Summary
Anyone who doubts GM can build a good car
should drive a Cadillac CTS. In style, performance and technology,
the Cadillac CTS is an American sports sedan that can go toe-to-toe
with the best the rest of the world has to offer, including the BMW
5 Series, Mercedes-Benz C-Class, Lexus GS, Infiniti G35 and Audi A4.
Available all-wheel drive makes the CTS a good foul weather car. The
new high-performance Cadillac CTS-V can compete with the best
high-performance sports sedans in the world at a much lower cost.
2009 CTS Full Review
Fresh from being completely redesigned and
re-engineered for the 2008 model year, the CTS boasts responsive
handling and excellent high-speed stability, yet it's smooth and
quiet around town or cruising on the highway. The ride quality
strikes a perfect balance between smoothness and handling. The
steering is accurate, with good feel and a nice, weighty demeanor.
The car feels solidly put together and quiet. Inside is an
attractive cabin trimmed with nice materials with an airy, open
feel. Everything is easy to operate. Simply stated, the Cadillac CTS
is a very enjoyable car. The car feels solidly put together and quiet.
Everything is easy to operate. Simply stated, the Cadillac CTS is a
very enjoyable car.
The CTS and CTS-V feature sophisticated
suspension systems developed, among other places, at the
world-famous Nurburgring race track in Germany. The Cadillac CTS
comes with two versions of a 3.6-liter V6 engine, one with
conventional fuel injection rated at 263 horsepower, another with
Direct Injection rated at 304 horsepower. The CTS is available with
a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic.
The CTS uses rear-wheel drive, best for
performance sedans, but it's also available with all-wheel drive.
The CTS-V has a supercharged 6.2-liter V8 that makes 556 horsepower
at 6100 rpm and 551 pound-feet of torque at 3800 rpm; it is
available with either a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic, but
in rear-drive form only. The CTS-V is a genuinely fast car. Cadillac
says the CTS-V is capable of 191 mph and can accelerate from 0-60
mph in 3.9 seconds. We found the CTS-V to be one fast ride at
Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California, nearly as fast as a Sprint
Cup car. It rides on the firmer side, like a European luxury sports
sedan.
Engines and Options
The 2009 Cadillac CTS comes with a 263-hp V6
engine or a 304-hp Direct Injection V6. The automatic transmission
is optional, as is all-wheel drive, and the all-wheel drive is
available only with the automatic.
Standard features include leather seating
surfaces, dual-zone automatic climate control, OnStar with
turn-by-turn navigation, a Bose eight-speaker sound system with CD,
MP3 and auxiliary capability, remote keyless entry and programmable
central locking, power windows with express-up-down on the front and
express-down on the rear, power driver's seat and XM Satellite
Radio.
Options include Premium Luxury Collection with
a pop-up navigation and audio display, a 10-speaker Bose 5.1 sound
system with a 40-gigabyte sound storage system, an iPod interface
that will operate your iPod from the touch screen and display artist
and title information, 10-way heated and cooled leather seats, split
folding rear seats, Ultraview sunroof panel, sapele wood trim,
18-inch alloy wheels, power tilt/telescope steering wheel, remote
starting and keyless entry. The CTS-V features a supercharged V8, a
limited-slip differential, Brembo disc brakes with six-piston front
and four-piston rear calipers, P255/40ZR19 tires in front and
P285/35ZR19 tires in the rear, and 10-spoke alloy wheels measuring
9.0 inches wide in front and 9.5 inches wide in the rear. The CTS-V
also has distinctive exterior details, including a mesh grille and
appropriate badging, to make it stand apart from the normal CTS. The
CTS looks clean, elegant and modern, but the CTS-V, with its few
changes, takes on a more assertive appearance.
Safety features that come standard on all
models include front, side and side-curtain airbags, ABS and
Stabilitrak electronic stability control and traction control.
Optional all-wheel drive improves safety further. The large lighting units at the front and rear
make good use of light-emitting-diode, or LED, technology: lots of
light and lots of style for little electrical load.
The taillights, rear quarter panels and decklid
also fit the Cadillac theme, and below the rear bumper are exposed
dual exhaust tips. The CTS-V is distinguished by functional
features. The power dome hood, distinctive wheel and tire package,
and the bold mesh grille suggest an intent for serious driving. Big
brake ducts help cool the big two-piece Brembo calipers. The CHMSL
center brake light reduces rear lift.
Interior Style
The theme of the CTS interior is black and
brushed metal and chrome. We found the comfortable front bucket
seats held us down and in place behind the wheel, including some
enthusiastic driving on central California's windiest, curviest
roads.
We really appreciated the range of adjustments
offered by the power seats and the power steering column. The
tilt-and-telescope column offers ultimate comfort and proper driving
position. All-in-all, the interior of the CTS is a very nice to sit
and take a drive. It's great to see Cadillac offer such a terrific
interior.
The AM/FM/XM Bose 5.1 sound system with the
40-gigabyte hard-drive, iPod connector and USB port offers the
ultimate in musical enjoyment. Many other luxury cars have systems
that are difficult or fussy to operate.
The CTS-V has a sportier cabin with a steering
wheel with a thicker rim available in suede.
2009 Conclusions
The Cadillac CTS is a responsive sports sedan
with excellent handling and high-speed stability, yet it's smooth
and quiet when cruising.
The CTS comes with two versions of a 3.6-liter
V6 engine, one with conventional fuel injection, rated at 263
horsepower at 6400 rpm and 253 pound-feet of torque at 3100 rpm, and
the second, with Direct Injection, rated at 304 horsepower at 6400
rpm and 273 pound-feet of torque at 5200 rpm. Either is available
with a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission, and
with rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive.
We found we could drive it very hard with the
confidence that we were still well within our driving abilities. The
Cadillac CTS looks great and is relatively roomy inside. "Boiled
down to what matters most to the basic car, the new Lansing,
Michigan-built 2008 Cadillac CTS, with its excellent powertrain,
great handling, substantially improved interior and dramatic new
styling, succeeds on all levels." says Road
and Track. It's got
lots of poke for the performance enthusiast with the more powerful
V6 engine and available all-wheel drive.