Trunk comparison: Mercedes Benz CLA Shooting Brake vs Peugeot 308 SW 3-row

Key Differences

The most noticeable differences concern interior volume and loading geometry. Highlights include:

• Mercedes: with seats folded down, trunk is +13 in (23%) longer.
• Mercedes: with all seats upright, trunk space is +28 in (203%) larger – this difference is very significant.
• Peugeot: trunk opening is +7.1 in (25%) higher, meaning more vertical pass-through height.
• Peugeot: width of the trunk opening is +10.2 in (30%) larger, so a significantly wider opening.
• Mercedes: depth (loading edge → trunk floor) is +7.1 in (450%) greater – a notably deeper cargo area behind the loading edge.
• Mercedes: loading edge is +7.5 in (34%) higher above the ground, resulting in a higher lift height when loading.

Smaller differences (≤10%) such as the narrowest trunk width (+1.6 in / 4%) are negligible.

Impact on Usability

The Mercedes‑CLA Shooting Brake offers significantly more interior volume overall, especially with all seats upright (+203%) and still noticeably more length (+23%) with seats folded down.

This makes the CLA more practical for transporting large amounts of luggage, long items, or when many loads regularly remain in the footwell.

However, the Mercedes’ loading edge is considerably higher (+7.5 in) and the cargo area behind the loading edge is significantly deeper (+7.1 in).

This increases usable volume but reduces ergonomics: heavy luggage must be lifted higher and items sit deeper and are harder to reach. For frequent lifting of heavy loads or for people who prefer lower loading edges, this is a disadvantage.

The Peugeot 308 SW scores with a significantly larger and higher trunk opening (+10.2 in width, +7.1 in height). This makes loading wide or tall items (strollers, furniture parts, bulky boxes) easier and overall loading less fiddly — especially with bulky or awkward pieces.

In everyday situations with frequent loading and unloading or when easy accessibility is needed, the Peugeot is more practical.

In summary: Those who primarily need volume (lots of luggage, longer transports) and can live with a higher loading edge are better off with the Mercedes.

Those who value easy, ergonomic loading and a larger opening for bulky items will find the Peugeot the better choice. In many everyday cases (shopping, family life) the differences are noticeable: Mercedes = more volume, Peugeot = better accessibility.