Cadillac Remains King
Don's Take
Don Adair
Marketing Department Columnist
Now would be good a time to beg off the comparisons between Cadillac's CTS and its import competitors.
Time to judge the CTS on its own abundant merits.
The second-generation, 2008 CTS improves its game in every conceivable way. A newfound maturity is evident in softer, more elegant exterior lines and in a beautifully crafted interior.
Such subtle touches as the French stitching that joins the simulated-leather panels covering the dash show a sensitivity to the delights of a quiet, yet upscale, aesthetic. A unique pop-up nav panel shows Cadillac can still innovate.
And the adoption of Audi's Direct Injection system illustrates its ability to borrow from the world's best.
Aiming High
During the development of the original CTS, Cadillac openly acknowledged targeting BMW's 3 Series.
Calling out the best may have created unrealistic expectations, but it's best to aim high. Besides, the company seems to have done something more important than overtaking the Germans; it has created the first truly American sport sedan.
From the outside, there's no ignoring the bold design Cadillac design motif. The more extreme elements of the original design have been toned down, though, rendering the new CTS warmer and more approachable.
Even so, the controversial "Art & Science" look holds forth. The headlamp ports are crisp and sharply angled and flank a huge grille with a V-shaped bottom.
A strong shoulder line runs the length of the car. Unornamented body panels culminate in massive rear quarter-panels. The design of the front fenders appears simple but is so complex that Cadillac redesigned its production process to build them.
Sets of thin, vertical "light pipes" surround the head- and taillamps, creating a distinctive lighted border.
Beautiful Cabin
Equivalent care went into interior design. The inviting cabin outshines everything in the class but Audi's A4 and A6. The cabin is the roomiest in the class - size-wise, the CTS lands somewhere between the 3 and 5 Series Bimmers - materials appear to be of the highest quality and fit-and-finish is outstanding.
The wood-and-alloy trim bits are dressy without being stuffy. Rear-seat passengers enjoy an additional inch of legroom, courtesy of the redesigned front seats.
The navigation screen is the cabin's piece d' resistance. Touch a button and it pops up from a slot in the center of the dashboard. Others do the same but Cadillac's design excels; even in its down position, a thin band containing audio and climate control information remains visible.
Watch for others to follow suit.
An optional 40-gigabyte hard drive will record from the radio, like a digital recording television unit. You can store up to an hour's worth of programming and pause, rewind or fast-forward through the content. It will record the contents of a CD while playing back another source. A USB port allows you to load music directly onto the drive and the iPod connection allows you to control the device through the audio system interface.
Five years ago, an interior this good from GM would have been inconceivable.
Well-tuned Chassis
The CTS chassis and three suspension settings - one standard and two optional - were tuned on Germany's famed Nurburgring race circuit. None is as crisp or firm as a Bimmer's but all are competent. They are sufficiently well damped to control most unwanted body motion, but pushed hard into a fast corner allow body roll.
Our tester included the midlevel - FE2 - setup, which produced a moderately firm ride that was ideal for Spokane's raggedy road surfaces.
The track of the '08 CTS is 2 inches wider than before, helping plant the Caddy, and a new strut-tower brace adds rigidity.
All CTS trim levels get a new ZF steering system, which seems tuned for domestic tastes - i.e., it has a lighter heft than the import competitors. Otherwise, it exhibits fine on-center feel and is more precise than the previous system.
Power Source
The base CTS engine is a 3.6-liter V-6 that makes 258 horsepower; the up-level 3.6-liter V-6 used direct-injection technology and is rated at 304 hp.
Both engines are available with either a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission. All-wheel-drive is available only with the less powerful engine and with the automatic.
The CTS weighs about 300 pounds more than the competition and the 0-60 sprint requires a fairly leisurely 6.5 seconds. The broad, flat torque curve provides good power across a wide range of engine speeds and the automatic transmission does a good job of keeping it in the sweet spot.
We wonder, though, why Cadillac didn't equip the CTS with paddle-shifters for the automatic's manual-shift mode - and why it located the manual-shift gate on the passenger side of the transmission. Little things, but they do matter.
In the end, it may sound contradictory, but Cadillac has made a better car of the CTS by redefining its target. It's not the world's best sport sedan, but it is the best domestic sport sedan and is ideally suited for the best and worst American roads - and drivers - can throw its way.
It is another sign of life at GM.
