Automotif CLI...

This murdered-out Cadillac CTS wagon caught my eye. The market's overall preference for crossover SUVs (aka "station wagons with built-in booster seats") has always struck me as odd. If you were to compare an all-wheel-drive CTS wagon with a car-based ute like the Cadillac SRX, the wagon would give up almost nothing in off-pavement ability to the crossover SUV. The extra couple inches of ground clearance would make a difference in the sort of off-roading that most crossovers never see.

Actually, the CTS/SRX comparison is especially apt since the first-gen SRX was built on the same Sigma  platform/driveline as the contemporary CTS. You got a bit more ground clearance and headroom and better sightlines in exchange for being slower, clumsier, and getting worse gas mileage. I suppose that skidpad numbers aren't important to someone shopping crossover SUVs, but the fact that the SRX was Cadillac's best selling vehicle while the sharp-looking CTS wagon lasted four model years before being discontinued due to lack of interest will always puzzle me.
.