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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.And the new high-performance Cadillac CTS-V can compete with the best high-performance sports sedans in the world at a much lower cost. 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 CTS and CTS-V feature sophisticated suspension systems developed, among other places, at the world-famous Nurburgring race track in Germany. Called the Nordschleife, the 14-mile northern loop of what was the old Nurburgring circuit is considered the toughest, most dangerous, most demanding purpose-built race track in the world. A 2009 CTS-V posted what may be the fastest lap at the Nordschleife for a standard production four-door sedan, an impressive feat given the hot rods BMW, Mercedes, Audi and others roll out. To prepare for this lap John Heinricy from GM's performance division simply shifted the automatic transmission into Drive and let it do its thing. 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. Both are smooth and responsive, but the Direct Injection engine offers more power and more response with almost no penalty in fuel economy due to its more efficient fuel management. 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 AWD uses an active transfer case that normally applies 40 percent of the power to the front wheels, 60 percent to the rear, but in slippery conditions can apply all of the torque to either axle. A limited-slip differential is also available. 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.
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