The only thing separating Mercedes-Benz CLA Shooting Brake safety systems from the ones installed on the regular CLA is Collision Prevention Assist Plus, which is an automatic braking system activated when the car senses an accident.

We’re pleased to report the CLA has a five-star Euro NCAP safety rating thanks to the fitment of systems such as Attention Assist (which senses fatigue and warns the driver) and myriad airbags. You also get an electric parking brake, stability control, two ISOFIX child seat lashing points, a tyre pressure monitoring system, a brake pad wear warning indicator and an active bonnet which should mitigate the effects of crashing into a pedestrian.

Also available are automatic high-beam headlights, a blind spot warning system, lane-keeping assist, a hill-hold function (to prevent rolling back on a hill start), a reversing camera, radar-guided cruise control and a speed limiter.

Since it’s an estate, the new ‘Shooting Brake’ CLA gets a 495-litre boot compared to the 470 litres in the normal CLA. Crucially though, thanks to estate car dimensions, a total of 1,354 litres is unlocked once you fold the rear bench down.

Now, those rear seats – they’ve got some extra space thanks to the less sloping roofline – and that means six-footers can sit in the back with relative comfort. The only slight issue here is that the roof does come a little close to the side of your head, which will make it feel a little claustrophobic over longer distances.

They’re also optionally capable of sitting in a ‘raked’ position which unlocks 595 litres of boot space with space for five occupants. It’s not clear quite how comfortable those rear passengers will be though, since it involves a more upright seating position.

Compared to the C-Class Estate, the loading lip for the boot is quite high, which means loading heavier objects might prove difficult and the dog is going to have to jump a little higher.

One clever feature of this car’s design is magnetic fixings for the load-through flap in the rear seats, meaning longer items like skis can be pushed through with ease instead of having to flap around with seat catches. That’s a real boost to Mercedes-Benz CLA Shooting Brake practicality.

You’ll have a number of optional extras to further boost practicality as well. The tailgate can be powered, while a Load Compartment package adds the tilting seats mentioned above along with a collapsible box, a 12-volt socket and stowage net.