Mercedes-Benz Concept Vehicles –
the Shape of the Future
the Shape of the Future
Visionary coupé variant: Concept Shooting Brake
Wide, low-silhouette, with a long bonnet and a roof which follows through to the rear: the Concept Shooting Brake presented at the Auto China in Beijing in 2010 showed surprising proportions, that at the same time awakened reminiscences of that deign icon, the Mercedes-Benz CLS. The name of the concept car is taken from a British automobile type: shooting breaks, exclusive cross-over vehicles that combine the luxury and style of a coupé with the luggage space of an estate.
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Mercedes-Benz Concept Shooting Break: concept vehicle for a four-door coupé with steep tailgate, presented at the Auto China Motor Show, Beijing, in April 2010. |
Facts
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Vehicle: Concept Shooting Brake |
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When: April 2010 |
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Where: Auto China 2010, Peking |
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What: four-door coupé with steeply-angled sloping tail end |
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Drive: V6 internal combustion engine with 60° cylinder angle, 3.5 litre displacement, 225 kW (306 hp) output, maximum torque 370 newton metres, direct injection; load monitoring enables enhanced expanded lean operation |
Technical highlights
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Full-LED headlamps, offering for the first time all the known dynamic light functions in LED technology. Series-production introduction in 2010 in the 218 model series CLS |
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V6 engine as a forerunner of the coming V-engine generation from Mercedes-Benz, spray-guided direct injection allows multiple injection and expanded lean operation. |
Powertrain
Under the bonnet of the Shooting Brake concept car was the forerunner to the forthcoming new V-engine generation from Mercedes-Benz. The V6 benefited from a 60° cylinder angle and a displacement of 3.5 litres, and was characterised by direct injection featuring a control system that enables lean-burn operation. The six-cylinder engine delivered 225 kW (306 hp) with a maximum torque of 370 newton metres and in line with the BlueEFFICIENCY criteria of Mercedes-Benz also set new standards among the competition in terms of fuel consumption.
In April 2010, the Shooting Brake concept car was powered by the forerunner to the forthcoming new V-engine generation from Mercedes-Benz. The special features of the spray-guided direct injection engine included the latest generation of piezo-electric injection valves which enabled multiple injections. Better lean operation was possible thanks to load monitoring of the pressure information. Even the operation of the ancillary components had been made efficient and there was also a start-stop function. The V6 with a 60° cylinder angle and displacement of 3.5 litres developed 225 kW (306 hp) with a maximum torque of 370 newton metres.
Exterior
The front design was completely new, and used elements mindful of the SLS AMG super sports car: the radiator grille with its large central star and striking bionic louvres was not integrated into the bonnet but separate. The grille was flanked by full-LED headlamps which for the first time offered all the usual dynamic light functions in LED technology. The side profile of the Shooting Brake was characterised by the high waistline and the feature line running all the way to the muscular hip joints at the rear, while the coupé-like side aspect was underscored by the low window design with polished aluminium trim, highlighting the entire ‘greenhouse’, to say the total window areas.
The proportions were clearly those of a coupé: the long bonnet, narrow-look windows with frameless side windows, and dynamic roof sloping back towards the rear, all created a basic stance with which it looked ready to sprint. Only when taking a second look did it become clear that the Shooting Brake concept car actually had four doors and an estate rear. This way, the design study revealed its philosophical kinship with the four-door CLS Coupé, which established a new market segment in 2004 and by 2010 had already taken up a very special place in automotive history as a design icon. In retrospect, this groundbreaking importance might one day be attributed to the Concept Shooting Brake too, which adopted ideas of the FASCINATION concept car, presented in 2008, and projected these into the future. | ||||||||||
The dynamic full-LED headlamps combined the exciting daylight colour impression of LED technology with the performance, functionality and energy efficiency of the bi-xenon light generation. The new light system featured the Intelligent Light System – already tried and tested in Mercedes models with bi-xenon headlamps – with its five light functions: country lights, motorway lights, enhanced fog lights, active curve lights and cornering lights. The Mercedes-Benz engineers were also able to combine LED technology with the innovative Adaptive High-Beam Assist system for the first time, leading to a completely new level of safety for night driving.
Interior
The interior was dominated by natural wood and leather materials. One eye-catching feature was the large full-length centre console. It highlighted the four-seat layout as well as the high levels of comfort afforded by the Shooting Brake concept car. The wooden floor of the luggage compartment reflected the true interpretation of this area of the vehicle, where the dark-stained silky oak contrasted against inlaid aluminium protective loading strips.
The central screen was integrated into the upper part of the instrument panel, giving the cockpit a ‘wrap-around’ effect. The elegant verve and bionic details of the exterior were captured, among other things, in the dynamic wave-design air vents in the instrument panel, with an analogue clock in the centre. The instrument cluster comprised three tubes for dial-type gauges as well as a colour display for service indications.
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