Shooting Brake Gets The Green Light - Press Release

[OneCarefulOwner]

I like the shape but they can keep that stupid glass roof; if I wanted everyone to see in, I'd drive a convertible

 

[jefrs]

Apart from the fact that whoever made up the number plate can't spell 'shooting brake' , and that this is the complete opposite of what the name means , it strikes me as a completely pointless vehicle - the epitome of style over substance .

They got it so right first time with the W123 estate , nothing made since has bettered it for looks or practicality .

PR rubbish written by someone without first-language use of English and much lees understanding of horse carts: horses are never put behind a cart before they are broken in and schooled - because they can easily kick a cart apart. A brake is a light-weight uncovered cart. A horse drawn shooting brake would be required to cover rough ground, this requires a powerful schooled horse, and a tough cart. If you've ever worked with cart horses you will understand this: they are 7-foot at the shoulders and weigh over 1 tonne. Riding a shire is like riding an elephant, I've done both. Break and brake are not homonyms.

 

[Chattonmill]

I think I may have found my next car!

 

[Adam230K]

are they getting bored? why spend all that money developing yet ANOTHER estate, when they have estate cars in every other class? they'll just cannablise their own products surely??

 

[KillerHERTZ]

are they getting bored? why spend all that money developing yet ANOTHER estate, when they have estate cars in every other class? they'll just cannablise their own products surely??

Because theres a market for it, and they will make ££££££'s from it!

 

[Adam230K]

Because theres a market for it, and they will make ££££££'s from it!

Yes there is... the ones already buying C/E estates, or the S class esate (R class). So they aren't making £££'s... they're just shifting over the customers from the other classes to this one!

They need to discontinue the C estate or something!

 

[Mr E]

I've had a look in the team's extensive library on all matters motoring...

A "break" often refered to a small cart frame or chassis, with no body, used to school horses. As shooting parties became larger (and people didn't want to walk anywhere) these were often adapted to carry a driver and keeper up front and 4-6 guns seated on benches facing each other. Room was also made to carry guns and ammunition.

An estate cart (or station waggon) was often used to collect luggage from the railway station - often extended so that it could carry passengers up front with luggage behind in a seperate compartment.

"Break" would appear to be the original term at it is used prior to "brake". It's often used as a synonym for "estate" but that's not quite correct. The classic "shooting brakes" were two door / 4 seat custom cars with extra carrying capacity for guns, dogs, etc.

Must admit, I like it.

 

[Druk]

Why can't they call it a hatchback? And what is all that gubbins to the sides in the rear loadspace?

Cos 'hatchback' sounds like a Corsa or Golf. Shooting Brake is so much more. Just as Aerodeck sounded superior to estate.

Somewhere to put your balls. These Germans think of everything.

 

[Blackman]

This new CLS reminds of new Audis. Looks too posh and trying too hard to get presence on the road.

 

[onthefence]

Pontoneer
Good spot - I blame spell cheque.

 

[momomo]

Pontoneer
Good spot - I blame spell *check*.

Sorry, couldn't help myself.

 

[onthefence]

momomo
I was being ironic

 

[renault12ts]

Oh, that is ironic.

 

[MOCAŠ]

PR rubbish written by someone without first-language use of English and much lees understanding of horse carts: horses are never put behind a cart before they are broken in and schooled - because they can easily kick a cart apart. A brake is a light-weight uncovered cart. A horse drawn shooting brake would be required to cover rough ground, this requires a powerful schooled horse, and a tough cart. If you've ever worked with cart horses you will understand this: they are 7-foot at the shoulders and weigh over 1 tonne. Riding a shire is like riding an elephant, I've done both. Break and brake are not homonyms.

Oh dear. This whole diatribe seems to have been based on a false premise.

As mentioned in Mr E's erudite post (#27), a break or brake (spelling optional) was originally a device (see below) used specifically to tame/train horses. The term later came to be applied to a drawn cart and then to a (usually) converted car, but there's no suggestion that untamed horses were broken by using them to draw carts on shooting expeditions.

I agree that break and brake are not (strictly speaking) homonyms, but they are homophones and, in this context, synonyms.

 

[gIzzE]

Pontoneer
Good spot - I blame spell cheque.

Haha, very good.



However I disagree with the W123 being the last great estate, it just needed a nice wooden panel on the side and it would have been the perfect soccer mom wagon for those 1980's family days out.

 

[hawk20]

To my eyes truly ugly. Even uglier than the new CLS. Hate all the creases from Chris Bangle onwards. Stupid tiny door at the back. Idiotic and completely unsafe gap between the rear seats for luggage to fly forward and injure people in the event of even a modest shunt. No possibility of a tonneau cover. Clearly designed by an interior designer who has never owned an estate car nor asked people why they buy them and how they use them.

The last truly attractive estate from MB to my eyes was the 211 series E class.

 

[MOCAŠ]

To my eyes truly ugly. Even uglier than the new CLS. Hate all the creases from Chris Bangle onwards. Stupid tiny door at the back. Idiotic and completely unsafe gap between the rear seats for luggage to fly forward and injure people in the event of even a modest shunt. No possibility of a tonneau cover. Clearly designed by an interior designer who has never owned an estate car nor asked people why they buy them and how they use them.

It's a concept. It won't have been built to comply with C&U or safety regulations. Expect the production version to be toned down.

 

[toolman1954]

I am a 210 300TD owner, I bought this car for the big diesel engine and huge carrying capacity of the r ear end, mostly for carrying stock from wholesalers and for taking it and my tiny caravan to the Steam Rallies. IMHO this car seems no more than a glorified hatchback,perhaps if you have a couple of dogs and a picnic basket then they might fit in there. What has happened to the dual purpose vehicle of yesteryear, even Volvo's are no longer so capacious, have the designers lost touch with the needs of the users??

 

[corned]

have the designers lost touch with the needs of the users??

I think generally these days it's more a case of the designers having to keep touch with NCAP, C&U, and god-know-what other myriad rules and regulations.

They take precedence over end-user wishes any day of the week, regrettably...

I recall in the past the old Ford Granada estate. It was like an aircraft hangar in the back. No car in the last 20 years has come close to that loadspace, IMO.

 

[gIzzE]

I love the new designs, really does feel fresh and different, however, the rear load space is becoming a problem, we bought a new F11 5 series a couple of weeks back to replace my old mans 730d sport with, and as nice a car as it is, and it is very nice in every respect, the load space is terrible for an estate. I certainly couldn't have one as it just isn't big enough for my needs.

The W210 load space was superb, our ML270 load space was probably even better, the W211 is pretty good and not sure about the W212, it is hard to tell if it is as big, it looks smaller but that could be an illusion because it is a dark interior.