel too. It’s a very attractive option.

But if you can afford the V8, you will be rewarded with one of the most complete cars I’ve ever driven. A million Rand is a tonne of money for a car, but this is worth it.

View the new Mercedes-Benz CLS500 Shooting Break

Mercedes-Benz CLS500 Shooting Brake Price

Mercedes-Benz CLS500 Shooting Brake – R1,045,642

Rivals – Mercedes Benz CLS500 Shooting Brake

Truthfully, there aren’t any strict rivals, but it’s worth looking at the BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe and the Audi A7, neither of which are available in wagon form, but are close enough on most other specs. The CLS500 sits between the two in terms of pricing and performance.

BMW 650 Gran Coupe From: R1,233,605

Audi A7 3.0T Quattro R774,500