What a Car - UK - (2020-04)

whatcar.com April 2020 19

FIRST LOOK FIRST DRIVE

Bootis a fairsize,butapertureis quitenarrowandhigh

Bold looks and soft suspension will set new C3 apart

Mercedes-Benz CLA

Shooting Brake

EstateversionofMercedes’four-doorcoupécombines

stylewithpracticalityOn saleNow Pricefrom£32,280

GIVENTHATYOUcan’tbuyanestateversionof

theMercedes-BenzA-Class,theCLAShooting

Brakeistheclosestthingtoone.Basedonthe

CLAfour-doorcoupébutwithalongerroof

andatailgate,theShootingBrakebalances

practicalitywithabigdollopofstyle.

In220dguise,theShootingBrake’s2.0-litre

dieselengineisamongtheclassbestfor

refinementandfeelsstrongontheroad,

pickingupsmartlyfromlowrevs.Atthesame

time,real-worldfueleconomy

ofmorethan50mpgis

perfectlyachievable.That’s

thanksinparttoastandard

eight-speeddual-clutch

automaticgearboxthatshifts

smoothlyandswiftlybetween

gearsanddropsenginerevs

niceandlowatacruise.

LiketheregularCLA,the

ShootingBrakehandlestidily

enough,withreasonable

gripanddecentagility.The

steeringisrathernumband

youwouldn’tsaytheShootingBrakeisallthat

muchfuntodrive,though.

Therideiscomfortableforthemostpart,

withthecarhavingarelaxedgaitonthe

motorway.It’sonlychurned-upcountryroads

thatrevealaslightlybouncynature.

Frontseatspaceisunchangedoverthe

regularCLA,sothere’splentyofheadandleg

roomonoffer.Evenentry-levelAMGLine

ShootingBrakesgetabig(10.3in)touchscreen

forinfotainmentthatcanalsobecontrolled

viatouchpadsonthesteeringwheeland

betweentheseats.Thesecanbefiddlyatfirst,

butyoucancontrolasurprisingamountfrom

the steering wheel once you get used to it.

The interior looks flashy and has some nice

materials, but it’s a bit flimsy in places.

In the rear seats, you’ll find a little bit more

Temptingif you’reaftera

more practical CLA, but there

are better estates out there

S AY S

head room than in the four-

door coupé, but no more leg

room. You’ll be better served

by a more conventional car

such as a Skoda Superb Estate

if you need to carry lanky

passengers regularly.

As you’d expect, the

Shooting Brake’s boot is

a fair bit bigger than its

sibling’s. Indeed, at 505

litres, it actually has a larger

capacity than the pricier

C-ClassEstate.Unfortunately, the shapely rear

lightscutintothetailgate, leaving you with a

relativelynarrowaperture and a high load lip.

Withpricesstarting at £1000 more than the

equivalentfour-door coupé, we can certainly

see the appeal if you like the CLA but need

extra practicality. However, if you truly need

a roomy estate, the Audi A4 Avant is much

easier to recommend.

Citroën C3

Stylish small hatchback gets

a fresh look, upgraded driver

assistance systems and more

personalisation options On sale

JunePricefrom£16,500(est)

Mercedes-BenzCLA220d

ShootingBrakeAMGLine

BUYER’S FILE

Price £36,480

Engine 4cyl, 1950cc, diesel

Power 187bhp @ 3800rpm

Torque 295lb ft @ 1600-2600rpm

Gearbox 8-spd dual-clutch automatic

0-62mph 7.2sec

Top speed 147mph

Fuel economy 56.5mpg ( combined)

CO 2 , tax band 132g/km (WLTP), 29%

IF YOU’RETHEkindofpersonwhovalues

large armchairs, uffy cushions and

leather slippers over archery or rambling,

the Citroën C3 has been designed with

you in mind. This is a small hatchback

that prioritises comfort over agility. Its

suspension, for example, is softer than

what you’ll nd elsewhere in this class,

with the aim of allowing it to glide over

imperfections in the road.

For this facelifted version, Citroën has

given the C3 a new face inspired by 2016’s

Cxperience concept car, with a different

front grille and tweaked lights. Buyers now

have more ways to personalise their C3,

too, with new paint colours and new 17in

alloy wheel designs.

Inside, Citroën’s Advanced Comfort seats

are designed to make long journeys easier

by offering more padding than rivals’ and

incorporating adjustable lumbar support.

We like these seats in the C5 Aircross

large SUV, and they should be a big

improvement over the outgoing C3’s ,

which offer precious little support.

A central armrest is also offered for the

rst time, but it’s a shame that Citroën

hasn’t upgraded the touchscreen

infotainment system, beyond giving it

a glossier appearance, because the

existing setup has sluggish software

and a confusing menu layout.

The C3’s range of driver assistance

systems has been upgraded, with front

parking sensors now available as an

option. They join a driver attention monitor,

automatic emergency braking and a lane

departure warning system.

The engine line-up is unchanged,

meaning our recommended 108bhp

1.2-litre petrol-engined model (badged

Puretech 110) is likely to remain the best

option for most buyers. Other choices

include a lesser petrol (Puretech 83) and

a 1.5-litre diesel (BlueHDi 100).

Prices are expected to increase slightly

compared with those of today’s C3, with

the range starting from around £16,500.

Darren Moss

[email protected]

Alan Taylor-Jones

[email protected]