No other body style gets less respect in today's America than the wagon, and no other body style has to struggle as hard to garner anything resembling worthwhile sales. It's gotten bad enough that Volvo, long a champion of these versatile automobiles, is throwing in the towel. That makes it all the more amazing that the Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon was even built -- especially when you consider how close to the abyss General Motors was during its development.
Aside from the cavernous cargo area and obligatory design changes, the 2011 CTS Sport Wagon is little different from the 2008 CTS Sedan we spent a year with after the then-all-new model took home the Car of the Year calipers. The only major change has been a switch in base engines, from a port-injected 3.6-liter V-6 to a 270-horse direct-injected 3.0-liter V-6 for 2010, though our CTS Wagon tester had the optional direct-injected 304-horse 3.6-liter.

Other options in our well-equipped Tuscan Bronze Performance Collection test wagon included the $3095 performance luxury package, $2090 summer tire performance package, and $2145 navigation package. On top of that, the paint cost a pricey $995 and there was a $325 luggage rack and $110 rear cargo tray, bringing the total price to a luxurious $52,950. The first package adds stylish LED ambient lighting, heated and cooled front seats, power-adjustable heated steering wheel, and a rear-view camera. The second throws on 19-inch aluminum wheels with Continental ContiSportContact3 summer tires, CTS-V-style steering-wheel shift buttons, an upgraded cooling system, and beefier brakes that feature 13.6-inch rotors up front, 13.4-inchers at rear. The navigation package, in addition to Cadillac's unique pop-up nav screen, adds a Bose 5.1 sound system. The lone curiosity is the lack of a sunroof, which is a separate $1150 option.