Trunk comparison: Mercedes Benz CLA Shooting Brake vs VW Tiguan

Key Differences

The most notable differences concern length with the front seats upright, trunk depth, and the opening width of the tailgate: the Mercedes‑Benz CLA Shooting Brake offers a trunk that is 7.1 in (≈20%) longer with the front seats upright than the VW Tiguan; the trunk depth (distance from loading edge to trunk floor) is 8.3 in (+2100%) greater in the CLA; and the trunk opening width is 8.7 in (≈25%) wider in the VW Tiguan.

All other stated differences are less than 10% (e.g., +2.4 in with seats fully folded down, +1.2 in opening height Tiguan, +0.4 in loading edge height CLA, +1.6 in narrowest width CLA) and thus less relevant for basic usability.

Impact on Usability

The 7.1 in longer cargo floor of the CLA with the front seats upright makes it practically superior for longer items that need to be transported without folding down the front seats (e.g., longer travel luggage, skis, bulky but long parts).

With the cargo floor fully folded down, the length difference of +2.4 in is very small, and the models are closer in practice.

The significantly greater depth in the CLA means that items can be placed further into the cargo space — this increases the usable volume for tall or stacked loads.

At the same time, a significantly deeper trunk floor can make loading heavy items more difficult because more lifting effort is required or items must be lowered further.

Since the loading edge height differs by only 0.4 in, the loading height changes very little; the practical result is mainly more "depth space" in the CLA, not a completely different loading approach.

The 8.7 in wider trunk opening of the Tiguan is a clear advantage when loading wide or irregularly shaped items (furniture parts, wide boxes, strollers).

Even though the narrowest interior width in the CLA is slightly (+1.6 in) larger, the Tiguan’s larger passage opening offers the greater advantage in many situations: bulky items fit more easily through the opening.

Conclusion: For regular transport of wide, bulky parts, the VW Tiguan is more practical due to the larger opening width.

Those who more often need to carry longer items with the rear seats upright or require more deep cargo volume benefit more from the Mercedes‑Benz CLA Shooting Brake. Smaller differences like opening height or loading edge height are hardly decisive in practice.