Mercedes will unveil, at the Beijing Motor Show, a concept that anticipates the future CLS wagon, designed as a rival for the BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo.
The new concept Mercedes CLS estate is based on a shooting brake design. The said design is usually a two door with squared-off rear. They generally have hatchbacks although one or a pair of side-hinged doors is also sometimes seen. However, the estate will have a B pillar with four doors instead of the traditional two doors typically used in shooting brake format.
The concept CLS wagon is slated to be featured in the upcoming Beijing motor show next month. Mercedes has confirmed that this estate will be very close to the concept design when it hits the production line.
The UK launch is set on 2012 and with a price tag of £50,000. The CLS estate will cater to the younger generation. This will surely broaden the position of the brand in the said market sector. The stylish wagon is set to compete with the BMW 5 series GT and the Audi A7 which will be launched soon.
The wagon will have the same front end of the new CLS four door coupe that features the F800 styling. Mercedes will also offer more boot space by more or less 530 quarts.
Previously, Mercedes has created a concept CLS wagon in 2003. It had the support from the execs but it was set aside and it never got into production due to its cost cutting program.
The CLS 4 door coupe is set to be launched in September at the Paris motorshow. It is known as the C218. The wheelbase of the CLS is longer than the current E-class by 20mm. The new CLS will offer a new stylish interior and bigger space than its predecessor.
The CLS will now be powered by the new 3.5 liter direct injection V6 turbo with an output of 306 horsepower and 4.6 liter V8 gas engine with 435 horses. These new engines are known as MoVe. It should be 25 percent more efficient than the current gas engines.
Also, a V6 2.1 liter common rail diesel that churns 204 horsepower will also be used for the CLS 250. The CLS 350 CDI will be powered by another V6 3.0 liter common rail diesel engine with an output of 231 horsepower. The 7 speed automatic 7G tronic will be the standard transmission for the said models.
The AMG variant is expected to have an output of 537 horsepower on its turbocharged 5.5 V8 engine. A more powerful AMG CLS is also expected to be released. It has a similar engine as the V8 but should have an output of 563 horsepower. O-60 should be achieved in 4.2 seconds. The AMG models will have the 7 speed MCT (multi clutch transmission) similar to what they are using with the E63. Mercedes is also planning on releasing two all wheel drive models. It is likely to be the CLS 350 and CLS 350 CDI.
source: benzinsider
