High-performance wagons are rare sight in crossover loving America as choices are pretty much limited to the Mercedes-AMG E63 S and the Porsche Panamera Turbo Sport Turismo.
That wasn’t always the case as Cadillac, of all brands, used to offer a CTS-V Sport Wagon. Unveiled at the 2010 New York Auto Show, the hotted-up wagon featured a supercharged 6.2-liter V8 engine that produced 556 hp (414 kW / 563 PS) and 551 lb-ft (746 Nm) of torque.
It had the difficult challenge of battling the Mercedes E63 AMG which had a twin-turbo 5.5-liter V8 with 550 hp (410 kW / 557 PS) and 590 lb-ft (799 Nm) of torque. While those figures are similar to the numbers generated by the Cadillac, the CTS-V was lighter and available with a six-speed manual transmission. The domestic wagon also had a nearly $30,000 lower base price.
If you’ve ever thought about picking one up one of the wagons second hand, you’ll definitely want to check out Motor Trend’s latest Head 2 Head episode which pits a 2011 CTS-V Wagon against a 2012 E63 AMG. While the Cadillac is billed as a slightly better driver’s car, it’s no match for the sheer performance of the AMG.
The wagon-centric episode also takes a look at a handful of other models including the 2014 Mercedes E63 S 4MATIC which rockets from 0-60 mph (0-96 km/h) in just 3.4 seconds. Fans old older wagons can look forward to an appearance by the Icon Derelict which is a 1952 Chrysler Town and Country wagon with a Desoto front end. While the model doesn’t look like much from the outside, it has a 6.1-liter HEMI V8 engine from a Charger SRT8.