DETROIT—The first station wagons were cool. These trusted family conveyances proclaimed that their owners lived the suburban American dream. They were so popular, in fact, that they became ubiquitous and eventually lost their cachet.Then Detroit gave us the minivan, the SUV and the crossover, all with tailgates and ample storage space—wagons all but disappeared. But Europeans never lost their interest in these cars, so BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Audi all offer sporty and luxurious wagons.
Enter Cadillac, whose mission is to compete with those luxury brands on nearly every level. The first wagon ever to wear the brand's crest-and-laurel badge was the BLS, a compact built and sold only in Europe. Now, America gets its turn with the CTS Sport Wagon that Cadillac hopes will revitalize and grow the small market for station wagons here. In other words, it seeks to make wagons cool again. Does it? —Kevin A. Wilson
The Specs
Mechanically, the Sport Wagon is identical to the CTS sport sedan, offering a choice of rear- or all-wheel-drive, two engines and standard six-speed automatic transmission. For 2010, the base 3.0-liter direct-injection V6 makes 270 hp with improved fuel economy, and new engine mounts cut noise and vibration. But our test car had the optional 304-hp, 3.6-liter V6. There is, for now, at least, no CTS-V V8-powered performance variant. Our car wore 19-inch wheels with Continental summer performance tires. The base wheel is a 17-inch alloy, and there's an 18-inch option too, both with all-season tires.
The distinction between the sedan and the wagon is the 200 pounds of metal and glass behind the vehicle's rear doors. Designed in a studio led by Bryan Nesbitt, recently promoted to general manger of the Cadillac division, the high-style wagon frames its tailgate with extended taillights that reach to the roof. The roofline sweeps downward to a slanted rear window, and the sides taper, prioritizing elegance over cargo volume. Yet the Sport Wagon boasts twice the capacity of the sedan. There's 25 cubic feet behind the rear seats (the sedan's trunk is 13 cubic feet) and 58 cubic feet with the seat folded, about the same as a BMW 5 Series Touring or Audi A6 Avant. The rearmost roof pillar is thick and, less evident from outside, there's stout rollover protection structure over the top of the power tailgate. A rearview camera is standard and handy.
The Drive
We used the wagon to perform our usual weekend chores and found thoughtful touches throughout the cargo area. A concealed area a few inches deep beneath the floor is covered by a cleverly designed folding lid that can be propped in different positions to keep smaller items from sliding around. Adjustable tie downs atop the plush carpet ride on chrome rails. The liftgate opening angle can be adjusted for use in garages with low-hanging doors or to make sure access to the power lift button (on the door bottom) is within reach for short users. Need to carry even more stuff? The concealed rooftop rack can be equipped with optional accessories to suit most any lifestyle.
Like any CTS, the Sport Wagon offers a luxurious and entertaining driving experience. Rear visibility is a bit tunnel-like, but not as badly impeded as you'd imagine when looking at the design from outside—the rearmost pillar aligns roughly within the area already blocked by rear headrests. We'd think twice about choosing the 19-inch wheels—we noticed an SUV-like ride harshness and noise level that would make the all-weather utility of the smaller wheels our choice.
The Bottom Line
CTS Sport Wagon pricing tracks the sedan's, with a base MSRP at $40,485. That's a healthy price advantage over German-brand competitors, boding well for Cadillac's ambition to sell upward of 4000 units in a narrow market niche of fewer than 40,000 vehicles from all brands. The luxury crossover segment, by comparison, is 10 times that size, so Sport Wagon sales are unlikely to cut into the Cadillac SRX crossover's sales. But we think that this sport wagon is hipper than the now-ubiquitous SUVs and crossovers. Are wagons back? Could be.
