The rise and fall of minivans and then SUVs and social pressure towards more responsible and fuel-efficient options is making the time right for the return of the wagon. They offer the gear-toting capability of SUVs, the step-over height, performance and fuel-efficiency of cars and they take nothing from the minivan, thankfully. Their major weakness has been styling, considered the more staid option compared to their sedan bases. The CTS Sport Wagon takes the wagon form to a level of sexy rarely seen in the segment.

An easy gauge of public interest in a car is how many times you're goaded into rolling down the window at a stop light by a dumbstruck motorist excited to know more about it. We knew Cadillac had done their job the fourth time someone stopped us to talk in the same day. The fellow behind the wheel of a Mercedes C-class wore a wide-eyed expression of an eight-year-old at the toy store, which told us what we already knew. This wagon is hot. It takes everything we like about the Cadillac CTS and somehow makes it even better. The long roof-line makes it seem sleeker, more finished — as if this was the original design, and the sedan was cut from it.

Like its CTS brother, the Sport Wagon is one of the best luxury cars on the market. It does absolutely everything right. The interior is beautifully finished, the wood, leathers, technology and quality are everything we expect of a Cadillac reclaiming its position as a global luxury power player. The car benefits from all 2010 CTS upgrades, including 6.5 lbs of additional sound damping and completely redesigned transmission mounts to remove harshness at certain engine speeds.

The base 3.0-liter V6 makes 270HP and our optional 304 HP direct injection 3.6-liter V6 balanced power and smoothness; there's significant thrust underneath the grown-up physique. Sadly, the manual transmission won't be available in the Sport Wagon, but the automatic transmission is well sorted. It's equipped with a manual mode activated by buttons on the back side of the steering wheel, but we recommend leaving it in full auto, as the shifts in manual are a bit sluggish for our tastes. The car is expected to return 18/27 MPG figures, and we saw 16.5/25.5 MPG with aggressive driving, so we're certain it'll do those numbers without trouble. Turn off the traction control and the car will happily indulge your mischievous side — donuts and oversteer are only a throttle stab away and the car is predictable as a go-kart, just like the CTS.

Then you pull into the driveway, fold down the seats, and toss your bicycle in the back. Or a month's worth of groceries. Or the dog. There's 58 cubic feet of storage back there with the seats down, 25 up. The only concession you make to get the massive storage is reduced visibility out the back window. The blind spots are there, but are no more intrusive than the sedan, and the backup camera and proximity sensors eliminate those in tight spaces.

Production on the Sport Wagon started last Monday, and with a starting price of $40,485, the car thoroughly crushes its remaining German rivals for the price. Our optioned-out performance package came with heated and cooled seats, XM radio, 18" Contisport 3 summer tires, more aggressive suspension tuning, a faster steering ratio and stiffer anti-roll bar. Well worth it in our opinion. The CTS Sport Wagon is everything a luxury wagon should be, it's refined and comfortable, not afraid of a little work on the side, and very importantly, fun to drive. After the CTS-V, the Sport Wagon is the best car in the Cadillac lineup right now. Well, until the CTS-V Sport Wagon. Hello, GM bean counters, are you listening?

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.

"General Motors will unveil a Cadillac CTS wagon this fall in an effort to compete with BMW's 3 series and Mercedes C-class wagons. Cadillac intends to start production in 2009 for global sale. GM has shown a CTS coupe concept to be produced next year."

Well, it looks like they also know there's a new SRX is on the way for 2010 and surprise, it'll be the BRX/Provoq concept:

"Cadillac also plans to replace its current SRX crossover with a production version of the Provoq concept crossover as a 2010 model."

Open up the power-operated lift-gate, and you'll find 25 cubic feet of cargo space, and 58 cubic feet of cargo space when you put down the split-folding 2nd row seat. That's not quite enough room to fit a casket in the back, but we have a feeling that this is one Cadillac wagon that won't be used for hearse duty. What we know for sure is we're of the opinion if Cadillac had wanted to keep this to themselves, they would have done it the old fashioned way — behind closed doors in panel testing.


Big Hat Tip to Wally!