Mercedes-Benz CLA Shooting Brake review

The range opens at Sport at £40,150 for the shorter-range 200, and £44,250 for the 250+ that'll do the whole 469-mile WLTP stretch. It has all the essentials really. Part-cloth seats are no hardship; there's a glass roof, and Apple CarPlay, but use the integrated navigation for long trips because it has a better charge planner.

A £2,150 premium above that steps you up to Sport Executive, adding annoying electric door handles, fake leather, ambient lighting, smartphone digital key and charging pad.

Then it’s £48,850 for the 250+ which gets the first of the AMG line versions. That's also the first that allows the 350 4Matic powertrain which is about a £3,950 add-on. That trim line includes the option of some wild upholstery colour schemes. Contact points change: AMG seats and steering wheel.

Then come the AMG Line Premium and AMG Line Premium Plus. These have 19-inch wheels, two-zone climate, memory seats, powered bootlid and the passenger screen with boosted internet data limit. The Plus adds a fabulous Burmester hi-fi and HUD, among others.

So you end up at £57,350 for the Mercedes-Benz CLA 350 4Matic Shooting Brake AMG Line Premium Plus. Lotta name, lotta car. And as we mentioned above, lots of the sensors fitted as standard are disabled. Pay more and you can have them, permanently for a flat fee or temporarily for a subscription.

How do its rivals compare?

In the world of electric estates, there’s not much else for less cash. Sure, you’ve got the Peugeot e-308 SW and Vauxhall Astra Electric Sports Tourer, while Subaru has its E-Outback and a Toyota has its own version too, but they don’t quite have the aura of the three-pointed star.

A VW ID.7 Tourer is over £50k, an Audi A6 Avant e-tron is £65k, and the BMW i5 Touring is £70k plus. Silly money compared to the Merc.

Lease prices haven't been sorted yet, but because Mercedes has access to cheap corporate finance and residuals are strong, it can usually offer cheap-ish lease and PCP deals relative to the retail price.

What’s the best spec?

Sport trim offers a lot of kit for the money. Even the 200 with the smaller 58kWh battery and up to 321 miles of range you’ll hardly feel short changed, but if your budget can stretch further we’d go for the 250+ with its bigger battery and 469 miles. Your bladder will give out before it does.