Even if you're getting old, the Cadillac CTS-V will make you feel young
The Caddy landed in my driveway at BI car-test HQ on the rainy days before the end of 2015. The "Red Obsession" paint job brightened things up considerably.
I know the CTS-V doesn't look anything like its ferocious General Motors stablemate, the mighty Corvette Z06 supercar, which serves up 650 horsepower and 650 pound-feet of torque from the most powerful engine GM has ever built.
But the Cadillac actually has ... THE SAME ENGINE as the Vette, a 6.2-liter supercharged widowmaker. It's just been toned down to crank out a mere 640 hp.
It's a monster motor, but it appears rather compact under the CTS-V's hood.
The "V" cars are Caddy's answer to high-performance versions of European sports sedans: BMW's M Sports, Mercedes AMGs, and Audi RS. Our well-equipped test car was priced at about $92,000, which is around $10,000 over the base price.
Cadillac's styling for these cars is abundantly aggressive. Jutting angles, razored cut-ins, bold scoops, and slick aerodynamics define the attitude.
In fact, the legendary Cadillac shield is one of the few nods to tradition on the CTS-V. But even here, the famous wreath has been removed, leaving only an abstracted shield to anchor that snarling black grille. A Fleetwood Brougham freeway cruiser this most assuredly is not.
Michael Bay would groove on these headlights.
And any fan of arrogant, hot-rodding American muscle will dig this slatted hood scoop. That hood, by the way, is made of lightweight carbon fiber.
The theme is echoed closer to the ground. And yes, there's barely room for a rattlesnake on the Zone diet to wriggle under that strip of wind-cheating technology. All this ventilation is functional, according the Caddy: it assists in cooling the engine for better track performance.
The "V" badging shows up here and there ...
And the at-times yowling exhaust note is piped through a quartet of these babies.
Overall, the CTS-V is a very successful translation of the Corvette Z06 into a rear-wheel-drive sports sedan — with 4 doors, a comfortable back seat, and ...
... a nice, big trunk that makes the CTS-V a far better choice for grocery runs than its supercar brother.
But just because the CTS-V has 10 fewer horses under the hood than the Vette and is versatile enough to satisfy mundane suburban requirements for gathering provisions, that doesn't mean it lacks angry bones beneath its shimmering chassis. This innocuous little button ...
... enables the driver to access one of several driving modes, which can be tweaked in various ways. The appearance of the digital display changes slightly for each one. This is what you see when you're in poke-around-town mode.
This is Sport mode. A little green checkered-flag icon has appeared, and the tachometer has turned white.
And here's Track mode (Caddy bills the CTS-V as track-ready). The green icon has transformed into a tiny oval. Those paddle shifters behind the steering wheel can be used to operate the CTS-V in automanual, which particularly in Track mode, enables you to make that big supercharged engine growl like Jimmy Page's Les Paul on "Whole Lotta Love."
It's all tamed by an impeccable 8-speed transmission.
Driving the car is absolutely glorious. The Z06 requires constant attention, as I found out when I sampled it last year. The CTS-V by contrast is an insane beast when you want it be, possessed of Earth-splitting violence delivered via a 0-to-60 time of 3.6 seconds. For a car that you can drive your family in, as I did, to Christmas dinner!
Hulking Brembo brakes keep all that velocity under control. Of course, you do have to be careful about potholes and speedbumps with that kind of minimal ground clearance.
The CTS-V can also be a perfectly docile roadway companion, when the claws are retracted. I wound up driving the Caddy on some of the same routes as the Z06, and the CTS-V was a far mellower instrument. Particularly when, for example, I was stuck in traffic on the George Washington Bridge. But you're aren't going to get Prius-like MPGs from a 640hp V8. The CTS-V manages 17, combined.
The Vette wants you to play AC/DC's "Thunderstruck" and play it at Norse warrior demigod volumes, while this is more the CTS-V's speed.
The cabin is soothing while also being sophisticated and sporty.
The Recaro seats provide exactly the right amount of support for enthusiastic driving, without being to stiffly mannered for a daily commute ...
... and they're heated, as well as ventilated.
You've got the obligatory carbon-fiber highlights.
Compartments that slide open to reveal ...
... cupholders!
A concealed inductive-charging system for mobile devices.
Plus a branded cloth to polish everything.
As with most GM vehicles, the CTS-V is enabled for CarPlay or Android Auto, and the infotainment system is solid — made that much better through the addition of 4G LTE Wi-Fi connectivity. Cadillac also offers a performance data recorder that allows you to record and later study your driving.
But you also have OnStar. A press of the blue button connects you with a human operator who can assist with navigation and various other vehicle functions.
Audio gets piped mellifluously through a 13-speaker Bose audio system. It's a very solid performer, doing what Bose audio does best: provide you with access to a wide range of dynamic sounds, without ever making you feel overloaded on thumping bass. Everything from Bach to Bachman Turner Overdrive is terrific.
Cadillac has been working on taking it to BMW's M cars for some time now, and with the CTS-V ... well, it may have taken it PAST the Ms, The CTS-V bears no resemblance to the Caddys of the Carter and Reagan administrations, and it has grabbed the sports sedan concept and pushed it into brave new territory. You can now have your midlife crisis without actually embarrassing yourself. Not one bit.
Popular Right Now
Advertisement