2010 Cadillac CTS - Review

By Tim Healey

Tim Healey

Contributing Writer BIO

Tim Healey was formerly an associate editor at Consumer Guide Automotive in Chicago. Before that he worked in the automotive industry as a service... More

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2010 Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon

Enthusiast buyers who need space often complain that there aren't a lot of automotive options for those who need a bigger vehicle but don't want to sacrifice performance. Crossovers and SUVs are automotive non grata for these folks, and sedans don't have enough cargo space. These buyers often clamor for station-wagon options, and GM is now obliging with the 2010 Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon.

Available with either a 3.0 or 3.6-liter V-6, this wagon is essentially a stretched CTS sedan. The test-model that showed up at my door was a Premium Collection version with the 304 horsepower 3.6 under the hood and a 6-speed automatic transmission behind it, deliver power to the rear wheels.

Standard features included dual-zone climate controls, ABS, an antiskid system, traction control, a wireless cell phone link, a power liftgate, satellite radio, a cargo shade, a cargo net, wood trim, a rearview camera, adaptive headlights, fog lamps, a sport suspension, heated and cooled front seats, remote start, remote keyless access, a power tilt and telescope steering wheel, rear parking assist, an uplevel audio system with a 40-gigabyte hard drive, a navigation system, XM navigation traffic, and what GM calls an "ultraview" panoramic sunroof. Total price? $51,720.

Options included the 19-inch Summer Tire Performance Package, which replaces the standard 18-inch wheels and tires with 19s and adds a sport suspension more suited to the larger wheels and tires. The package also adds steering-wheel mounted shift controls, a performance cooling system, and performance disc brakes. The total tab for this package came to $2,090. Add that and the $825 destination fee to the total, and the as-tested price came to $54,635.

Slip into the Sport Wagon, and it's immediately apparent that the interior alone is the price of entry. From the analog clock at the top of the center stack to the wood trim on the steering wheel, most of the materials look and feel expensive. The pop-up navigation/rearview camera screen is a nice touch, although it looks better in the down position. It still displays radio presets when in the down position, but even if a destination is programmed into the navigation system, it won't show any nav detail while down, which I found out the hard way. It does automatically pop up and down when reverse is selected.