Mercedes-Benz CLA Shooting Brake Hybrid (X178) · 3rd generation CLA Shooting Brake (hybrid)

X178

The estate that kept its cylinders.

Production
2025–present
System output
up to 211 PS
Body
Shooting Brake
Chassis
X178
Mercedes-Benz CLA Shooting Brake Hybrid (X178) (X178)

Four body-and-drive combinations, one car: the X178 is the corner of the third-generation CLA range that has both a tailgate and a fuel filler.

Mercedes built the third CLA so that the choice between petrol and electricity would not be a choice between two different cars. The X178 is dimensionally and visually the electric X174 — 4,720 mm long on a 2,790 mm wheelbase, frameless doors, flat roof to a near-vertical tailgate, standard fixed panoramic roof, MB.OS and the MBUX Superscreen inside. The differences are a grille that opens for cooling air rather than sealing over a battery, an exhaust, no frunk, and roughly 350 kilograms less mass.

Underneath is the same driveline as the hybrid coupé: the 1.5-liter M 252 from the FAME family, engineered by Mercedes-Benz and built in China, feeding an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission with a 22 kW motor and its inverter mounted inside the case. That makes short stretches of electric running, electric coasting and torque fill possible from a 1.3 kWh battery. Five designations arrived with the Shooting Brake’s November 2025 launch, from the 156 PS CLA 180 to the 211 PS CLA 220 4MATIC. Estate bodywork costs about 3 km/h of top speed and a tenth to 100 km/h.

X178 interior
Identical to every other third-generation CLA: MB.OS, the MBUX Superscreen and a star-pattern panel in front of the passenger.

Every model.

Five designations, one engine. The M 252 appears in three power levels, always through the 8F-eDCT.

ModelloModel yearTelaioMotoreCambioTotale
CLA 1802025–2026178M 2528F-eDCT —
CLA 2002025–2026178M 2528F-eDCT —
CLA 200 4MATIC2025–2026178M 2528F-eDCT —
CLA 2202025–2026178M 2528F-eDCT —
CLA 220 4MATIC2025–2026178M 2528F-eDCT —
X178 side profile
Studio profile of the X178. Nothing in the silhouette separates the hybrid estate from the electric one.

Year by year.

The hybrid estate completed the third-generation CLA range in November 2025.

  1. 2025
    • July: the CLA Shooting Brake is unveiled. Both drivelines are confirmed for the estate from the start — a leaked internal sales document had already set out the naming, with 174 for the electric cars and 178 for the hybrids.
    • November: the hybrid Shooting Brake reaches the market alongside the electric one as the CLA 180, CLA 200, CLA 200 4MATIC, CLA 220 and CLA 220 4MATIC, certified to Euro 6e-bis. No diesel is offered, and no AMG.
  2. 2026
    • January: the CLA is named European Car of the Year 2026 — a title awarded to the whole third-generation family, hybrid included.
X178 rear three-quarter view
The same 455-liter load bay as the electric Shooting Brake, minus the frunk and plus an exhaust.

One engine, three tunes.

The M 252 from the FAME family, always with the 22 kW motor inside the gearbox. Figures below are for the combustion engine alone; system output is 156, 184 and 211 PS.

M252

Inline-4
  • CLA 180 1.5 L · 1,499 cc

    136 PS

    100 kW · 134 hp a 5,500 giri/min

    200 N·m

    148 lb·ft a 1,500 giri/min

  • CLA 200 1.5 L · 1,499 cc

    163 PS

    120 kW · 161 hp a 5,500 giri/min

    250 N·m

    184 lb·ft a 1,750 giri/min

  • CLA 220 1.5 L · 1,499 cc

    190 PS

    140 kW · 188 hp a 5,500 giri/min

    300 N·m

    221 lb·ft a 2,000 giri/min