The CTS drives wonderfully around town. It cruises comfortably on the freeway and feels at home on winding roads.
The new 3.6-liter V6 is silky smooth when cruising, less so at full throttle. And it responds quickly whenever you step on the gas, a benefit of its broad torque curve. It's a thoroughly modern engine with a 60-degree aluminum block, double overhead cams, variable-valve timing, electronic throttle control, six coils and a structural oil pan. The 2.8-liter V6 VVT is a modified version of the 3.6-liter V6 with VVT. The 2.8 and 3.6-liter V6 earn the same EPA-estimated mileage of 18/27 mpg City/Highway and run on regular 87 octane. Choosing between them is a matter of power versus cost. Speed costs money.
We can highly recommend both the automatic and manual transmissions, so choosing between them is a matter of preference and whether stop-and-go driving is part of your daily commute. The five-speed automatic transmission is superb. In normal mode, it seems to shift a lot, especially at a casual pace. Selecting the Sport mode changes the transmission's attitude, giving it sharp and decisive response. The automatic is an excellent choice for the CTS. It even gets better gas mileage around town than the manual.
The manual gearbox is surprisingly smooth and pleasant, however, and if you like sports sedans you may prefer it. You can shift it so smoothly that your passengers wouldn't know it was a manual if they couldn't see you shifting. For some reason we expected it to be balky, but the opposite is the case. It's a model of smoothness. It's easy to match clutch take-up and throttle for smooth driving, especially at low speeds. The shifter is very smooth with short, precise throws. You can shift smoothly up through fourth gear at low speeds without lugging the engine. The smoothness of shifting and the low-speed tractability of the engine makes driving around town very pleasant.
Ride and handling are impeccable, smooth, steady, predictable. The CTS feels solid, but not heavy. Steering is precise, with just the right amount of resistance from the speed-sensitive power steering. Cadillac tuned the suspension at Germany's legendary Nurburgring circuit, because that's where German sports sedans are developed, and Cadillac was eager to challenge them on their terms. It shows. The suspension is nicely damped so the ride is very comfortable, erasing the bumps. Still, the suspension is there when you need it in the rippling twisty curves. In short, the CTS is fun to drive. Braking and suspension capabilities of the 2.8-liter model are the same as those of the 3.6-liter model.
Its rear-wheel drive, crisp handling and prodigious horsepower work together when charging out of corners. Go into a corner too quick and StabiliTrak is there to reduce the chance of a skid, applying just the right amount of brake and throttle correction to keep the CTS on the road. The anti-lock brakes with brake proportioning work very well with powerful, predictable braking. Slam on the brakes at 70 miles an hour and there's no drama: no squealing, no swerving.
The CTS-V has some of the characteristics of the CTS, but is a bit of a different animal, sacrificing pleasantries to achieve increased performance. For starters, CTS-V comes exclusively with the high-performance Tremec T56 six-speed, and it's a relatively stiff shifter. It also takes more pressure to push in the clutch pedal, and clutch take-up is fairly abrupt, making smooth launches a challenge. And the modified suspension causes the car to bob on undulating pavement. Not to mention the engine is always raring to go. Like the Corvette, the CTS-V forces the shifter from first to fourth gear when driven leisurely, which helps lower its EPA fuel economy rating. All of this makes it harder to motor around town with the smoothness of a first-class chauffeur. The CTS is more pleasant as a daily commuter. Standing on the gas, however, reveals the reason for the V.
To create the CTS-V, GM pulled the high-performance LS6 V8 from the limited-production Corvette Z06. It generates only fractionally less power than that of the Z06: 395 pound-feet of torque at 4800 rpm and 400 horsepower at 6000 rpm. Those are big numbers. Slam the throttle to the floor and the acceleration is absolutely exhilarating. And that sound! It sounds like a Corvette.
The CTS-V's firm suspension and quick steering make for fast traffic on a winding road. Though firm on rough neighborhood streets, it rides well on the highway. The tires generate good grip in corners and lots of power can be put through the rear wheels. Accelerating out of corners is exhilarating. This responsiveness makes the CTS-V a lot of fun to drive. You'll be wishing for a race track. In short, the CTS-V is a great car for someone who wants a five-passenger Corvette.
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