Driving Impressions

The Cadillac CTS is a responsive sports sedan with excellent handling and high-speed stability, yet it's smooth and quiet when cruising. Both V6 engines have dohc, variable valve timing and direct injection. As a result, they are both responsive and lively. The 3.0-liter, with its 270 horsepower, is a very good standard engine, although it doesn't match the power and torque of the 3.6-liter V6. The Direct Injection gives each engine extremely good throttle response, and also enhances fuel economy and emissions. Somewhat surprisingly, there is little or no penalty in fuel economy with the larger engine, so, if the additional expense is not an issue, we have to recommend it. With its 304 horsepower it feels ready to go out and play anytime you want, delivering a really solid combination of power, torque and assertive sound whenever the throttle is opened all the way up. The six-speed automatic is very quick and positive to shift manually, up or down, with a little bit of throttle blip on the downshifts to keep the drivetrain happy and to keep the tires from skipping and chirping. The six-speed manual offers an easy clutch and requires only a light touch on the shift lever to change gears; it is surprisingly good. The choice comes down to your preference. We liked both of them. The steering is sweet to drive, very accurate, with good feel and a nice, weighty demeanor. The steering system uses a forward-mounted power rack-and-pinion that pulls, rather than pushes, the steering arms. (It pulls on the steering arm of that front tire which will be on the outside in the turn, so in a right-hand turn it is pulling on the left-side steering arm, placing that side in tension rather than compression.) All-wheel drive is optional on the CTS. We found it makes the car feel very stable and adds to driver confidence on winding roads. We recommend getting if wintry weather or big rain are part of the seasonal picture. The brakes are excellent, equipped with ABS and Electronic Brake-force Distribution. They provide very good stopping power, even for a car that tips the scales at well over two tons. For all its steering, cornering and handling prowess, the CTS doesn't seem to exact any penalties in quietness or harshness over the road, an impressive combination. It feels very solidly put together. It's quiet inside in all modes other than wide-open throttle. Its 17-inch high-performance tires seem to assist it with this balance. Driving the CTS-V is a completely different experience from that of the CTS. It's not a lightweight at well over 4000 pounds, but with 556 horsepower and 551 pound-feet of torque, it delivers stellar performance. Yet, it's perfectly capable of idling around town. The clutch is light, the shifter feels just about perfect, the seats are comfortable and, the CTS-V can mosey down to the grocery store just fine. It's fairly quiet underway, and the ride is not harsh. On the road, we found the CTS-V idled smoothly and quietly but responded to throttle inputs unlike any other Cadillac. Big torque, big power, right now. The huge tires didn't make very much road noise, but they did provide the kind of cornering we're not used to in a fully equipped, 4300-pound luxury sedan. In combination with those instant-acting shock absorbers and the big tires, the CTS-V felt like a German-style sports sedan, with quick steering and deft handling on the country roads, a smooth ride, and massively powerful brakes. On the track, we found the CTS-V to be a rocket, fast and predictable. We were quickly able to drive it very hard while still well within our driving abilities. It is a car that inspires confidence. The CTS-V is a superb car, capable of running against the best sedans from Germany and Japan.

Final Word

The Cadillac CTS looks great and is relatively roomy inside. It's got lots of go for the performance enthusiast. And all-wheel drive is available for wintry climates. For those who don't need or want the extra stuff, there's lots of style with the standard V6 and rear-wheel drive. But we recommend checking the box for the all-wheel-drive system regardless of where you live because it adds so much more to the safety margin and it's more fun to drive, even if the car is heavier for it. We could find ourselves infatuated with the awesomely impressive CTS-V but, in actuality, we could be perfectly happy with the CTS and its optional 304-hp Direct Injection 3.6-liter V6. NewCarTestDrive.com correspondent Jim McCraw test drove the CTS in Northern California and the CTS-V near White Plains, New York; with Mitch McCullough reporting on the CTS-V from Infineon Raceway at Sonoma, California.