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The 2010 Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon didn't exactly come to me under ideal circumstances. In fact, thanks to the largest snowstorm of the season, it arrived at the airport an hour or so late, making for a pretty good immediate test. Turns out, Caddy's version of its sister sport sedan performed admirably, as did it a few days later, when I could actually see the road.
 While awaiting the vehicle, however, I wondered whether I'd get the all-wheel drive version. Alas, I got rear-wheel. Still, the wagon's heft, Stabilitrak-stability control, sticky all-season tires and all-speed traction control got me home in one piece. I don't ordinarily begin reviews with talk of safety features, but this is real life, folks. So thank goodness, and Cadillac, for prospectively needed front and side-impact airbags for driver and front passenger, and head curtain side airbags in the front and rear. And yes, the CTS fared very well in government safety ratings. Also at the ready was OnStar, with automatic crash response, or even turn-by-turn navigation, should innumerable detours have caused me to lose my way. The rearview camera helped when snow obscured some back vision.
Now. You know, daddy was a Cadillac man, going back to the '60s. He passed in the early '80s, and since then I've often wondered what he would make of today's iterations. But this sport wagon, it's interesting. Because while we always had a Caddy, we also always had a station wagon (most memorably, a dark green number with the requisite faux wood siding). Never, obviously, did we have the two in one machine.
Whaddya think of that, pops?
 On sale since last August, this is one fine-looking ride. The styling is aggressive but inoffensive. The sleekish wagon has Cadillac's vaunted grille, plus super-long tail lights and 18-inch wheels. The manufacturer showed nice restraint bling wise; chrome, is at a minimum. The ultimate tell-tale compliment: gestures and smiles from all manner of pedestrians.
The sport wagon's interior is also aesthetically pleasing. The heated and cooled leather seats are richly tailored and comfy, although, thanks to the center stack, room for my long legs was at a premium, but I appreciated the lumbar support. Cadillac wasn't stingy on the Sapele Pommele wood trim, and the brushed metal surfaces had a quality look and feel. I'm an outdoors person, so the ultraview sunroof, and in a Cadillac, to boot, worked well for me.
Controls on the center stack, which also served as infotainment central, made sense to me, including the pop-up navi system and MP3 player. There's 58-cubic-feet of cargo space when the back seats are folded down, plus a nice system that keeps your soup cans and other store items from rolling around your car. If you swung by a jewelry store but don't want that known to passersby, there's place for that bag, too. If Fido's along for the ride, there's a pet guard cargo net. And, with the touch of a button, one can control the opening height of the power liftgate. Let's not forget the 10-speaker Bose surround system, the 40-gig hard disc drive and USB port for iPods.
 Performance-wise, the sport wagon's optional 3.6-liter direct-injected V6 engine served up oodles of oomph: 304 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of torque and mated to a six-speed automatic transmission with driver shift control. What with the inclement weather, my loaner didn't spend much time in sport mode, which is slightly more responsive than auto-mode status. Overall, however, steering and handling rose to levels needed for a luxe wagon, one which runs with BMW's 5 wagon, the Audi A4, and, to some extent, the Mercedes-Benz E wagon. Suspension was good enough, as was braking.
Mileage is just middling at 18/26, but at least the wagon takes regular petrol. My total sticker on my loaner was $49,490.
A compelling alternative to larger vehicles, the CTS was crafted to recast how U.S. consumers view wagons.
I think daddy would approve.
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