Now that General Motors is back from the brink, Cadillac must roll up its monogrammed sleeves to move more semiprecious metal. Toward that end, the new SRX gets the brand's first turbo engine, the stunning CTS coupe is scheduled to arrive next year, and two new sedans bracketing today's CTS are due in 2011. But the brightest ray of postapocalyptic hope is the CTS Sport Wagon: the first U.S.-factory-built wagon in Cadillac's 107-year history.
In case you hadn't noticed, the new CTS wagon is a triumph of form over function. To load four-by-eight-foot sheets of plywood in the cargo hold, you'll need a saw. Spoiling the luscious rump with a trailer hitch would constitute a mortal sin. The neatly integrated roof rails are not configured for mattress hauling.
This wagon is engineered to haul ass. Like the CTS sedan, its body structure is Hillary Clinton stiff, its steering is meaty enough to satisfy man-size appetites, and its direct-injection DOHC V-6 engines are geared for go. Let the ladies ride high in their Escalades and SRXs, this wagon is crouched and ready to prowl around with Audis, BMWs, and Mercedes-Benzes of the long-roof persuasion.
The CTS's stylish backpack adds 200 pounds and about an inch in height but nothing to overall length. Cadillac offers two V-6 engines (3.0 liters and 270 hp or 3.6 liters and 304 hp) and rear- or all-wheel drive.... Read full article