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2010 Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon First Impressions
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2010 Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon First Impressions
by Luc Gagné / Auto123.com
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White Plains, New York – The raison d’être of the new Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon is intimately linked to the existence of the first Cadillac SRX. Its job is in fact to lift any ambiguity created by the latter.
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| The 2010 Cadillac Sport Wagon is hitting North American dealerships at the very moment this article is published! |
Steve Shannon, marketing director for Cadillac in the United States, uses the word “tweener” when referring to the old SRX. In the world of professional wrestling, tweeners are morally neutral or ambiguous characters, often referred to as “greys”.
The Cadillac SRX launched in 2003 suffered from a similar image issue. According to Shannon, its style confused American consumers, who weren’t sure what to call it – wagon or SUV? To avoid any uncertainty, they simply started eyeing rival European and Asian brands, which accounts for the moderate success of the SRX up until now.
By launching a redesigned SRX and a CTS wagon, Cadillac’s marketing gurus are hoping to correct the situation. GM’s premium brand can now offer a CTS to buyers interested in mid-size, luxury wagons like the Volvo V70, Audi A4 Avant and BMW 328i, among others. And for those looking for a crossover, there’ll be the new streamlined SRX reminiscent of the Lexus RX 350.
The evolution of the sedan
The CTS sport wagon is an attractive product for GM. It shares a platform with the sedan as well as a large part of its components. It wasn’t this baby’s budget that caused GM’s trials and tribulations!
So, its body uses the same sheet metal as the sedan, from the rear door all the way to the grille. The cabin is graced with the same dash board and bucket seats (with a prominent central protuberance on the seat backs that proves rather annoying on longer trips). Naturally, the roof and rear seats are specific to this model.
The specifications of both cars are also quite similar. They feature the same wheelbase and width, while the wagon’s body is 30 cm higher and 7 cm shorter.
The wagon obviously stands out by the size of its adjustable cargo area, which can jump from 736 litres to a roomy 1642. These numbers are markedly more attractive than the 385 litres of the hard-to-access trunk on the CTS sedan.
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| The cargo area gives it the practicality that the CTS sedan lacks. |
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