While today’s Nice Price or No Dice CTS wagon may appear to be the high-performance V, it isn’t burdened by such pesky annoyances as massive power or intoxicating exhaust notes. Let’s see if this poseur is priced to make us overlook its pretentiousness.
We were undoubtedly sad to learn that yesterday’s 2013 Smart ForTwo Brabus city car was not offered with a surfeit of extra-fancy clowns to tumble humorously out of it at any given moment. The Smart’s $9,800 asking price proved an even greater disappointment, with many of you feeling it unbefitting of even a Brabus-imbued edition of the car. That translated into an overwhelming 80 percent No Dice loss.
Halloween is a full nine months and change away, but, as we all know, it’s never too early to start thinking about your spooky season’s celebratory costume. The 2010 Cadillac Sport Wagon we’re looking at today already has its costume figured out: year-round, it’s dressed up as a CTS-V. That may not mean it has the goods under the hood, but that hood, the deeper front bumper, alloy wheels, and the Brembo brakes behind those wheels offer the illusion of a hairy chested mill beating beneath.
Instead of the 6.2-liter supercharged LSA V8, this wannabe-a-V is powered by the standard car’s 3.6-liter LLT V6. That makes 302 horsepower and 273 lb-ft of torque, numbers that will immediately drop the charade that this is a real, 556-horse, 551 lb-ft titty-twister of a blown V8.
Careful observers will also call out this being a 2010 model as evidence of its ruse, noting that the official V edition of the Sport Wagon didn’t arrive until the following model year.
But who cares? As Billy Crystal’s hilarious SNL character, Fernando Lamas, espoused, it’s better to look good than to feel good, and this CTS Sport wagon looks marvelous.
The black paint appears to be holding up nicely and pairs well with the color-matched wheels and grille. It’s not been totally murdered out, though, as it still maintains a modicum of brightwork. As an added incentive here, the rubber is all new and is tucked into the arches by way of a lowered coil-over suspension.
There’s more to like in the cabin. That’s where we find V-badged front buckets and leather seating surfaces both front and rear. Yes, these cars use the execrable Cue infotainment system, but that’s the fault of Cadillac, not the car. Nothing here appears excessively worn or in need of repair, and as a wagon, it has a surprisingly high utility quotient, too. Who’s up for some antiquing?
The mileage is a modest 72,000, and the car comes with an accident-free history and a clean title. For those indecisive types, per the ad, it could also come with all the original parts save for the wheels. The asking price is $18,500.
What’s your take on this cloned Caddy that doesn’t extend its fraud to the under-hood goods? Does that $18,500 asking seem fair for a car that’s putting on airs? Or is that too much for something that can’t match its looks with its performance?
You decide!
Long Beach, California, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
H/T to Jim Ling for the hookup!
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