2010 Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon

bhill2

I am very interested in peoples' reaction to the introduction of this wagon by Cadillac. I actually like the looks, and if it turns out to have reasonable cargo carrying capacity I would seriously consider buying it (if it's still there to buy after the GM bother is over). What do people think?

charlesb

I'm a wagon guy and was excited about the prospects of a true manual transmission in a five-passenger wagon but looking at the latest information (at cadillac.com) it looks like the manual transmission that has been promised since this variant of the CTS popped up at auto shows got an 11th hour hatchet job from the bean counters and the "Sport" part of this equation just diminished considerably.

bhill2

Oh boy, am I with you there. But I don't think that the manual in the sedan got many takers. I live just north of San Francisco and when I looked for CTS sedan with the stick the closest one in stock was 400 miles away. The wagon with the manual would certainly be a nice package though.

temj12

I love a stick too, but I would not buy a Cadillac with one. It would kill your trade-in value at trade or private sell. When people think of Cadillac, they don't typically think of a stick. I asked a dealer if you would take a hit at trade on a stick; he said that you would.

wilhem

The Cadillac wagon is another example of GMs foresightedness. Why make a wagon without a capacity to seat 7? The Chevy Camaro is another there's no trim level with the navigation system. Isn't this 2010? GM is just plain stupid.

bhill2

I think that we have lost the battle for a stick. The last time I was on a site that allows you to configure a CTS (sedan at the moment) the stick was listed as discontinued. I was configuring it with a direct injection engine however, the stick may, at least theoretically, still be available with the base engine.

artmbgolf

I am not so sure Cadillac needs a CTS Sport Wagon, unless it will be more useful or popular than the SRX. They don't need both of these, so whichever is best as a small SUV is what they should make.

If only offering the Auto Trans helps keep the design cost down, they should do that, since they won't sell enough sticks. Sticks belong in the CTS-V.

bhill2

I'm not sure that the CTS Sport Wagon and the SRX would cannibalize each other greatly. Not everyone wants an SUV, especially someone shopping a CTS in the first place. The Sport Wagon is smaller and holds less, but it is also faster, less thirsty, and more agile. Of the two, I would definitely choose the Sport Wagon, although opinions obviously differ.

plawin1

I'm interested in this car. I've read that Cadillac wants to compete 1:1 with the Germans, and even sell in Europe. Over there, a wagon is a must have.

The German wagons are all very expensive. For example, the BMW is the 535xi model and starts at $55,800. An AWD, direct injection CTS starts around $40,000. If they can keep the wagon in that neighborhood, it might work for me.

The interesting thing is that Cadillac is running lots of magazine ads with photos of the wagon. But it's not "for sale" on their website. I believe that they shut the CTS factory down after they had committed to the ads. I just hope the wagon is still on the line when the factory starts up again.

sevenfeet0

My dealer tells me that the launch was pushed back from spring to late summer. Apparently the marketing for the product was still locked and loaded so they went with it.

b4z

Hope you are well. It's been a long time. How about the goings on at av123?
There is a fundamental prob with the CTS and CTS wagon for people with long legs.
My legs hide the temp readout on the climate control.
Also back seat legroom.
The CTS doesn't have a lot, whereas the SRX was decent in both regards.
I'm still interested in it though.
CTS wagon production was moved back from May to July 20 with the cars not appearing at dealers until the beginning of August.

I'm on my second SRX(a '07) and GTO('06).

Karen_S

A reporter from a large newspaper is looking to speak to consumers who is considering purchasing a Cadillac or have purchased one this year. Please send your daytime phone number and the vehicle you own to ctalati@edmunds.com by Thursday, June 25, 2009.

plawin1

Thanks for the dates. I haven't been able to get this much information anywhere else.

sevenfeet0

Hi b4z...sorry I didn't see your reply earlier.

I will agree that the climate control locations suck for those with extra long legs. It's my only major complaint with the design. I note that the 2010 SRX leaves the climate control buttons where they are but the visual temp settings are now on the central screen where it belongs. But the CTS climate control issue is offset against the extremely generous front leg room. It reminds me of some earlier BMW 3 series cars that were organized this way. This is why the current CTS will be my next car, as soon as I pay off our SRX next year.

The rear seat room with the CTS doesn't both me as much because I don't sit back there. That being said, it might be a problem for my kids in the way that a car booster seat might be mounted. Again, not a problem enough to influence a buying decision.

Av123 hasn't had their forum opened in 6 months after things got out of control there and the company started having some financial difficulties due to the recession. But things are still humming there and I think they will whether the storm.

mickster2

Any news about availability in Southern California? Late summer means when?

sevenfeet0

September.

mickster2

Thanks for this information. May I ask how you found this out?

sevenfeet0

My dealer told me.

Besides, "late summer" in product speak usually means the last three weeks of September that can be called "Summer" before the autumn solstice.

charlesb

I was reading a review for this vehicle on the automotive(dot)com website and was shocked by this:

CADILLAC CTS SPORT WAGON

Base Price: $40,435
As-tested: $54,635

That's a whole lot of cheddar for a 2WD version even if it is well equipped. Add in the AWD and it would be closing on $60K in a hurry. :surprise:

plawin1

AWD adds about $2,000 to the sedan. It depends on who you pick for competition. The BMW 535xi wagon starts at $56,625. That doesn't include power tailgate, heated seats, and navigation. I haven't looked at the rest of the options, but Cadillac has been trying to beat BMW on price.

sevenfeet0

The wagon adds $1000 to the cost of the car according to all reviews I've read on this vehicle. Outside of that, all standard CTS configurations remain the same except manual tranny availability. A $54K price is pretty much the whole hog 10" wheels FE3 suspension 3.6L DI model. If you want cheaper, start, whacking down the options list.

I have to admit, a CTS-V Wagon would be a wonderful car and yes, GM would probably sell maybe 50 of them. But as a father of two, I'd love an excuse to buy one. But the wagon market is small and the hotrod market is unfortunately even smaller. Mercedes has made an AMG E-class wagon up until the outgoing 2009 model year but the new 2010 E-class wagon hasn't been introduced yet, so no AMG model either. BMW doesn't make an M5 Touring for the US, and Audi doesn't import the S6 Avant either. Even Volvo stopped selling the Turbo R awhile ago. Curiously, up until recently you could get an Mercedes R-class people mover with an AMG engine on "special order", but no longer.

bhill2

But the wagon market is small and the hotrod market is unfortunately even smaller.

Sigh. I guess that means that the prospects for a CTS-V Sport Wagon are slim. Too bad; that would one helluva way to get the kids to school.

b4z

I'm also looking at the Audi A6 Avant 3.0T Supercharged. 30-50 times is 2.8seconds! 0-60 is about 1 second faster than the caddy and has 10cuft. more cargo space.
I would have to see what options I want on the caddy and then look for large incentives on the leasing side.
I am leaning towards a 3.6L Performance with the 19" Summer FE3 package and no sunroof.

willbuyan09

I have been (in)patiently waiting for the Sport Wagon. Also wondered about the A6 Avant, but isn't Audi updating the A6 for 2011?? I don't want the last year of a model.

sevenfeet0

Looks like the CTS-V will come in all flavors....sedan, coupe...and sport wagon.

http://www.caranddriver.com/news/car/09q4/bob_lutz_says_cadillac_cts-v_sport_wag- on_is_definitely_coming-car_news

roho1

I recently had the opportunity to test drive a Sport wagon. The dealer just got 2 bright red models in. One was the premium version loaded to the gills at about 48k. It had Continental 19" tires on it. I drove the other one which was a more basic model with 17" Michelin tires, no nav, stickered at about 40k.
I'll preface this by saying I have never owned a Cadillac and probably never will. I was curious with the new wagon design but am leaning toward a Toyota Venza.
The first thing I noticed was a weird smell, the salesman said was the leather seats. I have never smelled leather like that before, it was more like some chemical laced Chinese yak hide. The whole interior wasn't too impressive, it reminded me of the Chevy Equinox I looked at awhile ago. One thing that was impressive was the driver's seat can be moved way back. I'm 6'-1" and always have to peg the seat as far back as it will go on any other vehicle. On this it will go back far enough I guess for any basketball player with room to spare.
It drove like I expected it would, the tranny was smooth and pickup was there. The rear vision is restricted by the dead zones on both sides. The side mirrors were too small from what I am used to, with the blind spots so I was not comfortable.
Overall I was underwhelmed especially for the price. It certainly did not ooze luxury as I expected.

parm

Just returned from the Indianapolis car show where there was a red CTS Sport Wagon on display which my wife and I loved. Unfortunately, they didn't have an SRX at the show, which leads to my question. Both the Wagon and the SRX are only AWD (vs. a preferred 4WD). While there are some minor variances with regard to engine choices, both cars seem to be singing from the same hymnal (4 door AWD with a rear hatch). The only major difference I can see is that the SRX has a higher ground clearance. Maybe the SRX has a 3-row seat? So, what niche does each car serve?

redgtconv1

They may serve the same purpose but the driving dynamics are very different. The wagon drives exactly like the CTS sedan. The SRX was designed to compete with the Lexus and drives a little too much like that for my tastes. A couple of months ago I went to a Cadillac sponsored driving event where you could drive the Sport Wagon, the SRX and several of the SRX Competitors. After driving them I was standing at the Cadillac tent talking to my wife and I mentioned how much I loved the Sport Wagon and how disappointed I was in the ride of the SRX. Well, there was a woman standing next to us and overheard our conversation. She said she also owned a CTS and had the same impression of the 2 cars as I did. We seemed to attract a crowd, as a man heard us talking and also said he was a CTS owner and completely agreed with us. Now, I am not saying that no one liked the SRX, because many people did. What I am saying is if you like the way a CTS drives and handles you will not like the SRX.

zydecoman

LOL...."chemical laced chinese yak hide..." Too funny!!

jrobertson1

Just wanted to add my comments on the 2010 CTS Wagon, We searched far and wide to a new car that would meet all our needs, We looked at Lexus, Mercedes and BMW. All the cars were very nice but when you started adding all the options the price shot up real fast.. We decided on the CTS 2010 Wagon, This car listed for 55,880.00 It has everything except AWD. I could not be happier with the car. Although we have had it only one week now and put about 1200 miles on it. The room inside is very nice and the options were everything I needed. The only comment my wife has is there is not enough room for both our cups of coffee..

I will do a complete breakdown on how it works our for us.. So far I could not ask for a quieter nor better ride in a sport wagon..

Jim

robbie27

Love my 2010 red AWD Sportwagon but have been having a problem with the tail lights. They break the top clip and pull away from the vehicle at the top. They have been replaced once, last summer, and I see they are needing repair/replacement for the same reason again. Anyone out there having the same problem? It is a major fix, I understand, requiring rear bumper and inner fender liner removal to do the job. Can't blame it on car washes because the car has been washed by hand since day 1. Just wondering if my problem is unique or if anyone out there has a solution.

gmcustsvc

robbie27,
I would recommend taking the vehicle back to the dealer for your concern. If you would also send me your VIN, current mileage, and involved dealer, I would like to look into this further. Thank you for taking the time to post your concerns. Please feel free to email me directly.
Christina
GM Customer Service
SocialMedia@GM.com

robbie27

Thanks Christina. I have e-mailed you the info. I was simply trying to see if anyone else had this problem, as I believe my car was the only sport wagon my dealer sold! Thought there may be a permanent fix they were not aware of! My dealer was most helpful the last time and I have not contacted them yet for the current required repair.