Behind the wheel: 2009 Cadillac CTS-V
Last week Consumer Reports Senior Automotive Engineer Jake Fisher and I drove the 2009 Cadillac CTS-V over highways and two-lane roads, as well as flogged it at full tilt on a race track. Now, this is a very rare opportunity for us. Automotive media events, called long-leads, consist of the manufacturer flying in journalists from around the country, putting them up in fancy hotels and treating them to a five-star new car introduction. Heck, who wouldn’t go? And, who would jeopardize similar future trips by writing a bad "review" of the car?
Of course, we don’t accept those types of perks, so we rarely participate in these events. But Cadillac planned this introduction in our backyard, starting off in nearby White Plains, New York, and finishing at the new Monticello Motor Club. Plus, it was hard to resist. After all, resident hot-shoe Jake not only conducts performance testing at our track, but races on weekends, while I conduct high-performance driving instruction at race tracks across the country. The prospect of getting behind the wheel of the most powerful American-made sedan at a brand-new track is enough to quicken even our jaded pulses.
What is it?
The V-spec version is the ultra-performance version of the CTS. We really liked the previous generation CTS-V and the new base car when we tested it, competing well with the Infiniti G and besting sports sedans such as the BMW 328i and Mercedes-Benz C300. (See video road tests comparing the CTS against is upscale peers.)
Adding in the V badge brings the performance level up a notch… or 10. The engine is a supercharged V8 that puts out 556 horsepower, and drives the rear wheels through a six-speed manual transmission (a six-speed automatic optional). The result, according to Cadillac, is a zero-to-60 mph time of 3.9 seconds, a quarter-mile time of 12.0 seconds at 118 mph, and an aerodynamic-limited top speed of 193 mph. The 4,200-pound sedan is halted by large Brembo disc brakes front and rear, and GM’s Magnetic Ride Control keeps the car planted, whether it’s trundling past local cops at a 35-mile-per-hour speed trap or blasting down the racetrack at 140-plus mph.
The interior is a slightly revised version of the already-nice CTS. The hand-stitched leather that is optional in the base cars is standard here, as are nicely bolstered sport seats. Those buyers who aspire to track the V can opt for Recaro sport seats with more aggressive adjustable side bolsters. Jake and I both found the standard seats plenty comfortable for both slow- and high-speed motoring. While we like the bolstering of the Recaros, we both thought the head restraints made it difficult to get comfortable wearing a helmet (mandatory and smart during the track portion of the event), though most buyers who opt for the Recaros probably won’t spend the majority of their time on the track.
So, what did we think?
The new CTS-V certainly won’t disappoint, with its increased power (the old CTS-V put out just 400 hp), better interior, and improved ride. It takes the things that we liked in the base car and adds in power and aggressiveness. But this is a 4,000-pound plus car, and we were always aware of that on the track. Even at 130-mph through the slight kink on the back straight (and no, we didn’t lift or brake, unlike some other drivers!), the car felt composed. But you know it’s a heavy car when braking or moving it through right-left-right turn combinations.
Jake and I both felt the CTS-V was more at home on the back roads and highways. Heading back from the track along Route 17 in New York, we were able to cruise comfortably with the traffic flow, but had ample passing power even in sixth gear. The supportive seats, good forward visibility (rear visibility is still a negative), and comfortable ride left us refreshed. We used the OnStar system to program the built-in (optional) GPS system with our destination, and the turn-by-turn navigation was direct yet non-distracting.
Pricing and projected sales volume of the CTS-V hasn’t been announced yet, but it will surely undercut the BMW M5 that Cadillac used as a benchmark. It would be great to get the CTS-V into the CR garage for a full test, but this limited-volume car (and its expensive Audi RS6, BMW M5, and Mercedes-Benz E63 competitors) isn’t the top priority for our program right now. Until such time, enjoy the embedded video of our regular CTS review.
Posted by: CharlesP | Sep 3, 2008 9:29:18 AM
Sounds like the USA finally has a world class hotrod again! Great to see GM building much better cars, hopefully they can continue and also improve reliability.
USA! USA!
Posted by: david | Sep 3, 2008 10:44:57 AM
Thank you for sharing your experience.
CTS-V has an estimated base price of $50k to $60k. At that price, the competition would be more the Audi RS4 (which is about to be redesigned), BMW M3, Lexus IS-F, and MB C63. I would guess that there are surely more buyers of cars in this segment (BMW M3) than the one above (BMW M5).
Jon, when is the expected test of the Audi TT together with its competitors (such as the Porsche Cayman S will be included) be published?
Posted by: Marco | Sep 3, 2008 12:52:56 PM
A top end of 193? 130 through the course? Are you sure that was a Cadillac? I gotta agree with CharlesP, America finally has a hot rod again.
Posted by: Jon Linkov | Sep 3, 2008 1:28:56 PM
David -
The M5 was the performance benchmark discussed by Cadillac, not something we came up with.
In my opinion, the CTS (and variants) is a "tweener" car that positively fits between segments. So it's priced like an A4/3 Series, but it sized closer to an A6/5 Series. I say positively because, IMHO, many Volvos are similarly between-segment sized, but they are often on the small side for their price (S40 vs A4/3 Series, etc).
It's been a year or so since I've driven the RS4 and it would be unfair to compare experiences, even if they were driven on the same course (which they were not). As I recall, the RS4 was not the same punch in the back as the CTS-V, but that is a 3,700+ pound car being moved by "only" 420 hp! The M3, which I've had a limited number of laps in, also gives up considerable power to the CTS-V. So Cadillac is certainly aiming for the S/RS6, E63, M5 group. Much like it's cousin, the ZR1 (a really amazing car to drive as well), aims at Ferrari and the 911 GT2, but at 911 prices.
Posted by: david | Sep 3, 2008 7:18:22 PM
Jon,
Excellent points on the comparable models to CTS-V.
The M3 is certainly weaker in power especially torque (295 ft lbs) compared to its peer such as the C63, which possesses over 400 ft lbs.
Hopefully, down the road, CR will have a test of these cars together with the Nissan GT-R, which is confirmed already for CR test but no timetable yet. Speaking of GT-R, that is another car with low price comparatively speaking, but performance of the 911 turbo.
Posted by: Glenn | Sep 4, 2008 2:11:31 PM
But the Nissan has been handing out GT-R's with different horsepower ratings. Car and Driver received five different GT-R's and all of them had different horsepower ratings. For this reason, I can see why Consumer Reports would be reluctant to test one...
Posted by: Jon Linkov | Sep 5, 2008 8:12:13 AM
Glenn -
This is what makes Consumer Reports different. We only give Ratings based on vehicles we buy at a dealership, just like any other consumer, and then test. We don't accept media cars for testing, unlike the other print and web publications.
For example, while we drove the CTS-V at a media event, it was not a test. We may buy a CTS-V (and its competitors), put it through our testing program, and then issue a final report. Our drive is merely an observation.
So for the GT-R, we will only test a retail version, not one of the cars with the mystery horsepower numbers that seem to populate the media fleet. Perhaps the retail versions are underrated. While we don't dyno our test cars, the numbers that we publish will be from a customer car, not something that could have been "prepared" for the media.
This little brouhaha among the auto media is interesting, in my opinion. Here is a car that really doesn't, I feel, need chicanery to get it to sell. But the general auto media is up in arms about the possibility that the cars they drove at press events and from the test fleet pool might be specially prepared. However, the same auto media gleefully goes on press events and drives other, lesser press cars, and rarely do you hear talk about THOSE cars being specially prepared. Is Nissan the first to (allegedly) give the media tweaked samples to write about? I think not.
Posted by: Kevin | Sep 10, 2008 8:43:55 AM
Recently visited the Cadillac dealer to get my '05 CTS serviced, the CTS that was on the showroom floor was over 70k and WAS NOT a CTS-V so I'd expect the V to be alot higher $
Posted by: Ryan | Nov 2, 2008 10:35:01 AM
I believe it needs to be priced in that $50-60k range or else my future consideration will be the E-63....big HP is nice but not $60+k nice!
When can I get one?
Posted by: V8 hot laps | Nov 26, 2008 3:58:37 AM
I have had the priviledge of riding in and driving a CTS-V and it is an amazing car. In my opinion the finest Cadillac ever produced.
Posted by: Don | Dec 20, 2008 11:57:15 PM
I have been driving my 2008 CTS for a year. It is an outstanding vehicle, with plenty of power, good looks. It has two minor problems, a blind spot when backing out of a parking spot and some intermittant problem with the Nav. System/Radio. Sometime it won't move up and the radio has bad sound. Turn the car off and on and it works. I have also had some intermittant proplems with the locking system. Sometimes the computer does not recognize the electronic chip. Wait a few minutes and it works.