Cadillac really speaks my language. And to say such words after growing up in the ‘70s, when there was absolutely nothing cool about the crested wreath brand for a kid in love with Datsun 510s and 240Zs, VW GTIs and Sciroccos, BMW 2002tiis and 3.0 CSi Coupes, not to mention all the Euro exotics, Cadillac had about as much mojo as Corvette in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, before the brilliant ’84 ‘Vette changed perceptions back to world class levels.
The turnaround car for Cadillac was the equally brilliant Seville STS of ’92 through ’97, a car that pulled in its fair share of import buyers, which at that time was a shock to the entire industry. The Cadillac that sealed the deal, however, came a full decade after that Seville STS ended its five-year run, and the 2002 CTS sport sedan not only changed the way premium buyers viewed Cadillac from its inaugural day forth, but also ushered in the brand’s metamorphic Art and Science design language, a collage of angles and creases that almost singlehandedly made curves obsolete.
The 2008 CTS once again shocked the industry by improving on every aspect of the outgoing car, from styling and driving dynamics to leading edge features and interior quality, and so much so that it was immediately revered as a styling leader, one of the best driver’s cars in the class, a technology tour de force and one of the most beautifully detailed vehicles in the segment.
But don’t take my word for it, go sit in the driver’s seat of a new CTS and you’ll be wowed by a meticulous attention to detail that somehow evades a number of the top Japanese and European brands, and more so, what I often refer to as “a sense of occasion” that brands like BMW, Lexus and Saab have never really achieved in their “lower end” cars. In a word, Cadillac’s smallest is opulent, but not opulent in the grad limo like ways it was when Burt Reynolds look-a-likes, clad in bright polyester shirts opened wide to expose hairy chests adorned with shining gold chains slouched behind the wheels of these overwrought yet underachieving land yachts, but rather opulent like the W New York, modern in design yet still reeking of luxury.
That’s how I felt when settling inside Cadillac’s new CTS Sport Wagon. Yes, it’s impressive that this American producer is now playing the European game at least as well as the Germans, its new Sport Wagon going head-to-head with BMW’s 3-Series Touring and Audi’s A4 Avant, and ironic that this Caddy is besting Mercedes-Benz by offering a five-door in a segment the Stuttgart-based automaker helped to establish, yet no longer competes in, only offering a sedan in this compact class for the time being. Yet Cadillac is no longer only a domestic player, having established itself on The Continent for some time now, albeit with less than stellar success. Just the same, the Sport Wagon is the type of car Europeans go for, and might want to be considered by we North Americans for the same reasons our friends across the pond do.
From my point of view, having two kids with me often and sometimes three when on vacation the added convenience of a wagon’s storage space is more than welcome, it’s critical. And while the CTS Sport Wagon is hardly large by domestic standards, it’s three market segments above entry-level in Europe. I’ve been considering how much space I really need, as the economy gets more difficult and my finances tighter, not willing to drive an economy car, but nevertheless not appreciative of a big V8 that makes me cringe when just contemplating filling it up.
And the CTS Sport Wagon is ruddy quick off the line, in either of its engine configurations. The base model gets a 3.0-litre V6 with 270hp available at 7,000 rpm and 223 lb-ft of torque at 5,700 rpm, while a 3.6-litre V6 with 304hp, ready and willing at 6,400 rpm and 273 lb-ft of torque from 5,200, can be had in top-level trim. Both are thoroughly modern powerplants with direct-injection and come mated to a quick yet smooth shifting 6-speed automatic transmission with manual mode that either powers the rear wheels or all four, combining for an estimated fuel economy rating of 11.8L/100km in the city and 7.5 on the highway for the 3.0-litre and 11.7L/100km and 7.4L/100km for the 3.6! Yes, you read that right, the larger more powerful engine gets slightly better fuel economy, go figure, and both use regular fuel to extract full power, which costs about 10% less on average. Try that in an Audi or BMW!
Agile describes the handling, with overall solidity on the road that mirrors the best from Europe, yet it doesn’t feel quite as “tossable” as a 3-Series Touring. It’s a nicer car all-round though, with that greater sense of occasion I mentioned earlier, inside and out. The CTS Sport Wagon looks fabulous, with superb lines that I find more attractive than the sedan, already a great looking car. Its tall tail nearly doubles the four-door’s cargo capacity too, now measuring 736 litres (25.9 cu ft) with the split-folding rear seatbacks upright and 1,642 litres (57.9 cu ft) when they’re folded flat. Cadillac adds a standard rear cargo management system featuring adjustable sub-floor containment, while more gear can be stowed atop the car too. Rather than the regular roof rack system, however, Cadillac has devised an innovative load system of integrated roof crossbars that melds in with the roofline and therefore looks great while reducing wind resistance. And just in case you want to pull something behind, its towing capacity is hardly SUV-like at 454 kilos (1000 lbs), but should do the job for most owners.
The CTS Sport Wagon comes standard with some pretty sweet features, such as a power liftgate, a great stereo system with iPod/MP3 capability, OnStar with Turn-by-Turn navigation, and 17-inch wheels on 235/55R17 H-rated tires. My tester was fully furnished with heated and cooled front seats, the UltraView Double Sized Power Sunroof, an AM/FM/CD audio system with 40-gigabyte internal hard drive, navigation with a really cool pop-up monitor, a backup camera, Bluetooth connectivity, proximity sensing keyless entry and start, ultrasonic parking assist, and 18-inch rims on 235/50R18 V-rated all-season tires.
Of course, it includes all the usual airbags standard, plus a very sophisticated performance-oriented traction and stability control system. Lastly the CTS Sport Wagon is backed by a standard four-year, 80,000 km comprehensive warranty and five-year, 160,000 km powertrain warranty, the best coverage in the premium sector.
That’s a lot of gear in one car, but it’s not just the features that make it special. It’s the way Cadillac has organized them all into an efficient yet awe-inspiring package. The way the navigation screen doubles as a flush-mounted audio interface and then magically rises out of its lodgings to present a graphically stimulating infotainment, navigation and rearview camera display. The beautifully finished leather-covered dash with its stylish exposed, contrasting French stitching is exquisite, sweeping across a attractive gauge package that lies next to an elegant centre stack with nicely detailed vertical vents, a classic analog clock in the middle, and high-quality switchgear surrounding. The entire cabin is a sight to behold, made even more visible by the near roof-long glass skylight overhead, surrounded by high-quality woven roofliner material that wraps down each pillar snuggly.
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