Nearly every manufacturer builds multiple models ranging from sub-compacts to near full-size behemoths. Mercedes-Benz E-Class and C-Class wagons are everywhere. Ditto for BMW 3 and 5 Series Tourings. Volkswagen, Fiat, Citroen, Seat, Skoda and Peugeot all sell lots of wagons. Perhaps it's a legacy of the Lamborghini Espada or the undeniable fact that the current M-B E63 AMG wagon is seriously cool, Europeans like wagons.
Americans, on the other hand, don't. Our country's collective notion of station wagons is stuck in Clark W. Griswold-land. Too bad. Most Americans have no idea what they're missing.
Continue reading...You know the Cadillac V-Series well, and what we think of the 2011 CTS-V Coupe. The V Wagon is simply the coupe with better visibility and room for water skis, snowboards, mountain bikes and more (thanks to the roof rack). Could performance come in a more practical package? (Subaru WRX hatchback drivers... you understand.)
Plus, the V Wagon is a sleeper in comparison to the V Coupe. The unexpected nature of a supercharged 556-horsepower 6.2-liter V8 wagon with the top speed of a Porsche 911 is stupendously brilliant. The irony of the four-second 0-60 mph time ain't bad, either.
From the A-pillar forward, all three V-Series body styles are visually identical – a good thing because the V's face has serious street presence. Unfortunately, the mesh grille is American pomposity in wire form – vaguely cliché in a JC Whitney kind of way. And Cadillac dealers installing look-a-like aftermarket grilles on non-V CTSs hasn't helped matters.
2011 Cadillac CTS-V Sport Wagon side view2011 Cadillac CTS-V Sport Wagon front view2011 Cadillac CTS-V Sport Wagon rear view
The balance of the wagon's styling makes up for the grille. The dramatic profile is like nothing else on the road. Few vehicles honestly enjoy that exclusivity. Taken in whole, the CTS is an exuberant American design. No European or Asian manufacturer would dare make a car that looks like this.
V-exclusive features over the standard CTS Sport Wagon include three-inch cannon exhaust tips, V-Series badging and handsome 19-inch rims (nine-inches wide in front, 9.5-inches rear). The standard rubber-band profile tires are summer-compound Michelin Pilot Sport PS2s measuring 255/40ZR19 (front) and 265/35ZR19 (rear). Due to our January-in-Michigan test schedule, Cadillac wisely fitted our test vehicle with M+S rated Pirellis of the same size.
The airy design of the wheels made for easy viewing of the massive 15-inch front rotors from Brembo. A serious engine requires equally serious brakes and the rear rotors are no slouches either at 14.7-inches.
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