Motoring: Mercedes’ Shooting Brake; the supercar divide
THE estate – or touring – cars produced by Mercedes have always found a ready market among buyers keen to enjoy the combination of a dynamic driving experience with the practicality of added load space.
In fact many drivers will opt for the estate over the traditional off-roader because they prefer the handling of the road car over a 4×4 – all without having to compromise on luggage space.
When the German manufacturer launched its four-door CLA last year, many buyers were attracted to its coupe looks with four-door practicality. Now the company has gone a stage further and is offering the CLA in full estate guise – or to give it its proper designation, the Shooting Brake.
The lower overall height and the elongated coupé-style roof contour line remain, giving the car a distinctive profile – and for taller passengers, the benefit of extra headroom.
The CLA Shooting Brake will initially be available with a choice of two diesel and three petrol engines as well as with 4MATIC all-wheel drive. It goes on sale in January 2015, with the first models going to customers towards the end of March.
The engine range is extensive right from the base model and comprises two diesel and three petrol units. The CLA 200 CDI, with an output of 100 kW (136 hp), is particularly efficient: it has a top speed of 215 km/h and a combined consumption figure of just 3.9 l/100 km, with emissions of 101 g CO2/km. All versions are equipped as standard with the ECO start/stop function and are Euro 6-compliant.
Supercar buyers illustrate north-south divide
TRUTH – as if it were really needed – of the economic gap between the North and South of the UK has been graphically illustrated in a new survey.
Luxury car funding firm Oracle Finance has found the number of supercar buyers in the South of the UK is more than double that of those in the North – really, who would have thought it?
Oracle has delved into its deal history from the last 12 months and has found that 48% of its buyers came from the affluent South, compared to just 20% from the North.
As for the bit in the middle, Oracle Finance – which provides funding for supercars like the Ferrari 458 and McLaren 650S and luxury vehicles like the Range Rover – found that buyers the Midlands bought as many new cars as those in the north, with 20% of the firm’s deals completed in the central region.
Buyers in Scotland bought 6% of the supercars funded by Oracle, while nearly 4% headed to Wales. Less than 1% went to Ireland.
“The North South divide has been clearly demonstrated by our data on the super car finance deals we’ve arranged around the UK,” said Peter Brook, managing director of Oracle Finance.
“For years there have been reports of the difference in house prices and wages between the North and the South and now our figures demonstrate that there is a distinct difference when it comes to luxury car purchases too. We were shocked at just how much of a difference there was though – we weren’t expecting the south to account for more than double the north’s supercar purchases.”
In the South the top five areas for super car sales were London, Surrey, Essex, Berkshire and Middlesex. In the North the most sales were in West Yorkshire, Lancashire, Cheshire, North Yorkshire and South Yorkshire.
Oracle Finance is now opening new offices in London to cope with the increased demand for luxury cars in the City. Odd then that its head office should be Knaresborough.
