Review of the new Cadillac BLS Wagon

Like the Saab 9-3 Sportwagon but want something with an edgier appeal? You probably haven't considered the Cadillac BLS Wagon but it's built on the same underpinnings and, as such, is a solid choice. Forget about the usual Yank stereotypes - this one has been fast tracked right up to the Euro class best.

You could choose to see Cadillac's BLS as a very smart piece of product development. Rather than plough enormous amounts of money into a model that, despite Cadillac's boldest projections, will always be a niche player in European markets, the BLS could only be realised on the basis of shared costs. Hence the 'Epsilon' platform it shares with Vauxhall's Signum and Saab's 9-3. As long as the fundamentals are right, and there's a decent amount of scope for each manufacturer to put their personal stamp on the cars, as is the case here, then the formula's a winner. Especially in estate 'Wagon' guise.

The engineering underneath the car is tried and tested GM fare. That means that you'll get a front-wheel-drive chassis with a choice of either 175bhp or 210bhp 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo models or a 2.8-litre V6 turbo that punches out a hefty 255bhp. There's even a 2.0-litre petrol 200bhp Flexpower version that can run on bioethanol E85. The diesel range is served by a 1.9-litre direct injection turbodiesel engine that's good for either 150 or 180bhp, a first for Cadillac. Even the 150bhp version will notch off the sprint to 60mph in just 9.3 seconds but the in-gear acceleration times that really indicate a diesel engine's torque response have been slashed dramatically.

The 1.9-litre TiD's powertrain includes the most advanced diesel particulate filter on the market, enabling Euro IV emissions compliance - an essential requirement for many company car drivers. Unlike other particulate traps, it is maintenance-free and self-cleaning, requiring no additives or periodic replacement. In order to clean the filter and to keep the exhaust flow as free as possible, these deposits are periodically burnt off by short pulses of over-fuelling. These briefly raise exhaust temperatures to the required level of 600º C. The process is automatically initiated when back pressure in the exhaust system reaches a certain level and is completely undetectable by the driver. The self-cleaning process takes place whenever necessary, irrespective of throttle load or engine temperature.

"The whole team was very excited to apply Cadillac's design language to a wagon for the first time," noted a Cadillac vice president at this car's launch. "The V-shaped chrome-plated grille, a Cadillac hallmark, is picked up again by the shape of the rear window, and the body side character lines make it unmistakably a Cadillac." Unlike many vehicles that campaign in this class, the Caddy offers some serious carrying capacity. There's 419 litres available with the rear seats in place and a whopping 1,273 litres with the seats folded down. There's often a disappointing sensation of getting into a cheap hire car at LAX whenever we sit in an American import but the BLS offers a clean if not adventurously-styled fascia.

Cadillac may have a long and illustrious history but you'll search in vain for an estate car in all its 104 years of vehicle production. Good job the company has been eased in gently then. The BLS Wagon is a very tidy piece of styling with the trademark origami Cadillac edges at the front, and a neatly integrated estate glasshouse at the rear. Vertical tail lamps, alloy roof bars and a high mounted stop lamp positioned in the rear spoiler are all sharp design touches.

"The whole team was very excited to apply Cadillac's design language to a wagon for the first time," noted a Cadillac vice president at this car's launch. "The V-shaped chrome-plated grille, a Cadillac hallmark, is picked up again by the shape of the rear window, and the body side character lines make it unmistakably a Cadillac." Unlike many vehicles that campaign in this class, the Caddy offers some serious carrying capacity. There's 419 litres available with the rear seats in place and a whopping 1,273 litres with the seats folded down. There's often a disappointing sensation of getting into a cheap hire car at LAX whenever we sit in an American import but the BLS offers a clean if not adventurously-styled fascia.

Every BLS, both Wagon and Saloon, now comes in a single 'Elegance' trim level with premium equipment such as leather trim, powered and heated front seats, a BOSE Surround Sound 11-speaker audio system, DVD sat-nav, hands-free Bluetooth phone system, dual zone climate control, cruise control, park distance sensors and StabiliTrak electronic dynamic stability control. Prices start from £21,495.

The Cadillac BLS shouldn't be hugely expensive to run, especially if you opt for the turbodiesel variant which can average 48mpg and doesn't do too badly on carbon dioxide emissions either. Naturally, if you go for the more powerful petrol engines, you're going to run up bigger bills but the 2.0-litre turbo powerplants are very efficient.

Cadillac's concern will be that the BLS Wagon will merely cannibalise sales from its GM stablemate, Saab. It's a possibility but the sort of customer who buys a Saab is not quite such an extrovert as the sample BLS buyer. If you like the edgy, radical styling of the Cadillac, you'll likely be younger than the typical Saab demographic. You might have been thinking about buying a BMW 3 Series but were put off by the conservative styling or maybe the Audi A4 appealed but you could only afford the entry level car with almost no equipment to speak of. If you're that person, here's why this sharply-styled estate might have your name on it.

The Cadillac BLS Wagon is an interesting addition to the massed ranks of small, premium estate cars. This sector has mushroomed in recent years with a market demographic that's often younger than the hatch and saloon models upon which these part-time load luggers are based. The lifestyle aspect of this sector plays well with Cadillac's image conscious branding and we confidently predict the BLS Wagon to outsell its saloon sibling.

Cleanly-styled, practical and with an element of the unusual about it without the financial penalty that usually accompanies such choices, the BLS Wagon is a refreshing change to the usual suspects. Although the turbo diesel model stretches the branding to the limit, it's nevertheless the pick of the bunch and a car that can give the entry-level diesels from Audi and BMW something to contend with. They'll be hard pushed to offer anything like the value proposition of this curiously attractive US/Euro amalgam.

TOP 5 BLS DEALS

The results below show the top BLS deals on buyacar

Cadillac BLS 1.9D Elegance 4dr Auto Diesel Saloon
Price £25,085 Read BLS Reviews	Save
Cadillac BLS 2.0T Elegance [210] 4dr Saloon
Price £24,323 Read BLS Reviews	Save
Cadillac BLS 1.9D Elegance [180] 5dr Auto Diesel Wagon
Price £27,141 Read BLS Reviews	Save
Cadillac BLS 2.0T Elegance [210] 4dr Auto Saloon
Price £25,732 Read BLS Reviews	Save
Cadillac BLS 1.9D Elegance 4dr Diesel Saloon
Price £23,474 Read BLS Reviews	Save
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