Gas-guzzling Caddy wagon is rare — and getting rarer
The 2013 Cadillac CTS-V Wagon — the only V-8-powered station wagon factory- built in the United States — is a rare blend of awesome acceleration, luxury accoutrements, sporty handling and station-wagon functionality.
It's like having the cargo room of a compact sport utility vehicle at the back of a sporty luxury car — except the luxury car has a great exhaust note and a supercharged V-8 that generates 556 horsepower.
This combination isn't the only thing that makes the CTS-V Wagon rare.
Only about 1,200 have been sold since the wagon debuted for the 2011 model year. And with the introduction of the next-generation CTS later this year, Cadillac will stop building the wagon version of its mid-size CTS.
At that point, car buyers who want a V-8-powered station wagon — and admittedly, there aren't many — will have only the Mercedes-Benz E-Class wagon to meet their needs.
To be sure, the CTS-V Wagon can be costly to own.
Because of its gasoline mileage — averaging just 14 miles per gallon in combined city/highway travel — the CTS-V Wagon incurs a federal gas guzzler tax of $1,300 or $2,600 at the time of the car's purchase. The tax differs, based on manual or automatic transmission.
The federal government's fuel economy ratings of only 12 mpg in city driving and 18 mpg on the highway for the 2013 CTS-V Wagon make it the worst gas guzzler among station wagons sold here. Plus, pricier premium gasoline, rather than regular, is required for the 18-gallon tank for the 6.2-liter V-8.
The CTS-V Wagon is offered only in rear-wheel drive, not with all-wheel drive. But it comes with standard features that are often extras on other family- and cargo-hauling vehicles.
For example, the power rear liftgate is standard as are 19-inch wheels, Bose surround sound, rear park assist, rearview camera, rain-sensing wipers, navigation system and leather-trimmed seats with sueded fabric inserts.
A screen that displays, among other things, the navigation system map rises from the top of the center of the dashboard when in use and recedes out of sight into the dashboard when not in use.
The wagon back end was integrated smartly into the design.
— For The Associated Press
