Doubts surrounding Cadillac’s ability to compete on the first landing of the premium sedan staircase were convincingly dispatched with the introduction of the CTS sedan back in 2003. This car was a rear-wheel drive gem. It rode nicely, handled well and offered a series of capable V-6 engines. Sports sedan fanatics could even opt for a manual transmission.
For those who found even the largest V-6 engine insufficient, Cadillac, in later years, offered the CTS-V version of this car, which came with a Corvette-sourced V-8, six-speed manual gearbox, hardcore sports suspension system and a brash and somewhat boisterous attitude. It has to be considered the best domestically produced sports sedan offered at the time.
If this first generation CTS had any weakness, it was to be found in the interior, which was graced with an inordinate amount of hard-to-the-touch and cheap-to-the-eye plastic pieces.
For 2008, Cadillac has completely redesigned the CTS. Styling remains true to the themes displayed in the original, but has become bolder and sleeker with nicer proportions. More importantly, Cadillac has improving in areas where the previous CTS was pretty good and it has made significant advancements in areas that really needed attention. In other words, the interior.
Under the hood, Cadillac has settled on offering two versions of its 3.6-liter V-6 engine. Gone are the 2.8-liter V-6 in the base version and the 6.0-liter V-8. This means that the CTS-V model is on hold, at least for now.
As for the 3.6-liter engines offered on the 2008 version of the car, Cadillac is giving buyers a choice of fuel systems. The less costly version features standard fuel injection and delivers 263 horsepower. For $1,000 more, Cadillac provides a direct fuel injection version of this engine that delivers 304 horsepower. Interestingly, EPA estimates for the two engines are nearly identical. Only the city rating in cars with the automatic transmission shows a difference when direct injection with its 41 extra horsepower is specified and here it is only a loss of one mile per gallon. Consider the direct injection model to offer free power and one more advantage: Premium fuel is recommended for the base engine. With the direct injection system, regular gas works just fine. Cadillac loaned us a direct injection model for this review.
Our review car’s styling generated immediate positive responses from a wide range of onlookers, included many people who had purchased competing vehicles. One gave a thumbs-up positive assessment of the CTS. Others spoke favorably about its styling. Consider that a plus.
Everybody who rode in the car had positive things to say about the significantly upgraded interior. Here, Cadillac has combined good design with quality materials and, in our review car, careful assembly, to create an inviting, visually appealing environment. While there are still some hard plastic surfaces, soft touch materials are placed where they will do the most good while even the surfaces that turn out to be hard to the touch are now very easy on the eye.
While on the subject of the interior, front seat comfort is very good. The power driver’s seat offers a very wide range of adjustment, especially for height. Combined with the standard tilt and telescoping steering wheel, our review car had optional power adjustment for this feature, it is hard to imagine a driver who could not find a comfortable position.
In the back seat, taller adults will feel cramped. The optional sunroof diminishes head room, which the six-foot-plus crowd will find in short supply anyway and, when the front seats are moved back, rear leg and knee room are not overwhelming for taller passengers. That said, average size adults should fit and will find the cushioning comfortable. The trunk is reasonably large, the trunk lid opening is a little small. A large picnic cooler would not fit through the opening. A split and folding rear seat is an option. It folds flat to expand cargo capacity.
The direct injected 3.6-liter V-6 in our review car turned in a spirited performance, aided by the very smooth shifting six-speed automatic transmission. A six-speed manual is standard equipment with the base engine with the automatic a $1,300 option. Buy the direct injection motor, however, and the automatic transmission is built into the price, though the manual can be specified with the more powerful engine. Doing so not only delivers the pleasures of shift-for-yourself motoring, It will also save the buyer $1,300.
The direct injected engine is eager, with excellent throttle response and a refined but sporty exhaust snarl on full throttle acceleration. Our review car hustled to 60 miles per hour in 6.4 seconds.
Cadillac makes three suspension systems for the CTS. Our car had the middle upgrade, which produced a firm but still comfortable ride and crisp handling. Steering response was good, with a linear increase in effort as turns tightened. There were times, however, when the steering seemed artificially heavy and its feel was somewhat distant, though this was not really a problem.
In turns, the CTS delivered a stellar performance. It was nicely balanced with minimal lean. Turn-in was crisp and predictable and the tires, 50-series 18-inchers, provided excellent grip. Braking was also good, with a stop from 60 taking just 122 feet. Not bad for a nearly two-ton car.
Pricing starts at $32,245, plus $745 for destination charges. Options, however, can quickly add to this total and our review car had the following major additions: the Premium Luxury Collection with its navigation system, hard-drive based digital media player with a Bose speaker system, power sunroof with a panorama panel over the rear seat and a power sunshade, plus all sorts of extras like leather upholstery, heated front seats, remote starting and the rear obstacle reverse warning system. Add in the performance tire package and suspension upgrades and its fog lights, limited slip differential, upgraded brakes and steering adaptive xenon lighting, which did a spectacular job of nearly turning night into day, even on low beam, and the estimated sticker price came to $45,195. Optional, but not on our review car was all-wheel drive, which Cadillac offers for the first time this year on the CTS.
EPA numbers – remember this is the 2008 rating system we are using here – call for 17 miles per gallon in the city and 26 on the highway with the direct injection engine. I averaged 18.9 miles per gallon in my week with the car.
With its upgraded interior, more refined but still attention grabbing styling and excellent performance, the new Cadillac CTS deserves all the praise that it has received. It also deserves to be back ordered, which area Cadillac dealers tell me is the current situation. Anyone considering a European or Asian premium sedan in the $30,000-plus price range really must give the new CTS a careful look. My suspicion is that many who do so will end up buying one.
