2011 Cadillac CTS-V Wagon Review

Cadillac division may be called the right arm of General Motors. It is rightly the luxury brand of General Motors. Though sold in over 53 countries and territories across the world, majority of the sales are in home land- North America. It is also one of the oldest automobile brand in the world. Its cars are ranked amongst the finest in this world and even US President Barrack Obama on his recent trip to India and neighbors, used a specially flown in Cadillac. Even his presidential attendants used Cadillacs. Now this should really mean that Cadillac are up against the best in the world and an American car manufacturer at that.

All this means that the so called flag ship of Cadillac, the Cadillac CTS-V Wagon to be launched in a few months and showcased at the New York Motor show should be a perfect car. A sort of perfect car it is. It is the wagon version of the famous Cadillac CTS-V coupes and sedans. It is the extension of the CTS and V-series lineup. The practicality of a sedan as well as the utility of a station wagon. The looks of the car are similar to its brethren except for a slight rework around the nose section and that extended bump at the rear. It rides on 19 inch forged alloys and sits lower at the front and slightly taller towards the rear. The 2011 Cadillac CTS-V Wagon also gets a new Midnight Silver shade and on the grille mesh insert, a black chrome finish.

The interiors are also slightly different from its cousins. The cabin has high quality black leather with Alcantara accents. There are also Recaro seats with Alcantara seat inserts which are black trimmed and also have fine grain feel embedded in them. Aluminium blacked out inserts surround the dash board. The seats are fully retractable and have memory functions attached to them. There is also a Bose 5.1 surround sound system, magneto-rheological active dampers 40-gigabyte navigation system and heated leather seats. Aiding convenience in storage department are the 7 cubby holes, 3 sunglass holders and 60:40 split rear seats. The boot space is also quite huge at 22 cu.feet and with the rear seats down, a humongous 68 cu.feet.

The engine is same as the sedan version and is the 6.2-litres V8 power unit which belches out 556 Hp and an astonishing 551 lb-ft of torque. This is enough to propel the porky 4390 Lbs 2011 Cadillac CTS-V Wagon from 0-60 mph in 6.2 seconds. This is fast by a luxury as well as station wagon standards bested by only the Porsche Panamera. Transmission is handled by a 6 speed manual or a 6 speed automatic. Both the transmissions are smooth in their operation with the automatic displaying some nervousness around red line shifts. Performance at both city as well as highway speeds is commendable with power been present at all speeds. Supporting the performance are Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 performance tires. Hauling such a capable station wagon are Brembo Dual-cast aluminum ventilated disc brakes aided by ABS, EBD and also traction control. Safety is also top notch with 8 air bags, side intrusion beams, adaptive head lights, driver drowsy warning, 3 point seat belts with in built whip lash control and a collapsible steering column. Its sedan and coupe versions have got 5 star safety ratings in the US government crash safety testings and a good tag from the IIHS. This should stand true for the 2011 Cadillac CTS-V Wagon as well.

The 2011 Cadillac CTS-V Wagon rides well with little or no road/engine noise even at 3 digit speeds. Going off tracks also are no chore on your spine as the mighty suspension takes everything in its stride. Much like the others from its stable though is a lack of feeling steering wheel. It is quite dead at the center and seems overservoed. It is light for city use however on the highways it somehow weighs up nicely. The handling is good even when all the electronics are turned off. Carefully driven, one can even get the rear to drift.

Fuel efficiency from such a big station wagon is on the negative side though. It gives an EPA estimated 14 mpg in the city and on the highway it gives 19 mpg. Sane driving may take the figures even up in real world conditions.

At the end of the day, 2011 Cadillac CTS-V Wagon is a car for those looking out for road presence, practicality, utility and at the same time performance. It ticks all the right boxes in regards to luxury as well as ride and handling. The only point where it loses out is fuel efficiency. However one buying a $65,000 car would care a nary about the fuel efficiency. Slated to go on sale by March 2011, the 2011 Cadillac CTS-V Wagon seems to be a winner on papers. Its competitors would be Audi A7, Mercedes R-class and the BMW GT5.