2010 Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon Shows Off Hot Rear End Ahead Of Pebble Beach Reveal

This weekend, the 2010 Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon is set to debut at the Pebble Beach Concours, but we had our advance preview of it here in Detroit. We're going to be honest here — the CTS Sport Wagon's the most awesome wagon Cadillac has ever built. Okay, that's a pretty sparse field to compare against, but after seeing it in the flesh, we're totally excited about this car. Don't let the sub-par press photos fool you, this is a sexy beast in person. With all the powertrain options available on the normal CTS, slick styling, and ingenious storage capabilities, this car will be setting the luxe wagon market on fire as soon as it hits the market.

2010 Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon

Jalopnik Snap Judgement: Take everything you love about the Cadillac CTS sedan and amplify it by the power of wagon. The roof line is stretched out with elegantly integrated chrome strips serving the dual purpose of stylish brightwork and clever concealer of the built in rails for the roof rack. The flowing tail lights are a gorgeous combination of curve and edge. We really wish it came through in these photos, but the shape of the hatch and bumper come together in a pronounced "V," enhancing the 'Art and Science' look to the car.

Inside, everything forward of the rear seat is the same, but the load floor itself is brilliantly designed. A lift of the chrome handle and the floor folds upwards, settling into detents on the sides of the tub below, perfect for managing lighter loads. For heavier loads, there's an integrated rail system, which will offer load bars and carrier accessories for the organizational fiend.

Let's be serious for a second here, we're fully aware of the fawning nature of this Judgement, but this car is freakin' awesome. We want it bad. Like men dying of thirst in the desert, this is our water.

CTS Sport Wagon: Cadillac's Renaissance Takes A New Form

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. - Amidst the beauty and history of the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, Cadillac treats car enthusiasts to a world premiere of its latest production-car design. The 2010 Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon makes its debut this weekend on the Monterey Peninsula, showcasing a dramatic design that elevates and updates the classic wagon body style.

Not unlike many historic Cadillac designs, the new CTS Sport Wagon is an unmistakable and dynamic presence. The car's intricately cut rear profile injects fashion-forward design into the formerly utilitarian world of wagons. Cadillac's upcoming wagon offers ample interior space and includes a range of six-cylinder engine choices, making it a compelling alternative to larger utility vehicles.

Based on the hot-selling CTS sport sedan, and a sister vehicle to the CTS Coupe Concept, the Sport Wagon extends the design-driven renaissance of Cadillac. Following this special premiere at Pebble Beach, the CTS Sport Wagon moves to the worldwide auto show circuit this fall - and into Cadillac dealerships in spring 2009.

"The addition of this dramatically-designed Sport Wagon is well synchronized with today's changing consumer tastes as a compelling alternative to SUVs or other larger vehicles," says Jim Taylor, Cadillac general manager. "This is an important step in Cadillac's ongoing global expansion, and of course in international markets like Europe, wagons have been and continue to be very significant."

A striking profile is created with the CTS wagon, with a silhouette that suggests speed and aerodynamic efficiency. It rides on the same 113.4-inch (2,880-mm) wheelbase as the CTS sport sedan and is 0.3-inch (7 mm) shorter. However, it offers a generous cargo area of 25 cubic feet (720 liters) behind the rear seats. Design highlights include:

* Signature V-shaped deck and tailgate motif
* Large, vertical taillamps with light-pipe technology
* Power-opening liftgate (via key fob or in-vehicle button)
* CHMSL integrated in subtle roof spoiler
* Integrated roof load management system with cross bars for a seamless appearance
* Cargo management system with adjustable in-floor containment
* New 19-inch wheels
* Larger available panoramic rear sunroof

The CTS Sport Wagon, like its sedan predecessor, includes available features such as all-wheel drive, a 40-gigabyte internal hard drive, pop-up navigation screen and a hand-cut-and-sewn interior with Sapele wood accents.

"The CTS Sport Wagon is an important expansion to the Cadillac lineup worldwide," said Taylor.

Design details

Dramatic planes highlight the CTS wagon's design, including a V-shaped motif carried throughout the vehicle and carefully integrated intersections of exterior surfaces. The elements coalesce in a dramatic fashion, creating tension that emphasizes the vehicle's performance.

"It's a taut design that not only suggests sleekness, but delivers it," said Clay Dean, global design director for Cadillac. "Indeed, the drama of the sedan is amplified in the CTS Sport Wagon, as the centerline cue that is part of the exterior and interior is more prominent and plays a stronger role in defining the design at the rear of the vehicle."

The emotion of the CTS Sport Wagon's design is carried by a number of nuanced details. The liftgate area, for example, is a confluence of angles and planes that typifies the vehicle's design tension. Cadillac's "V" motif is most prominent here, culminating in a spine at the center of the liftgate that is accented with a subtle spoiler at the top of the backlight. The rear quarter panels extend slightly beyond the inward-angled planes of the V, creating a distinctive W shape at the rear of the vehicle. Large, prominent vertical taillamps - with Cadillac's signature light pipe technology - are the final, dramatic touches to the rear-end styling.

"The more you study the rear of the CTS Sport Wagon, the more you see," said Dean. "Functionality was certainly a guiding factor during development, but so was the idea to inject emotion into the normally sedate wagon category."

One of the more interesting integrations of form and function is found in the seamless roof load management system. Rather than stylized stanchions, brackets and cross bars that protrude above the roof line, the CTS Sport Wagon's system blends with the roofline, maintaining an uninterrupted appearance. The center section of the roof panel angles downward inside the roof edges, allowing an unobtrusive placement of the cross bars - and creating a subtle fin effect at the trailing edges of the rear panels.

"They're not fins in the classic sense, but they work to help disguise the cargo load system and, yes, they acknowledge Cadillac's design heritage," said Dean.

The interior of the Sport Wagon is common with the much-acclaimed sport sedan, including streamlined instrumentation, LED lighting and hand-cut-and-sewn accents with French stitching.

Powertrains

Direct injection technology helps the CTS offer more power while maintaining fuel economy and lowering emissions. It delivers fuel more precisely to increase the efficiency of combustion. This means less fuel is consumed and lower emissions created.

With the CTS Sport Wagon's 3.6L V-6, direct injection translates to 304 horsepower (227 kW)*, no loss of fuel efficiency and a 25-percent drop in cold-start hydrocarbon emissions. It also runs on less expensive regular unleaded gasoline. The Sport Wagon's fuel economy is expected to be similar to the peak rating of the existing sport sedan's 26 mpg highway rating. The standard 3.6L VVT engine that produces 263 horsepower (196 kW) and 253 lb.-ft. of torque (343 Nm) serves as the base engine in North America.

Just like the CTS sport sedan, the V-6 engines are matched with fuel-saving six-speed transmissions, including an Aisin six-speed manual or an electronically controlled Hydra-Matic 6L50 six-speed automatic. As is the case on the sport sedan, CTS Sport Wagon includes AWD as an option.

An efficient 2.9L turbo-diesel engine is being developed for CTS models primarily in European and Asian markets. It is a compact, dual overhead cam, four-valve V-6 engine from GM's family of diesel engines that delivers optimal fuel economy as well as reduced emissions and noise. The engine is rated at 184 kW (250 hp).

Driving dynamics

The robust and dynamic CTS chassis infuses the new wagon with a great balance of performance and luxury. It uses an independent short/long arm ( SLA) front suspension system and a multi-link rear suspension.

The multi-link rear suspension features a fully isolated subframe that helps deliver excellent suspension kinematics, contributing to a superior ride and excellent handling.

Advanced chassis technology in the form of Cadillac's StabiliTrak electronic chassis control system integrates the car's standard four-channel ABS with the full-function traction control, hydraulic brake assist and engine drag control systems to deliver a safer, more confident driving experience. Additional chassis details include a structure-enhancing tower-to-tower brace under the hood; large, four-wheel disc brakes and premium steering.

Send an email to Ben, the author of this post, at ben@jalopnik.com.

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