Award-winning CTS takes Cadillac to another level
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The Cadillac CTS was just named Motor Trend's Car of the Year. -
Materials are first-rate inside the CTS.
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Your mother might have told you that first impressions aren't always right.
But that sure isn't true about Cadillac's sensational CTS.
I drove the all-new CTS about a month ago as part of a round of "ride-and-drive" events that manufacturers schedule for auto writers. We get to drive the cars for a few hours and listen to some technical experts talk about them.
I came away feeling enthusiastic about the CTS, but I wanted to wait until I had driven one for about a week. I've learned the hard way with other cars that a few hours isn't nearly enough time to form a reasonable impression.
But I'm happy to say that my early positive reactions were right on the money. The CTS, which was just named Motor Trend's Car of the Year, is fabulous.
Whether it is styling, braking, handling, appointments or overall performance, this CTS truly is a world-class car, and Cadillac is right there in the thick of things, no longer an "also ran."
Let's talk first about styling.
The CTS has the right amount of stateliness mixed in with just enough aggression and edginess to keep things interesting and to distinguish it from the formulaic designs that tend to dominate the entry-level luxury field. This car has heft, clout and presence galore.
The grille is in your face, an outrageously beautiful adaptation of the beloved Cadillac Sixteen show car of a couple of years ago.
Interesting elements abound on the CTS, inside and out. How about that precision-cut, razor sharp chrome air extractor that joins neatly with the front door and window frame? Even Porsche officials who saw it at an auto show were astounded that it worked out as well as it did without a hitch in installation.
The long, vertical, pencil-thin taillights in the back have been a styling highlight for Cadillac ever since 1967 with the first front-wheel-drive Eldorado. They also harken back to the day when Cadillac's outrageous tail fins were capped by long, narrow lights.
Inside, one of Cadillac's most famous advertising symbols, the "vee" crest under the emblem that always dominated the illustrations, can be seen in the CTS, but it's discreet, never intrusive.
For instance, a hint of the Cadillac "vee" can be seen in the seams on the seat bottoms. It can be seen in the way the angles join together on the center stack and console, and in the way that the air vents on the two sides of the center stack, when seen together, seem to form a V. And of course, there's the tasteful chrome "vee" emblem that graces the front seat bolsters.
Inside, materials are first-rate, and the intricate stitching, precise fits and seamless joining of interior elements are evident.
But it's the driving that will convince you that Cadillac is serious about its quest to become one of the best makes in the world.
While the base suspension feels a bit on the soft side at times, the FE2 suspension that was installed on my car hit the spot. There was no bounciness or wallowing, the suspension had nice return action whenever I hit potholes or bad roads, and the ride was well-controlled. Cornering was flat, braking was nearly as good as the best Japanese and European cars, and I never had any concerns abut this car having enough power.
Prices for the new model start at $32,990. My test model had a base of $34,545, and with options, the price reached $43,330. CTS has three major option packages called "collections" that include one for luxury, one for performance and one premium.
Power comes from a standard 3.6-liter, 263-horsepower V-6, and a 3.6-liter, direct-injection, 304-horsepower V-6 option, which was installed in my car. EPA fuel-mileage estimates for the larger engine are 17/26. Both engines are engaging and robust, but the biggest thrills come when you put the transmission into "sport" mode and let it work through the gears more vigorously.
The CTS engine makes all the right aggressive, rich sounds from the polished aluminum exhaust tips, and the car snakes through curves and around corners like a bobsled, sticking resolutely to the road.
The new CTS also features a 40-gigabyte hard drive system that can store audio tracks ripped from CDs or flash drives, along with a "time shift" feature that can pause and replay live radio content. The new navigation system features 3-D mapping of major U.S. markets and real-time weather and traffic reports.
The CTS also has the high-intensity discharge headlamps with adaptive forward lighting that turn as you drive around curves and corners. Keyless access and standard traction and stability control complete the picture.
I was pleased by the extremely tight fit and finish inside. And the complexity of the shapes, lines and angles to the dash and accompanying door panels made for a nicely integrated finish.
The car industry is not unlike other fields, in that once a trend becomes hot, others jump on it. This year's trend is ambient "mood" lighting, and you'll find a lovely halo of light around the dashboard in the CTS and on portions of the door panels, along with the floor wells.
Flaws? I didn't come across any, although some have said the base suspension is too soft. Other than that, the CTS is more than ready for prime time.
First Published November 21, 2007 6:12 pm
