Few icons are as synonymous with the American automobile as Cadillac and the station wagon, so it may come as a surprise that Cadillac has never officially offered a station wagon to American customers in its 106-year long history. Sure, there was the SRX crossover that came rather close, and the enormous Escalade SUV, as well. Cadillac even offers the BLS as a wagon, but that's only for overseas customers. Depending on which way you look at it, the new Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon may not be it either. Even with its edgy styling, the extended-roof CTS blurs the line between wagon and hatchback. The initial trio of CTS Sport Wagon shots released last month may not have shown the new Caddy's best side, but Cadillac has now put out a whole slew of new images which, in our opinion at least, better portray the sharp lines we took in at Pebble Beach and are sure to catch people's attention in mall parking lots and soccer fields of America after it goes on sale here next spring.
Cadillac trotted out the 2010 CTS Sport Wagon here in Monterey and after seeing it in person, we're fans. It's edgy, smooth, finned (the roof rails) and sleek all in the right proportions. And for the States-siders, the 263 hp V6 will allow the wagon to hold its own off the line. While there's plenty of room in the back (note: it is a sport wagon) the car itself is quite compact. A 6'4" colleague couldn't fit in the front seat without bumping his head on the panoramic roof. And for folks at about the 6'0" mark, things get really cozy in the back seat. But you didn't buy a wagon because you wanted a full-sized sedan, did you? If you're in the wagon market, check it out when it comes to a dealer near you.
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Please note the spelling, this a Cadillac and not a VW, therefore it's "Sport Wagon" rather than "SportWagen". What we have here is the result of a fission reaction on the Cadillac SRX. Seeing that the current "neither fish nor fowl" SRX crossover wasn't cutting it in the marketplace, General Motors' "Art and Science" brand has split its only CUV into two distinct vehicles. The old SRX was based on the CTS' Sigma platform but looked too car-like to be considered an SUV. At the same time it rode too high to be a car. Buyers who might have liked the wagon utility of the old SRX but are enamored with the style of the new CTS can now opt for the CTS Sport Wagon.
The Sport Wagon takes the largely acclaimed styling of the CTS and adds a rear hatch allowing much more stuff to be carried. The design team led by Clay Dean has done more than just graft a longer roof onto the sedan. They extended the roof-line back and the tail-lights up to the roof, as well as adding hidden rails in the roof line. The V shape of the grille is also replicated in the contours of the tailgate. The wagon ends up with 25 cu. ft. of cargo space behind the seats. Cadillac expects about 60 percent of CTS sales in Europe will be the wagon while only 20 percent of Americans will opt for the new body style when it goes on sale in the spring of 2009.
