Genesis G70 Shooting Brake

The Genesis G70 served as Korea's 3-Series fighter that tries hard to upset the established competition with its unique performance, styling, comfort, and technology. For the first time in Genesis history, the G70 spawned a five-door Shooting Brake variant for those who need more room in the back for more while offering the same driving experience as the sedan.

2022 Genesis G70 Shooting Brake

Although it was originally meant to be exclusive to the European market, it seems the Koreans wanted a shooting brake version of the G70 and looks like they're in luck because they can now buy one at the starting price of 43,900,000 Korean Won plus additional costs.

At first glance, it looks and feels like normal G70 judging from the signature Genesis design, the minimalist interior design, and seating for five people, but because this is the Shooting Brake, the hatchback proportions gave this G70 more space than the sedan version, meaning you can expect up to 465-litres of boot space with the rear seats present and up to 1,535-litres with the rear seats folded down. The added boot space means business and business is good for the G70 Shooting Brake.

Unlike the sedan version, the G70 Shooting Brake is offered only with the 2.0L Turbo GDi engine with 252PS of power output while mated to an 8-speed AT. Fuel economy is a combined 10.4km/L for FR variants and 9.7km/L for 4WD variants.

In terms of handling, the Shooting Brake behaves just like the sedan version, which is a good thing full-stop. With its front MacPherson struts, rear multilink suspension, electronically controlled adaptive dampers, Electronic Power Assisted Steering, and a mechanical LSD, the G70 Shooting Brake delivers dynamics reminiscent of European imports. Although it was meant to be driven on European roads, driving one from the streets of Seoul to the corners of Inje Speedium wasn't half bad at all. Above all, it's Korean through and through and it loves to be taken dramatically.

Like the sedan version, the G70 Shooting Brake puts safety as its top priority with its array of ADAS technology such as Smart Cruise Control, Highway Driving Assist, Lane Follow Assist, Highway Driving Assist, Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist, Blind-Spot Collision-Avoidance Assist, Intelligent Speed Limit Assist, and more.

Despite being offered with only one engine, the G70 Shooting Brake delivers the same driving experience as the sedan version but with the added rear space for everyday situations. Europeans got their taste of it and now, the Koreans are ready to have a go with it, unless they have to think twice about which G70 they should drive.

Photo: Hyundai Motor Company

Volkswagen Arteon 2021 minor change / Arteon R

The Volkswagen Arteon four-door coupe has reached its minor change for the 2021 model year but this is more than just a minor change because it's not alone; it's got new additions such as the first-ever Arteon Shooting Brake and the first-ever Arteon R range.

The new Arteon, priced at 44,650 Euros plus additional costs, promises to be the best Arteon ever made not because of its new additions that make it more exciting but it is because of its revised styling, a revised interior, new powertrain, and new tech.

Firstly, we take a look at the revised design; the Arteon now sports a revised front face, new LED light signatures at the front and rear, and some new set of wheels, keeping itself youthful than ever while letting its newest additions shine. Of course, if you want to talk about the R's styling, just think of it as an Arteon with steroids. That is all.

The interior has been slightly revised as well with a new steering wheel complete with the new VW logo, new sat-nav, new instrumental panel, new climate control, and weirdly, in the name of minimalism, the analog clock in the middle of the dashboard as seen on the pre-facelift has been omitted. Shame about the clock but the new seats made it much of a luxury car but on the Arteon R's side, the dark-themed interior with blue accents really smells like someone's dabbing a man's cologne all over. Manly, but it still snugs up to five people and is still as spacious as the old Arteon, except that with the addition of the Shooting Brake, you can store as much as 1,632 liters of load (compared to the saloon's 1,557 liter capacity).

The choice of engines has been revised as well on the new Arteon and with the first-ever 1.4 eHybrid joining alongside it, you'll have plenty to choose from. In the normal Arteon, the range-topper comes with the 2.0 TSi with the optional 4MOTION four-wheel-drive system and DSG. Producing 280PS of power and 400Nm of torque, it is capable of going from 0-100kph in 5.5 seconds and a top speed of 220kph.

The R, meanwhile, dons the same setup as the range-topper that I've mentioned earlier but because of the sporty credentials that will make it the most enjoyable luxury Volkswagen to drive for days, the top speed has been bumped to 270kph, faster than most expensive German luxury sportscars capped 20kph less than this. Not bad for a poor man's Audi S6 that is priced at under 64 grand! It's, even more, faster than the ancient Passat B6 R36!

On the dynamics side, the new Arteon feels like the previous model it replaces but with some slight improvements on the undersides that will make it more sensible and more comfortable. The R is different because thanks to its R-Performance Torque Vectoring that sends its torque in both axles and also between the rear wheels, it's the most fun Arteon to drive and you can find yourself trying out on the track, showing that it's about as much fun to drive as an Audi S6, well almost.

Of course, when I said new tech at the end, the Arteon's minor change got it because it's got a new Travel Assist feature joining the ranks of the IQ.DRIVE assist systems, allowing assisted driving up to 210kph, which is great for having a little cruise at the Autobahn while taking a sip of your favorite coffee but such can scare speedo boys behind the wheel straight. Of course, the Arteon's got plenty of driving aids such as Lane Assist, Emergency Braking Front Assist with Pedestrian Monitoring, Rear View camera, and others, so you'll have lots to talk about just how noticeable this new Arteon is.

New additions, revised styling, a revised interior, new powertrain, and new tech. This is what the recent minor change for the new Arteon summed up and thanks to such additions, it's no longer alone now.

Photo: Volkswagen

Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class Shooting Brake

For those who couldn't afford a more luxurious estate in the form of the Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class Shooting Brake, there's a cut-price alternative to that and it's in the form of the CLA-Class, one of the most affordable Mercedes-Benz cars to start with.

2016 Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class Shooting Brake

Here it is. It's called the CLA-Class Shooting Brake and while this is basically an estate version of the CLA-Class saloon, you can't really tell apart from its looks, performance, and the added practicality of most sport tourers in Europe get. With prices start from 29,810 to 45,660 Euros, you can really afford one for less than twice the price of CLS-Class Shooting Brake. No wait, you can buy two of these for the price of one CLS Shooting Brake. Quite a bargain, right?

But this is still a CLA-Class, meaning that it's still a front-wheel drive car (with an optional 4MATIC) and while it's not as aggressively sporty as other saloons from Mercedes-Benz, it remains one of the most civilized cars to drive. You can drive one on the city streets and on the open roads as well and thanks to its 595 litres of load capacity, there's still more room to fit most of your tailgating snacks on your next soccer match. How's that for practicality?

Like the sedan version, the Shooting Brake has a wide range of petrol and diesel engines available, with the most powerful variant in this model comes with the 2.0L 4-cylinder turbo petrol engine generating 211PS of power and 350Nm of torque, while mated with a 7G-DCT. It does 0-100kph in 6.8 seconds and top speed limited to 240kph.

2016 Mercedes-Benz CLA45 AMG Shooting Brake

If you're in the mood something hotter than your neighbor's station wagon, there's a Mercedes-AMG CLA45 Shooting Brake. Heavily inspired from its cousins, it comes with a 2.0L turbo engine generating 360PS of power and 450Nm of torque. When mated with a 7-speed AMG SPEEDSHIFT DCT, it does 0-100kph in 4.8 seconds and top speed normally limited to 250kph. Yes, your suburban neighbors will get shocked when you have a sport tourer with that much power on your next grocery trip.

Anyway, back to the normal Shooting Brake, it's surprisingly comes with the cutting-edge gadgetry which some find it useful on their driving trips. There's COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST PLUS with autonomous braking to prevent rear-end collisions, ATTENTION ASSIST, which detects drowsiness, Mercedes connect me, and so much more.

While the new CLA Shooting Brake priced more than its saloon equivalent, it's surprisingly twice the price less than the bigger CLS Shooting Brake so it's definitely a head start if you're in a mood for a luxury car for reasonable prices. If you got one of these, safe to say that you can enjoy the city life as recommended by someone you knew personally or online.

Photo: Daimler AG

Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class Shooting Brake

2013 Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class Shooting Brake

What this is, isn't somewhat a warm welcome because for the car that brought you the term "4-door coupe" now brought you their first ever "shooting brake" from Mercedes Benz. Yes, this is the all new Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class Shooting Brake, and you may think that this is just a 5-door estate version of the CLS-Class but oh no. There's more to this. This is somewhat a Mercedes CLS that have been taking lots and lots of Viagra and look at this, how much male enhancements does it take for a 4-door coupe to grow itself into a shooting brake?

You can expect the same choices of engines from the standard model ranging from the CLS 350 BlueEFFICIENCY, CLS 500 (4MATIC) BlueEFFICIENCY, CLS 250 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY, and CLS 350 CDI (4MATIC) BlueEFFICIENCY, the same 7G-Tronic Plus, the same design DNA of other Mercedes-Benz models, the same governed 250 km/h top speed on some models, and the same technology offered on other Mercedes-Benz models.

2013 Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class Shooting Brake interior

The interior though, looks similar to the normal CLS until you check at the back of it. Yes, there's a wooden luggage compartment floor developed exclusively on the Shooting Brake and when you look at it, you'll know that this wooden luggage compartment is as lovely as a...yacht. It looks nice though and that's a good point for Mercedes-Benz there.

2013 Mercedes-Benz CLS 63 AMG Shooting Brake

The CLS 63 AMG also gets a shooting brake variant and yes, you can still expect the same M157 5.5L V8 BiTurbo engine that no other racing game had featured one of these as of now. There's one good explanation why there's no single racing game featured a Mercedes-AMG model with the M157 engine. Is that because they're to scarred to listen to the sounds of the M157 engine? Or is it their technicians can't sustain the noise of hte M157 engine? I'm not an expert though but hey, the CLS 63 Shooting Brake still comes with the AMG Speedshift MCT 7-speed gearbox and then, this can do 0-100kph in 4.4 seconds. Top speed is limtied to 250kph but there's an option that can enhance the limiter up to 300kph. Sounds juicy though but is it worth it?

Price? Well, for the entry level CLS 250 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY, this costs about 61,761 Euros while the top of the line CLS 500 costs you 82,229 Euros. The CLS 63 AMG Shooting Brake though, that costs you 117,513 Euros. Aside from the list price, you'll spend some more for the optional extras plus delivery charges.

Although it's not priced to be a family wagon, this was priced to be a first-class cruiser for those who want to go for some "high roller" lifestyle at the south of France. If you drive one of these and parked at your community college, your classmates think that you have a very expensive station wagon and this goes for a blow-out at your nearby pub or restaurant. As a first class cruiser, it looks perfect but for everyday uses such as going to the groceries or shopping, this changes everything. Remember the Mercedes-Benz slogan; Das Beste oder nichts.

Photo: Mercedes-Benz