WHAT the heck is a shooting brake? Back in the 19th century, it was a heavy horse-drawn carriage that carried the members of a shooting party through rolling, green British estates.

Jump forward to the 1950s and the term was adopted to the motor car, where it became a default term for three-door fastback wagons such as the glass-backed Volvo 1800 that inspired the modern-day C30 hatchback.

Now, Mercedes-Benz has jumped on the bandwagon, releasing its own spin-off of the CLS four-door coupe, but reshaping it with fastback looks and a bit more boot space than the niche-defining model it build on.

Called the CLS Shooting Brake, the Benz-badged wagonette is a stylish addition to one of the most desirable cars in the Stuttgart-based marque’s showrooms.

But just like the coupe, shooting brake owners will need to make a few compromises.

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