In making the transformation to wagon form, the CTS's bodywork has been revised from the firewall back. The sedan's 113.4-inch wheelbase remains, as does its basic interior layout and powertrain options, but the wagon is three tenths of an inch shorter. A 3.0-liter, 260-hp V-6 or a 3.6-liter, 304-hp V-6 are the only powerplants, coupled to either a six-speed manual or a six-speed automatic transmission, but a 2.9-liter, 250-hp turbo-diesel six is also in the cards for Europe and Asia. (The party line from GM is that Cadillac "reserves the right to bring it here, dependent on sales, though the expense of certification means that it's not likely.") All-wheel-drive will be available as an option, and new 19-inch wheels are standard. Legroom is similar to that of the sedan, and a new panoramic rear sunroof is available as an option.
The most interesting part about the CTS Sport Wagon, however, is the very thing that differentiates it from the sedan: the rear hatch. The Sport Wagon's power rear liftgate forms a boattail-like V shape, capping the back end of the car with a decidedly artistic and elegant finish. The glass is curved as well. Cool fin-shaped taillamps rise up to the roof, culminating in sheet-metal peaks that also serve as the terminus for the factory roof-rack setup (it's buried in the roof's edges). Twenty-five cubic feet of storage is available behind the rear seat, and while the storage area itself is relatively shallow, the rear seats fold, essentially doubling cargo space.
The CTS wagon is scheduled to go into production towards the end of the first quarter of 2009, arriving in dealers somewhere in the middle of 2009. Cadillac predicts that roughly one out of every twenty CTSes sold will be a Sport Wagon, but something tells me that that number might be a little bit higher. The CTS wagon is, after all, cool. And thank God for that.
2010 Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon
PRICE: $37,500-$42,500 (est.)
ENGINE: 3.0L, 260-hp V-6; 3.6L, 304-hp V-6
DRIVE: Rear- or all-wheel