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2008 Cadillac CTS-In the Spotlight!
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TOWERING SUCCESS: Cadillac CTS rises above other sports
sedans with its luxury and technical sophistication
September 27, 2007
BY MARK PHELAN
Courtesy of http://www.Freep.com
The highest compliment I can pay the 2008 Cadillac CTS is that
five minutes behind the wheel
 turned me into as big a jerk as
when I test a new BMW.
The drivers of really good sport sedans aren't really rude,
callous oafs. They just seem that way because their cars are so
much quicker and more responsive than most of what's on the
road.
They accelerate faster, brake later and turn more sharply than
lesser vehicles.
It's like walking alongside a much taller person. They don't
mean to leave you gasping for breath; they just cover more
ground faster than you do.
That's not to say some BMW drivers aren't arrogant twits, but so
are some of the people who drive vastly inferior brands, like
... No, I've made enough enemies for one morning.
The virtually all-new 2008 CTS is a terrific car, an excellent
successor to the very good first-generation CTS that
re-established Cadillac as a luxury brand to be reckoned with.
The 2008 CTS is better looking and much more luxurious and
technically sophisticated than the car it replaces, able to
stand alongside the BMW 3-series as the world's best sports
sedan. In addition to the 3-series, the CTS's prime competition
includes the Audi A4, Infiniti G35, Lexus GS 300 and
Mercedes-Benz C-class.
Prices for the 2008 CTS start at $32,245 for a rear-wheel drive
model with a 263-horsepower 3.6-liter V6 and a six-speed manual
transmission. The least expensive CTS with an automatic
transmission mates that engine to a slick six-speed with a price
starting at $33,545.
Add Cadillac's powerful and fuel-efficient 304-horsepower
version of the same V6 and prices for a rear drive CTS start at
$33,245 with a manual transmission and $34,545 with the
automatic.
All-wheel drive is available with either engine, but not with
the manual transmission. All-wheel drive models get bigger
brakes to deal with their increased weight and a badge
identifying the car as the CTS4.
For this review, I tested very well-equipped versions of the
rear drive and all-wheel drive CTS with the direct-injection
engine and automatic transmission. The rear drive stickered at
$45,545; the CTS4 $47,840. All prices exclude destination
charges.
We're talking real money here, but the CTS is a bargain in its
class. According to Edmunds.com, comparable all-wheel drive
models -- the BMW 335xi, Infiniti M35X and Lexus GS350 AWD --
run from $4,100 to $9,800 more than the CTS.
Only the Audi A4 Quattro, which will be replaced by a new model
next year, came in with a lower sticker price, checking in at
$450 less than a comparably equipped CTS.
It's not just a good value at the dealership, though. The CTS
will save you serious bucks at the pump. It's the only one of
the cars I've mentioned that recommends regular gasoline, so
you'll save about $4.50 every time you fill the tank.
The CTS's EPA fuel economy ratings of 18 m.p.g. in the city and
26 on the highway are as good as or better than the Audi, BMW,
Infiniti and Lexus. An all-new model of the C-class goes on sale
shortly, so EPA fuel economy numbers and detailed pricing
information are not available.
Frugality doesn't sell performance sedans, though; fun and flair
do, and the CTS provides plenty of both.
The direct-injection engine -- the most powerful V6 GM has ever
built -- provides oodles of power across the rev range for
hotshot standing starts, blitzing through traffic and high-speed
highway cruising.
The six-speed automatic delivers smooth, quick shifts. I ended
up using its sport mode all the time, though the normal mode
will probably satisfy most owners. The lack of steering-wheel
mounted paddle shifters was one of the few areas where the CTS
doesn't at least match its competition.
The speed-variable steering consistently provided the right
amount of assist, making parking-lot maneuvers easy and
providing good response at high speeds and dependable on-center
feel in highway cruising.
The large disc brakes stop the CTS confidently. The suspension
clung to the road but also absorbed bumps from rough pavement.
The CTS4's extra 244 pounds impart some noticeable body roll in
tight, fast turns, but the all-wheel drive model was otherwise
just as responsive and enjoyable as the rear drive CTS I tested.
Inside and out, the new car's design is more sophisticated and
luxurious than the first CTS.
The new CTS's body is a graceful contemporary beauty. Every
piece of exterior sheet metal is new, including front fenders
that have some of the trickiest shapes ever executed in steel
and functional air vents that help cool the engine compartment.
Flowing from the CTS's luscious curving wheel wells into
multiple sharp creases, indentations and more curves around the
vents, the front fenders are the most complicated metal stamping
GM has ever produced.
Think about that. We're talking about the company that invented
the tailfin and built the 1959 Cadillac Eldorado, and GM has
just topped that masterpiece of metal bending.
The car's front and rear tracks are about two inches wider, and
the flared fenders enclosing the pushed-out wheels contribute to
the CTS's sure-footed look.
The interior replaces the hard plastic that marred the first CTS
with hand-cut and -sewn soft-touch materials and a creative
design that puts elegant and simple controls within easy reach.
The interior includes a few small snafus, though. The gaps
around the glove box door are larger than they should be, the
plastic cover for the front-seat cupholders feels flimsy and the
steering wheel blocks one of the vents, reducing the air
conditioning's effectiveness on hot days.
Interior room is good, with plenty of front head, leg and
shoulder room. The rear seat is far more accommodating than in
the 3-series and A4, but smaller than the GS 350 or M35.
The CTS's safety equipment includes standard antilock brakes,
stability control, front-seat side and curtain air bags.
Add advanced features like a hard drive to store music and
navigation information and the best real-time traffic
information system of any car I've tested, and the CTS is second
to none in the speedy world of sports sedans.
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