2015 Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 Shooting Brake first drive

A further extension of Mercedes' small car line-up. The car maker proved estates needn't be boxy two years ago with its CLS Shooting Brake but this CLA version offers all of the style without as much price. Here we drive the range-topping 45 AMG.

Underneath the sculpted bonnet sits the same 355bhp turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol engine and seven-speed auto 'box you'll find in both the A 45 and CLA 45 AMG models. On paper, 62mph from standstill arrives in an all-wheels-driven 4.7 seconds which, despite the Shooting Brake's extra 30kg of weight, is equal to the coupé and only fractionally slower than the A-Class.

Dogs have more reason to be worried because, behind the rear seats, sits a bigger 495-litre boot that can be increased 100 litres by adjusting the rear seats to a more upright 'cargo' position. Folding down those same seats increases the space to 1354 litres. 

Sharp looks, big performance and space for Milo. It all sounds like one-car garage material but will the Shooting Brake prove as fun to drive as its CLA 45 AMG stablemates and, at £43,120, is it worth spending the extra for the privilege?

For now, this turbocharged 2.0-litre is the most powerful in the world, and it remains the car's overwhelming feature. It loves to be pushed hard and suffers very little lag if asked to accelerate without a downchange, so proves a superbly competent motor across most situations. The aural reward for venturing near the redline is sharp cracks from the exhaust on upshifts.  

The seven-speed automatic gearbox itself is less snappy. Left in laid-back 'Comfort' mode, manual changes aren't quite as sharp but swapping the driving mode to 'Sport' sorts this out, while helping to make the throttle that bit more responsive.

Fortunately, no amount of mode swapping affects the steering. It feels good across the board, with a natural weight on straight ahead and a consistent feed of weight off it. There's little true feedback, as is the case with most electronic systems, but it's undoubtedly one of the better systems available. 

The ballistic engine and impressive steering are complemented by a capable all-wheel drive system. All the power goes to the front wheels most of the time but once they begin to struggle, half of it is diverted to the rears. Switching the 45's ESP to 'Sport' quickens this process.

In truth, it isn't the most playful chassis, mainly because the rear-bias never exceeds the front. Despite this, and the fact that AMG softens-off its estates compared with their saloon or coupé equivalents, the way this Shooting Brake corners is nothing short of brilliant. Grip is huge and re-introduction of the throttle, late-corner, is always handled with confidence. 

Even the ride is impressive; certainly better than non-AMG CLA Shooting Brakes. The dampers do a good job of smoothing out rutted roads, while the body remains as composed vertically as it does laterally during hard cornering. 

However, although improved, rear cabin space is still tight. Adults will find their knees against the front backrests and their heads brushing the ceiling, while particularly tall adults will just feel uncomfortable. The sloping rear window makes it a claustrophobic experience, too.