Long associated with luxurious, floaty boats, Cadillac ’s transformation to purveyor of entry-level performance sedans has dramatically revamped the brand’s image. In an effort to reach out to a wider audience, the tech-oriented pride of General Motors has decided to try a decidedly Euro-styled station wagon on for size.
Here’s a trivia question for your buddies at the local watering hole: Name Cadillac’s first station wagon. No, this isn’t the kind of question that will have you delving deeply into the bowels of the interwebs to find the answer. The CTS Sport Wagon that recently launched in North America was beaten to the global market by the Cadillac BLS wagon.
The what?
Think way back in history to when GM owned a small Swedish car company called Saab . Looking to spread crested wreath brand to the land of sidewalk cafes and wacky fashion, GM took a Saab 9-3 SportCombi (wagon in Saab-speak) and ran it through a quick exterior nip and tuck at its European design studio. Thus was born the Europe-only BLS wagon, a nice enough Saab that was about as much a true Cadillac as the Opel-built Catera. Think of the BLS as America’s payback to Europe for the Caddy that zigged.
Thankfully, the CTS Sport Wagon shares nothing with that front-wheel-drive Fake-illac.
What is it?
Instead, CTS Sport Wagon is a genuine passenger and cargo hauler based on the brilliant-performing, razor sharp-styled CTS sedan. Intended in part to usher Cadillac’s strongest effort yet in Europe (which wouldn’t take much), the CTS Sport Wagon isn’t likely to make major inroads in North America. Enthusiasts have vociferously clamored for five-doors, but consumers have stayed away in droves. Sorry, car guys: It ain’t working. The wagon market in North America is nearly extinct, but at least GM recognizes that the CTS Sport Wagon will be a small volume player here and an image builder abroad.
While the CTS Sport Wagon doesn’t offer the regular CTS sedan’s manual transmission, its lineup more or less mirrors the trunked model. Our rear-wheel-drive Premium Collection tester was loaded up with all of the goodness you can find in a CTS lift-back, which helps explain its lofty $55,630 as-tested MSRP. Go easy on the options and you’ll find that a basic CTS wagon with the standard 3.0-liter V6 can be had for a touch under $40,000.
What’s it up against?
Competition is getting scarce. Sized more like a mid-size luxury car, the CTS is priced somewhere just north of entry-level luxury offerings. Audi ’s A4 Avant only offers a 2.0-liter four-cylinder, while a base model A6 Avant starts right about where our CTS leaves off. Volvo’s V70 offers more value but less sport, while BMW ’s 328i Sports Wagon is smaller and less powerful. Thus, the CTS Sport Wagon sort of competes in a league of its own – a gamble that GM certainly hopes pays off.
Any breakthroughs?
Aside from being the first wagon to serve Cadillac in North America, the CTS Sport Wagon is very much a CTS sedan with a large trunk. Given the CTS’ dynamic ability and its comfortable cabin, that’s a good thing.
Our tester was optioned with the extra cost 3.6-liter direct-injected V6 that offers a 34 horsepower and 50 lb-ft. of torque boost over the base 3.0.
Cadillac offers the CTS Sport Wagon in a dizzying array of option packages and trim levels; we lost count, but we estimate at least a dozen trim level configurations with a handful of individual options once you factor in the two powertrains and the availability of all-wheel-drive.
How does it look?
The extended roof and additional side glass has been nicely integrated into the basic CTS shape. If you’re a fan of the sedan, you’ll likely dig the proportions here, too. We especially like the way that Cadillac has grafted the company’s trademark tall tailfins into the wagon bodystyle. Not only are they visually distinctive, they’ll certainly keep traffic behind aware when you tap the brakes.
The third rear window behind the C-pillar is more a peekaboo window than an actual opening. It lets little light into the car thanks to the thick exterior pillars and ample interior padding, but the trick shape and kinked chrome trim keep the overall greenhouse look tied in closely with the sedan.
Our tester rode on a set of 19-inch polished aluminum wheels that looked like they cost a fortune. Unfortuantely, they rode on summer tires that were over eager to bury themselves in the damp grass near our photo shoot location. We had to call in reinforcements to extract the bogged down CTS that mercilessly spun its rear tires. For normal users in the sunbelt – and we are anything but normal here – the Z-rated Continental ContiSportContact 3 tires are probably overkill, but at least they’re optional.
Swathed in a shockingly pricey Thunder Gray Chromaflair paint, our CTS Sport Wagon garnered more than its share of second glances during our week-long evaluation. Numerous parking lot-goers flagged us down to ask questions – never before has the Leftlane staff seen this much interest in our rear ends.
And on the inside?
Until you glance in the rearview mirror or peer over your shoulder, you’re in a standard CTS sedan. Entering the market about three years ago as a 2008 model, the CTS is starting to show its age in a few ways, but overall we continue to be very satisfied with this Cadillac’s digs.
A dual cowl-style dashboard greets driver and passenger and our high-level tester featured luxurious materials covering nearly every surface: Real “sapele†wood trim, a nicer-than-leather stitched synthetic material covering the dash top and convincingly almost-metallic silver plastic trim. Only a flimsy-feeling door pulls and a now-too-familiar control setup spoiled the fun.
We liked the CTS’ button-fest switchgear when it first debuted, but the same basic design can now be found on a bevy of new GM products – ranging from the budget-friendly Chevrolet Equinox up to the CTS’ crossover sister, the SRX. While we’re not adverse to automakers spreading a design theme across products, GM seems intent on distancing Cadillac from the rest of the lineup. The switchgear should be such that a driver doesn’t realize that he is in a GM product if this is the automaker’s goal.
Our tester wasn’t equipped with the CTS-V’s Recaro seats that will soon be individually available on standard CTS models, so instead we made do with the relatively comfortable basic leather-wrapped jobs. Their perforated upholstery was top notch, although we felt that even the lowest lumbar setting poked into our backs too much. The same couldn’t be said about the capacious back seat: Room for three full-size adults in decent comfort abounds. Even the sloping roofline allowed for taller riders to stretch out in decent comfort.
Unlike the sedan, the CTS Sport Wagon gets a huge optional Ultraview Sunroof, which allows lots of light in and features a power-retractable cover to keep things shaded when you want.
And that cargo area? At 58 cubic feet with the rear seats folded, it won’t outhaul the massive V70, but the usefully arranged bay still offers plenty of space. The cargo area is nicely finished and a an adjustable rail system allows for fitment of nets and straps to keep your groceries from dancing. Cadillac did their homework by offering a wagon that could take over the hauling role for owners looking to get away from an SUV or crossover.
But does it go?
With our tester’s aforementioned $2,090 19-inch Summer Tire Performance Package, the CTS hauler really lived up to its sport wagon billing. That package also adds a sport suspension and steering wheel-mounted transmission switches, as well as high-performance disc brakes, a limited slip rear differential and an upgraded cooling system. All of this in a wagon, no less.
We didn’t have the opportunity to take the Sport Wagon to the track, although we spent plenty of time on our twisty public road test course. Supremely well balanced, the CTS Sport Wagon deftly hides its minimal extra mass over the rear wheels by providing crisp precision akin to its sedan sibling.
We enjoyed the nicely weighted steering and communicative chassis over a variety of pavement (and wet grass), but we were most impressed with the optional brake package, which delivered strong and fade-free stops even after lots of aggressive motoring.
Underhood, our highly optioned CTS Sport Wagon was equipped with GM’s 3.6-liter direct-injected V6. In this configuration, it pumps out a decent 304 horsepower and 273 lb-ft. of torque. Although not endowed with a tremendous amount of low-end grunt, the V6 loves to play in the upper end. Paddle-style shifters mounted to the steering wheel helped us control the six-speed automatic.
Although the smooth V6 emitted a refined rumble, our tester’s optional performance tires hardly made it a quiet companion on the highway. We’ve driven other CTS sedans with more conservative rubber and have found them to be comfortable long-distance cruisers, so we’ll chalk our test car’s noise level up to the Continentals.
The 3.6 is rated at the same 18 mpg in the city and 26 mpg on the highway as Cadillac’s less-inspiring base 3.0, but our testing suggested that those numbers might be a little conservative. Even in hard driving, we saw a combined figure of about 23 mpg during our week-long evaluation and one 75 mile highway jaunt showed an impressive 29 mpg on the trip computer.
Why you would buy it:
You’ve had your eyes on a CTS sedan, but Fido wants a little more room to roam.
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Why you wouldn’t:
You walked into the Cadillac showroom and were instantly drawn to the front-wheel-drive SRX crossover, which offers zilch in the way of sportiness. The CTS wagon is for hauling more than just groceries.
Leftlane’s bottom line
With its global fleet significantly pared, GM is acting like an entirely different animal by producing exciting and innovative cars that are miles ahead of outgoing products. Granted, the CTS Sport Wagon was on the drawing board long before GM teetered on nonexistence and dumped half of its brands, but it sure doesn’t feel like the GM of old.
This low volume project serves as a reminder that Cadillac can develop bespoke-feeling cars aimed at people who genuinely enjoy driving. Even if it doesn’t lure droves of extra buyers into showrooms immediately, it undoubtedly shows GM’s confidence in its Cadillac brand both at home and abroad. That the CTS Sport Wagon is a sparkling performance hauler is only the icing on the cake.
2010 Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon Premium Collection base price, $51,720. As tested, $55,630.
19-inch Summer Tire Performance Package, $2,090; Thunder Gray Chromaflair paint, $995; Destination, $825.
Words and photos by Andrew Ganz.
