Cadillac CTS-V Supercharged Sport Wagon?
While BMW, Audi, and Mercedes have all produced 500+ horsepower grocery-getters, American automakers have yet to seriously enter the segment. Sure, the Dodge Magnum SRT-8 puts out a healthy 425hp, but a 6.1L V8 is no competition for the RS6’s 580hp twin-turbo V10. The obvious solution to the American deficit is the CTS-V Sport Wagon. Shoehorning the supercharged LSA 6.2L V8 into the standard CTS Wagon would create proper red, white, and blue competition for the European threat. The CTS-V sedan has already proven itself against the BMW M5 and Merc E63 Sedan, so a 5-door CTS variant is the logical solution to combat the European battlewagons. Speaking with Edmunds, Cadillac’s David Caldwell rationalized “a CTS-V Sport Wagon could be a relatively easy add.” The result would be a stylish and spacious wagon packing an M5-humbling 556hp supercharged V8. Most importantly, differentiating itself from the automatic and sequential-manual European wagons, the CTS-V Sport Wagon would put its 551lb-ft of torque to the pavement via a proper three-pedal 6-speed manual transmission.
Considering that the CTS-V Sedan was recently put on sale at around $59k, a $62,000 CTS-V Sport Wagon would undercut its Teutonic rivals by over $20,000. Yet the biggest issue Cadillac faces with a supercharged sport wagon is not price, but American demand. While Wagons are hugely popular across the pond, the soccer mom stigma still plagues America and has prevented both BMW and Audi from importing their most powerful wagon variants. With the global recession expected to linger, and auto sales down by record margins, a CTS-V Sport Wagon looks like a pipe dream. Although not intended for production, we have no doubt that an enthusiast will rise to the challenge and build a custom supercharged CTS-V battlewagon. If you are that talented individual, you know where to find us for a test drive.