2009 Cadillac CTS

Earlier posts have gone over General Motors (GM) financial problems....and a number of my recent posts cover some the of the best cars that GM manufacturers. Today, I would like to bring you the best production sedan that GM manufacturers for the North American market....the Cadillac CTS.

As I have outlined in a previous post the CTS has chosen by Car And Driver as one of their 10 Best for both 2008 and 2009. Cadillac has not been on the 10 Best List since the Seville won in 1992. See the complete list at Car and Driver 10 Best List.

The CTS is the first Cadillac, in recent memory, to have good driving dynamics, an upscale interior. It also offers edgy styling, a refined driving experience and offers a manual for automotive enthusiasts.

Three engines are offered in the CTS....the base engine is a 3.6 liter DOHC V-6 with 263 hp and 253 lb-ft of torque. An optional direct-fuel-injection version of the 3.6-liter V-6 that generates 304 hp. All engines have h V-6s come with a six-speed automatic or a six-speed manual. The base 3.6 liter engine was only 0.4 second slower in 0-60 mpg acceleration....something most buyers will never notice.

On the tech side, the CTS has a voice activated infotainment package featuring intelligent iPod® integration, 40 GB hard drive and an advanced hard-disk navigation system.

The pick of the liter is the CTS-V. This is a SUPER SEDAN! This car is a very refined and extremely capable sedan, handles extremely well, and brakes well.

The CTS-V’s supercharged 6.2-litre V8 engine delivers a heart pounding zero to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds and on to 191 mph where legal and 175 mph for the automatic transmission. These outstanding performance figures enabled the CTS-V to claim the unofficial lap record for a production car (7 mins 59.32 secs) around the Nürburgring’s legendary Nordschleife circuit in October 2008. Click here to see a video of a CTS-V in action, also note the exhaust note - it is even better in person.

The Cadillac CTS-V is fitted with the latest generation of the world’s fastest-reacting suspension technology, Magnetic Ride Control (MRC), which uses shock absorbers controlled by electro-magnets, rather than mechanical valves, accelerating response time. The CTS-V is also equipped with powerful Brembo brakes which account for the excellent stopping distances. These features, along with four-channel ABS, hydraulic brake assist and dynamic rear brake proportioning, ensure that the immense power is kept safely under control.

It’s not all about performance however, as the Cadillac boasts a range of luxury features fitted as standard including new, 14-way adjustable Recaro® performance driving seats, ‘hand cut-and-sewn’ double stitched leather and sueded material, and a high-gloss black Obsidian surface finish. The CTS-V is currently available in left-hand drive only and priced from at $59,995 in the US and in England £56,495 on-the-road (£58,995 for the automatic transmission model).

Summary:

These are the kind of cars that GM should have been building for years. Actually, I could not believe I was driving a Cadillac! I had to take a look at the crest on the steering wheel a couple of times. The standard CTS is well composed, quiet and sophisticated. The CTS-V is a beast that can only be described as an incredible machine.

It appears that GM has transferred its engineers from any of the advanced vehicles like the CTS-V to other duties. It is highly probably that they will quit manufacturing the CTS-V after this production run.