The 2010 Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon will join the popular CTS sedan in spring 2009.

Consumer Guide’s Impressions of the 2010 Cadillac CTS

Look out German luxury brands, CTS is poised to follow its hit new sedan and red-hot V-Series with Cadillac's first factory wagon for the American market. A production version of the CTS Coupe Concept should appear at the Los Angeles Auto Show in late 2008, and there may even be a convertible. And, oh, yes: a turbodiesel V6 option is another possibility.

What We Know About the 2010 Cadillac CTS

The redesigned 2008 Cadillac CTS is a much-improved premium midsize sedan. Consumer Guide gives it a Best Buy ribbon as “finally a legitimate alternative to cars from Audi, BMW and Infiniti.” Critical reaction elsewhere is mostly glowing too. Indeed, the CTS just missed winning 2008 North American Car of the Year honors.

Yet despite its world-class credentials, the new CTS still faces tough competition from the Audi A4, BMW 3-Series, and Mercedes-Benz C- and CLK-Classes, all of which offer coupes, convertibles and wagons as well as sedans. But General Motors knows that choice is important in the near-luxury market. That and an ongoing push to expand Cadillac sales beyond the U.S. explain why the CTS is in a “family way,” with at least three new variations due to appear in the next two to three years. Up first is the 2009 update of the hot-rod CTS-V sedan, that arrives late in 2008 with a big new supercharged V8 packing 556 horsepower. Then, for 2010, the CTS adds the first U.S. market station wagon in Cadillac’s 105-year history and a production version of the CTS Coupe Concept. A convertible could also be on the agenda. It’s been a long time since Cadillac has been this aggressive against overseas rivals. Call it “Car Wars: Detroit Strikes Back.”

A CTS coupe concept was the big surprise of the 2008 Detroit Auto Show. Given its show-room ready appearance--and a few comments from GM executives--the word is that this design is headed for production as the 2010 Cadillac CTS coupe. And once that happens, can a convertible be far behind? Some sources expect it as a 2011 model.

The 2010 Cadillac CTS coupe should be very much like the Detroit curtain-raiser, though the concept's big-bling 20-inch front wheels and 21-inch rears may be downsized a bit for practicality. Cadillac says the coupe's front-end sheetmetal and basic interior hardware are basically the same as for sedans. So, too, the wheelbase, but the two-door stands nearly five inches shorter, an inch wider, and 3.3 inches lower. The concept interior had a full-length center console and cozy "2+2" accommodations on four individual Recaro-brand seats. This package may carry over to showroom models, though a nominal three-place rear bench seat might be offered instead or as an option. A convertible CTS, if it materializes, would probably be a four-seater only, this to leave storage space for a folding top behind the passenger compartment. For reasons of cost and simplicity, that roof is likely to be a traditional fabric affair that stows beneath a hard panel. Expect standard power operation and several layers of sound- and climate-controlling insulation, including a full interior headliner.

As for the long-rumored wagon, the 2010 Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon made its debut in August 2008 at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in California. It's a four-door, of course, and has the same footprint as the CTS sedan. To our eyes it's as handsome as any European sportwagon, which means cargo-carrying is not a design priority, though there is 25 cubic feet of space behind the rear seats, which should prove to be plenty of room for four people's weekend luggage. We suspect the wagon is aimed mainly at Europe, where the market is much larger than it is here, but U.S. availability could make it a popular alternative to midsize luxury SUVs.

Details haven't been confirmed for the coupe, but the 2010 Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon will share the 263-horsepower 3.6-liter V6 engine with the base CTS sedan and also offer the 304-horse 3.6-liter DI V6 that powers the uplevel “Direct Injection” sedan. DI refers to a more-efficient fuel-delivery system that squirts gas directly into the cylinders rather than introducing it through ports at the top. Cadillac says the 2010 CTS Sport Wagon will be available with a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission. Sport Wagon chassis components naturally come from the CTS sedans, and include the sedan's optional all-wheel drive.

Intriguingly, the Detroit coupe concept carried the new 2.9-liter turbodiesel V6 that GM plans to offer on Euro-market CTS sedans later this year--and which many expect to eventually see on the U.S. options list too. But Cadillac says the design can accommodate other powerteams as well, leading some to think that a CTS-V coupe may be in the works. We'd like to think that a CTS-V Sport Wagon will appear at some point too, but don't have an inside scoop.

Whatever transpires, recent successes seem to be encouraging Cadillac to take risks again, the way it did in the mid-20th century when it was America's undisputed luxury sales leader. Consider this press-release quote from GM global design chief Ed Welburn: "We did not create [the CTS Coupe Concept] sifting through reams of market data, nor is its shape trimmed to suit the input collected at a consumer clinic--it is emotion on four wheels, the very essence of what defines Cadillac today." Sounds almost like a promise, doesn't it?

The Cadillac CTS Coupe Concept made its debut at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show.

Simply expanding the CTS model slate is notable in itself, allowing Cadillac to complete more directly with leading entry-level premium-import lines like the ever-popular BMW 3-Series. But the rumored turbocharged diesel V6 would be no less newsworthy. This engine was developed mainly for the European market, where diesels account for some 60 percent of new-car sales, owing to their greater fuel efficiency. But with U.S. consumers also thinking mpg--and given great strides in diesel technology over the past 30 years--the new 2.9-liter 60-degree V6 could be surprisingly popular here. After all, with 250 horsepower and a thumping 406 pound-feet torque arriving at just 2000 rpm, the force-fed oil-burner could well deliver the best CTS acceleration--better, perhaps, than even V-Series thrust--plus mighty appealing overall fuel economy of at least 30 mpg.

Buying Advice for the 2010 Cadillac CTS

What’s good for Cadillac should be good for consumers, especially those loyal to the brand who've been hoping for more stylish choices from GM’s flagship marque. However, Cadillac likely plans the CTS coupe, convertible, and Sport Wagon to be image-building niche products, so supplies of all three could be limited to shore-up resale values. Just how limited remains to be seen, but we wouldn’t look for discounts or other incentives at launch time. Instead, Cadillac will tout superior value with prices that should handily undercut those of comparable premium imports.

2010 Cadillac CTS Release Date: Though timing is unknown at this point for the 2010 Cadillac CTS coupe, we expect it to be in showrooms by the fall of 2009. The company says the 2010 Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon will reach dealers by spring 2009. The CTS convertible, assuming it gets the go-ahead for model-year 2011, would likely be out no later than summer 2010.

2010 Cadillac CTS First Test Drive: The CTS Sport Wagon will probably meet the press in the first or second quarter of 2009. When the coupe and the convertible will be previewed is unknown.

2010 Cadillac CTS Prices: With CTS sedans now in the $32,000-$34,000 range, we’ll guesstimate the coupe and Sport Wagon to start around $40,000 by the 2010 selling season. The convertible would likely come in near $48,000, again assuming it’s approved.

Updated by Don Sikora II 08.19.2008

The 2010 Cadillac CTS coupe (concept pictured) will likely carry the 304-horsepower 3.6-liter V6 that powers the uplevel “Direct Injection” 2008 CTS sedan.

For more inside information on hundreds of new cars of today and tomorrow, check out:

• Consumer Guide New Car Reviews and Prices: Road test results, photos, specifications, and prices for hundreds of new cars, trucks, minivans, and SUVs from the Auto Editors of Consumer Guide.
• Cadillac: Read Consumer Guide's full reports, including ratings, prices, specifications, and fuel economy.
• Premium Midsize Cars: The 2010 Cadillac CTS will compete in the premium midsize car class. Here's Consumer Guide's roundup of all the premium midsize cars on sale today.
• 2008 Consumer Guide Best Buy and Recommended Award Winners:
  Check out which cars won our Best Buy and Recommended awards for 2008.
• Future Cars: Step into the automotive showroom of tomorrow with reviews, analysis, pictures, prices, and preliminary specifications on scores of 2009, 2010, and 2011 new cars.