Cadillac's CTS wagon

2010 Cadillac CTS Wagon
new Cadillac CTS to be the finest and most cutting-edge automobile ever produced in the history of the world.

One of General Motors' media staffers subsequently noted that she'd read my review, and … while Bob Lutz himself did not come to my house to slap me, I sure got the impression that I'd hurt their feelings. I am sorry they felt this way.

Thusly, I tried to keep a more open mind when the newest rendition of the CTS finally arrived a few weeks ago, the … how shall we say … extremely “style-forward” CTS wagon.

The media has had a field day with the hyper-angular wagon and its truly distinctive looks. I think I can rather charitably say that CTS's wagon variation is very much in keeping with Cadillac's edgy design philosophy.

And while the 2010 model certainly looks more like a space shuttle than any vehicle Cadillac has ever produced before, it's kind of cool looking, especially with those gigantic, bumper-to-roof, Batman-styled brakelamps and its chunky overall look.

The conversion to the wagon motif adds a readily accessible 25 cubic feet of storage behind the rear seats, with a healthy 58 square feet with those dropped; the power liftgate made for easy access and the split, folding rear seats allowed simple loading of ski equipment (there's also a small pass-thru gate).

CTS's basic ride and interior accoutrements remain mostly unchanged and those still give me mixed feelings, especially as the vehicle rather boisterously attempts to keep company with refined European sleds such as the BMW 5-series wagon and the Audi A6 Avant.

Granted, it's pretty powerful, with an optional 3.6-liter, direct-injection V6 providing 30r horsepower and 273 lb. ft. of torque.

Those making their way through the high country would definitely be advised to think about the AWD version as the RWD machine I tested (tricked out with enormous 19-inch, Michelin Pilot summer-only tires) was in no way an appropriate snow machine. With proper tires, I suspect the RWD model would do fine; AWD seems like an even safer choice.

And despite the substantive width of those summer tires, on dry pavement, the driving character I experienced on the standard sedan remains the same: It just doesn't have the same intuitive, earth-hugging feel as a European car. Steering is impressively responsive but feels a little light; the performance-issue brakes do their job, but the whole ride is still definitely more smooth and sedate than super-sporty. A six-speed automatic transmission with steering wheel-mounted paddles also offered good speed control on long declines, although the paddles only work when the standard shifter on the center console is clicked into manual mode.