Copyright 2005
Cadillac CTS - Limousine:
From The Driver's Seat:
Without question, CTS is the best thought-out Cadillac in years. The interior is warm, inviting, luxurious and sporting all at once. The handsomely sculpted sport seats are finished in high quality leather that is both supple and aromatic.
But there's more to the inside of this car than leather. There's restraint. That may seem an oxymoron when referring to a vehicle wearing the wreath and crest (and harboring 12-foot tailfins as part of its history), but CTS designers actually understood that slapping wood and chrome all over the place was not the answer--it's not what BMW and Mercedes do, after all.
So, for example, wood is only employed in the CTS cabin in areas where occupants would come into contact with it: at the steering wheel, door pulls and shift lever.
Speaking of the steering wheel, it is suitably thick of rim and feels substantial when gripped. And you can actually read the four round gauges through the wheel (Often carmakers forget that your hands will be gripping that wheel at various angles.) Still, there are some Cadillac oddities on the dash--you get a speedometer, tachometer and fuel gauge, but the CTS also has a clock there, where the passenger can't see it and where a lot of us would prefer an engine temperature gauge.
However, overall, the instrumentation is first rate and continues the rounded themes introduced on the Escalade.
The contents of the center stack of the dash vary according to your decision to acquire or delete the navigation system offered. Similar in look and feel to the one employed by Nissan, it is one of the finest available. In addition to providing information on the screen regarding the location of banks, hospitals and the like, it also lists street names on the screen to help you get your bearings. Of course, OnStar is available as well, so one never has any excuse for being lost while driving a CTS. If you forego the nav system, you get an audio cassette player instead. (Note to Cadillac: Nobody listens to tapes anymore.)
An excellent Bose stereo system is offered, featuring brilliant stereo separation and excellent imaging. The audio system places the virtual soundstage right up on the dash of the car, and the sound is remarkably lifelike. CTS owners might be tempted to go for drives just to listen to the audio system.
Backseat room is a bit above average for the class--remember, you can't get into a 5-Series BMW, an E-Class Benz, or an Audi A6 for this kind of money, so compared with the biggest of these makers' smaller sedans, the Mercedes-Benz C Class, the Cadillac is plenty roomy. A six-foot, one-inch driver can sit up front, and there's plenty of room behind him for a passenger. This isn't limo roomy, but it's very comfortable.
Trunk space, on the other hand, is very generous, with flat sides and a lot of depth. It even included a pass-through via the center armrest into the trunk (split folding rear seats is an option, as it is in a BMW 3-Series).
But this isn't a Cadillac of yore--it's not just about a big trunk and a roomy backseat. Actual driving is the real treat.
The car is nicely balanced and has excellent steering feel that is complimented by terrific turn-in (the initial "bite" of the road as you start a corner). The CTS grips relentlessly when the road gets curvy, and even allows you to kick the tail out and drift the car around a bend. In spite of this ability to appreciate mayhem, the CTS' ride is very comfortable and nicely firm. The suspension absorbs pavement irregularities and simply moves on. The brakes are highly progressive in nature and provide more and more stopping power as you press the pedal deeper into its range of travel.
The 220-horsepower 3.2-liter V-6 offers a great deal of flexibility. It winds freely and has a wonderful exhaust note up high. However, at steady state operation in the lower rev ranges, it drones, and for on-demand power you need to keep the revs up.
The optional Getrag five-speed manual is rod actuated and provides swift, sure shifts, although it does feel just a tad rubbery. The five-speed automatic offers two shift modes: normal and sport. In the sport mode, the tranny willingly holds shifts to redline where it executes a very crisp shift accompanied by a satisfying forward surge.
In total, CTS is unquestionably a driver's car. It also just happens to be a Cadillac.
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