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Review: 2011 Cadillac CTS-V Sport Wagon

Filed under: Performance, Wagon, Cadillac, Reviews

Single-handedly Changing America’s Perception About Station Wagons

2011 Cadillac CTS-V Sport Wagon – Click above for high-res image gallery

If you’ve spent any time on German roads, one thing you’ll notice – right after the speed limit signs with a slash mark through them – is that station wagons are popular.

Nearly every manufacturer builds multiple models ranging from sub-compacts to near full-size behemoths. Mercedes-Benz E-Class and C-Class wagons are everywhere. Ditto for BMW 3 and 5 Series Tourings. Volkswagen, Fiat, Citroen, Seat, Skoda and Peugeot all sell lots of wagons. Perhaps it’s a legacy of the Lamborghini Espada or the undeniable fact that the current M-B E63 AMG wagon is seriously cool, Europeans like wagons.

Americans, on the other hand, don’t. Our country’s collective notion of station wagons is stuck in Clark W. Griswold-land. Too bad. Most Americans have no idea what they’re missing.

Gallery: 2011 Cadillac CTS-V Sport Wagon: Review

2011 Cadillac CTS-V Sport Wagon

Continue reading Review: 2011 Cadillac CTS-V Sport Wagon

Review: 2011 Cadillac CTS-V Sport Wagon originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 03 Feb 2011 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cadillac CTS-V Sport Wagon racer rendered by reader

Filed under: Wagon, Etc., Cadillac, GM, Design/Style, Racing

Cadillac CTS-V Sport Wagon race car

Cadillac CTS-V Sport Wagon race car gets rendered – Click above to view high-res image gallery

Like us, reader Tristan Hipps is a fan of the 2011 Cadillac CTS-V Sport Wagon. After perusing the recently-released images of the CTS-V Coupe race car, Hipps decided that he wanted to see what a wagon version might look like. I think we can all agree that it looks damn sexy…

Hipps stated that he “just tweaked the photos” of the CTS-V coupe to produce his vision of the Sport Wagon racer. If we tried that, we ‘d probably end up with something resembling a Pontiac Aztek.

Click through the gallery below for two angles on Hipps’ design, each set done with and without a rear spoiler.

Gallery: Cadillac CTS-V Sport Wagon race car

Cadillac CTS-V Sport Wagon race car

[Source: Hipps Design]

Cadillac CTS-V Sport Wagon racer rendered by reader originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 08 Jan 2011 19:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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eBay Find of the Day: 1993 Chevy Caprice Wagon ‘Alter-Nomad’ is a headtripping mashup

Filed under: Classics, Wagon, Auctions, Chevrolet, Specialty

Chevrolet Alter Nomad

Chevrolet “Alter Nomad” Caprice – Click above for high-res image gallery

There are certain truths about Chevrolet wagons that we hold to be self-evident. Fourth generation long-roof Caprice models are all kinds of awesome, especially when packing the luscious Corvette-sourced 5.7-liter LT1 under the hood. Additionally, the ’57 Nomad is one of the most beautiful wagons to ever prowl the wide open spaces of our fine country. That doesn’t mean that we’re all for blending the two vehicles together, though. That didn’t stop one Thomas Taylor of California from penning the beastie you see above. Rolling under the “Alter Nomad” banner, the vehicle is a whole heap of almost awesome.

While the fin work out back does much to banish the bubble rear of the Caprice, tricks like the rocket hood spears and painted chrome insets make our stomachs churn. The saddest part of this tale is the fact that this particular machine rolls with the weaker 5.0-liter V8. Even with a remarkably low 81,116 miles on the odometer, the mill isn’t exactly on our list of world-class lumps. If this kind of kit is your bag of marbles, head over to eBay Motors for a closer look. While the auction has just ended, the bidding only got up to $6,500 with an unmet reserve, so we’re thinking if you want to make this trans-generational mashup yours, all you have to do is call the dealer, Discover Classic Cars in Arizona, and raid your piggy bank.

Gallery: Chevrolet “Alter Nomad” Caprice

[Source: eBay Motors]

eBay Find of the Day: 1993 Chevy Caprice Wagon ‘Alter-Nomad’ is a headtripping mashup originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 03 Jan 2011 16:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Geneva Preview: Hyundai i40/Sonata wagon gets officially rendered

Filed under: Wagon, Geneva Motor Show, Europe, Hyundai

Hyundai i40 wagon renderings – Click above for high-res image gallery

Hyundai is preparing to launch a new European D-segment model at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show in March that will compete against such vehicles as the Ford Mondeo and Volkswagen Passat, and it’s released a slew of advance renderings of what we might expect.

Filling the slot in the Korean automaker’s European line-up that’s filled in North America by the Sonata (with which it is a very close twin), the i40 has been designed and developed in Germany by the company’s European R&D center in Rüsselsheim. The design closely follows those of recent Hyundai design studies, the Genus concept most closely.

The i40 is slated to go on sale shortly after its debut in Geneva in wagon form, with a sedan version expected to follow. The engine range is expected to include a 2.0-liter, direct-injection four-cylinder producing 170 horsepower and a 1.7-liter turbodiesel with outputs ranging from 115 horsepower to 136, with more powerful versions to follow. In the meantime, take a stroll through the image gallery below for a closer look, as the i40 is almost certainly what a Sonata wagon would look like were Hyundai ever to launch it in the States.

Gallery: Hyundai i40 wagon sketches

[Source: Hyundai-blog]

Geneva Preview: Hyundai i40/Sonata wagon gets officially rendered originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 13 Dec 2010 18:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2011 Acura TSX Sport Wagon priced from $30,960

Filed under: Car Buying, Wagon, Acura

2011 Acura TSX Sport Wagon

2011 Acura TSX Sport Wagon – Click above for high-res image gallery

During a product briefing today, Acura executives revealed that the 2011 TSX Sport Wagon will be priced from $30,960 (not including $860 for destination) when it goes on sale in just a few weeks. This represents a price increase of $1,350 versus the slightly refreshed 2011 TSX sedan that recently debuted at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

All TSX Sport Wagons come standard with a leather-trimmed interior, premium seven-speaker sound system, XM radio, USB audio with iPod integration, Bluetooth connectivity and a power moonroof. For an extra $3,650 you can opt for the TSX Technology Package, which adds sat-nav with voice recognition and rear-view camera, an ELS surround audio system, GPS-linked solar-sensing climate control and a power liftgate out back.

The only engine available in the Sport Wagon is the TSX’s 2.4-liter inline-four, mated exclusively to a five-speed automatic transmission (a six-speed manual is available on the sedan). 201 horsepower is perfectly adequate for the Sport Wagon, but we’re curious as to why Acura felt it necessary to leave the sedan’s 280-hp V6 mill out of the mix. We’ll have the full report of how the TSX Sport Wagon fares out on the road in the coming weeks, so stay tuned.

Gallery: 2011 Acura TSX Sport Wagon

2011 Acura TSX Sport Wagon

[Source: Acura]

2011 Acura TSX Sport Wagon priced from $30,960 originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 07 Dec 2010 15:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2013 Hyundai Elantra Touring going five-door, leaving the wagon train behind

Filed under: Budget, Wagon, Hatchback, Hyundai

2011 Hyundai Elantra

2011 Hyundai Elantra – Click above for high-res image gallery

Fear not, hatchback fans. According to Hyundai CEO John Krafcik, the next-generation Hyundai Elantra Touring will debut in late 2012 as a 2013 model. Krafcik tells Autoblog that while the Elantra sedan is styled specifically for the American market, the Elantra Touring is being penned with European customers in mind. The company sells a long-roof version of the Elantra in the old country under the i30 banner, but from what we understand, American buyers will get a taste of the next-generation vehicle in about two years.

“We launched the Elantra touring a couple of years after we launched the Elantra and we’re going to have the same model cycle for Elantra Touring here,” Krafcik said. “We’re going to get the next-generation i30 here in the U.S. market in a couple of years.”

But don’t expect the vehicle to share too much DNA with the old long-roof Elantra. Krafcik tells AB that the new Touring will be significantly different from the model on sale right now: “It’s a great design. The Elantra Touring design actually came out of our California studio. We’re going to go with the shorter five-door hatchback bodystyle instead of the larger wagon style we have now.”

That means that when it debuts, the 2013 Elantra Touring will be squaring off against the likes 2012 Ford Focus and Mazda3 in a big way. While no one at Hyundai was willing to say exactly how much fuel economy we can plan on seeing from the five-door Elantra, we’d be surprised to see the figures slip much below the 29 mpg city and 40 mpg highway of the sedan.

Gallery: 2011 Hyundai Elantra: First Drive

2011 Hyundai Elantra

2013 Hyundai Elantra Touring going five-door, leaving the wagon train behind originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 06 Dec 2010 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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First Drive: 2011 Cadillac CTS-V Wagon

Filed under: Performance, Wagon, Cadillac, First Drive

Clark Griswold should have waited

2011 Cadillac CTS-V Wagon

2011 Cadillac CTS-V Wagon – Click above for high-res image gallery

Instead of getting suckered into the Wagon Queen Family Truckster, a pea green calamity with excessive wood paneling and eight sealed-beam headlamps, a wiser move for Clark Griswold would have been to hold off until the first wave of high-performance station wagons rolled into showrooms. As it happened, just a few years after Clark traded in his Oldsmobile, sedans like the Volvo 740 and BMW E34 spawned the enthusiast-targeted Volvo 740 Turbo Wagon and BMW M5 Touring. Both five-doors would have given Christy Brinkley a serious run in her red Ferrari 308 GTSi.Those early gussied-up family haulers were the predecessors to the Audi RS6 Avant, Dodge SRT8 Wagon, BMW M5 Touring and Mercedes-Benz E63 Sport Wagon. None were intended to be volume models (in fact, two never made it to the States). Instead, each was fabricated to act as a flagship ambassador, a proof-of-concept to the performance capability of the five-door chassis and to deliver unchallenged bragging rights. Automakers didn’t build fast wagons because they had to – they built them because they could.

Cadillac, a company no longer content with letting others lead segments it once dominated, wanted to get into the frothy action. The luxury automaker felt an obligation to do “the right thing” and push for its own very unique five-door. The vision was clear – Cadillac wanted to build a CTS-V Wagon – and the concept was simple, making it difficult for management to contest (at the time, the organization was functioning inside circled-wagons). Since the platform and powertrain were already in existence, the ceremonial mating would be accomplished at minimal cost and everything could be completed at breakneck speed. Less than one year later, the all-new CTS-V Wagon is here.

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Gallery: 2011 Cadillac CTS-V Wagon: First Drive

2011 Cadillac CTS-V Wagon

Continue reading First Drive: 2011 Cadillac CTS-V Wagon

First Drive: 2011 Cadillac CTS-V Wagon originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 22 Nov 2010 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LA 2010: Nissan unveils fourth generation Quest; swagger-wagon wars heat up

Filed under: LA Auto Show, Minivan/Van, Nissan

2011 Nissan Quest

2011 Nissan Quest – Click above for high-res image gallery

Keeping up with the Joneses is a tough game to play, and Nissan’s third-generation Quest was getting jealous of the new Toyota Sienna and Honda Odyssey. Los Angeles can change you, and that’s why we are staring at the all-new fourth generation 2011 Nissan Quest.

Arriving in dealerships in the beginning of next year, the 2011 Nissan Quest will be offered in four trims: S, SV, SL and LE. All four are powered by a 3.5-liter V6 engine that produces 253 horsepower and 236 pound-feet of torque, and it’s paired with Nissan’s Xtronic CVT unit. Each trim is also fairly well-equipped, with even the base Quest S receiving push-button ignition and a six-disc CD audio system. The top-level Quest LE goes all out with such features as a DVD entertainment system with wireless headphones, a blind-spot warning system and HID headlights.

Besides the tech amenities, the Quest also offers a plethora of what-you-would-expect minivan features. The 2nd and 3rd rows of seating both fold flat to the floor, and a deep rear storage well adds even more cargo space if you are traveling with items other than passengers. See the whole shebang in our high-res image gallery below, and hit the jump for the complete press release.

Gallery: LA 2010: Nissan Quest

Gallery: 2011 Nissan Quest

[Source: Nissan]

Continue reading LA 2010: Nissan unveils fourth generation Quest; swagger-wagon wars heat up

LA 2010: Nissan unveils fourth generation Quest; swagger-wagon wars heat up originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 17 Nov 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: ’76 Mazda pickup is the perfect base for a Radio Flyer wagon. Who knew?

Filed under: Etc., Videos, Mazda, Toys/Games, Humor, Specialty

Radio Flyer pickup

Radio Flyer truck – Click above to watch the video after the jump

If you’ve ever thought about picking up a yellow Hummer and painting the word “Tonka” across the side or building a working replica of your favorite Hot Wheels fantasy car, have we got a story for you. An elderly couple in Alaska has built a jumbo Radio Flyer wagon out of an old truck, and what’s more, they drive it around Anchorage on a regular basis.

The underpinnings were borrowed from a 1976 Mazda pickup which Judy Foster (not to be confused with the Silence of the Lambs star, Jodie) inherited from her father. After they took possession, her husband Fred Keller started an eleven-month project to turn it into an overgrown childhood dream. The result is reportedly fully street legal and gets nothing but smiles wherever it goes. Fred and Judy will just have to watch that eight-foot tall handle clearing any low ceilings in parking garages. Follow the jump to watch the KTUU video segment for yourself.

[Source: KTUU]

Continue reading Video: ’76 Mazda pickup is the perfect base for a Radio Flyer wagon. Who knew?

Video: ’76 Mazda pickup is the perfect base for a Radio Flyer wagon. Who knew? originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 06 Oct 2010 12:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2011 Cadillac CTS-V Wagon priced from $62,990

Filed under: Car Buying, Performance, Wagon, Cadillac, GM

2011 Cadillac CTS-V Sport Wagon

2011 Cadillac CTS-V Sport Wagon – Click above for high-res image gallery

This is sort of like a dream come true. We’re already madly in love with the Cadillac CTS-V in both its sedan and sexy coupe forms, and in just a few months, we’ll have a five-door station wagon version that still packs the V’s 556-horsepower supercharged V8, rear-wheel drive and a proper manual transmission. It’s like General Motors made this one just for us (we aren’t complaining). Want one? $62,990, including destination charges.

So, what does $63K get you other than some family haulin’ lunacy on wheels? Leather, heated seats, navigation, HID headlamps, a premium Bose sound system and Cadillac’s premium care maintenance service for four years or 50,000 miles. Optional goodies include the $3,400 Recaro heated and ventilated front chairs (you want these – trust us), $800 19-inch polished aluminum alloys, $600 for slightly fancier wood trim and $300 for suede on the steering wheel and shifter.

Realistically, you can get a perfect CTS-V Wagon with a six-speed manual and the Recaro seats for $66,390. That, folks, is one heck of a bargain. As great as it is, we’re thinking that GM won’t manage to sell a whole bunch of this very niche product, so we’re thinking it’s an easy pick for a future collectible. Hit the jump to read GM’s official press blast.

Gallery: 2011 Cadillac CTS-V Sport Wagon

2011 Cadillac CTS-V Sport Wagon

[Source: General Motors]

Continue reading 2011 Cadillac CTS-V Wagon priced from $62,990

2011 Cadillac CTS-V Wagon priced from $62,990 originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 05 Oct 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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