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Cadillac CTS-V Coupe News & Reviews

   2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe Road Test Review

For years I'd gone to auto shows and gazed wistfully upon exotic shape after exotic shape the designers applied to concept cars.

Take a look at the Cadillac CTS Coupe Concept and then compare it to the production version. Can you see the difference? (Photo: Cadillac)

Then, I'd go look at the production cars and wonder why they had to be so frumpy when the concept cars were so fine. When I saw the current Cadillac CTS Sedan for the first time at the Detroit auto show I remarked, "interesting concept." My colleague Frank Washington said, "No man, that's the production car."

And now, Cadillac hits us with another CTS road car featuring concept car good looks, the 2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe. You can now walk into your local Cadillac dealership and drive out in what's arguably the most handsome North American car currently being offered. In fact, the 2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe is a serious contender for one of the most handsome cars in the world.

Back in 1999, Cadillac introduced the Art and Science school of design with the Evoq concept. <Read More>

   Cadillac drops SRX Turbo due to slow sales

After little more than a year on the market Cadillac is opting to discontinue the SRX Turbo, the top trim level in the luxury divisions

Cadillac's SRX is selling well, but its top-line turbocharged engine isn't the reason why with a take-rate of only 10-percent. (Photo: Cadillac)

midsize crossover lineup. The heads-up came from GM Inside News, confirmed by Robyn Henderson, a spokesperson from Cadillac's U.S. division.

It appears that the turbocharged 2.8-litre V6 wasn't very popular at 10-percent of total sales, and therefore a justifiable business case for the model couldn't be maintained. The SRX Turbo's V6 was good for an impressive 300-horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque, which is in the neighbourhood of the brand's much-touted naturally aspirated 3.6-litre DI V6, but the boosted engine's pricier initial cost, a premium of $5,000, plus a poorer fuel economy rating of 13.6 L/100km in the city and 9.1 on the highway compared to the 3.0-litre all-wheel drive version's 12.2 / 8.8 city / highway rating, combined with a requirement for costlier premium fuel were reasons enough for 90-percent of Cadillac's SRX buyers to opt for the more wallet-friendly 3.0-litre V6.

Cadillac improved the throttle response of its base 3.0-litre version for 2011, which should <Read More>

   2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe Road Test Review

Ever since first laying eyes upon the concept version of the Cadillac CTS Coupe that made its debut at the 2008 North American

Gorgeous! The 2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe is the Art & Science design language perfected. (Photo: Canadian Auto Press)

International Auto Show, I've been in love with its graceful and elegant execution of design excellence, where Cadillac's "Art and Science" philosophy merge harmoniously. It is "emotion on four wheels and the very essence of what defines Cadillac today," according to Ed Welburn, vice-president of General Motors Global Design.

The 2011 production version of the CTS Coupe represents a rarity in today's automotive world – it is nearly an exact reproduction of the original clay design concept and it is unquestionably the most dramatic styling exercise in Cadillac's current design portfolio. It reflects a spirit of audacity – unafraid to step boldly into uncharted territory.

The interior of the CTS Coupe is done in a classic 2+2 layout, surrounded by complex styling elements that <Read More>

   2010 Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon Road Test Review

Cadillac really speaks my language. And to say such words after growing up in the '70s, when there was absolutely nothing cool

There's no mistaking its parentage... it's Cadillac through and though. (Photo: Canadian Auto Press)

about the crested wreath brand for a kid in love with Datsun 510s and 240Zs, VW GTIs and Sciroccos, BMW 2002tiis and 3.0 CSi Coupes, not to mention all the Euro exotics, Cadillac had about as much mojo as Corvette in the late '70s and early '80s, before the brilliant '84 'Vette changed perceptions back to world class levels.

The turnaround car for Cadillac was the equally brilliant Seville STS of '92 through '97, a car that pulled in its fair share of import buyers, which at that time was a shock to the entire industry. The Cadillac that sealed the deal, however, came a full decade after that Seville STS ended its five-year run, and the 2002 CTS sport sedan not only changed the way premium buyers viewed Cadillac from its inaugural day forth, <Read More>

   Cadillac Redefined 5-Door Category with the CTS-V Sport Wagon

Bringing new meaning to the term "family hauler," Cadillac's new CTS-V Sport Wagon is the car everyone hoped but nobody believed

Now that's a "sport" wagon! The CTS-V Sport Wagon will rule the 5-door world when it becomes available next year. (Photo: Cadillac)

the revitalized American luxury brand would ever build.  A wagon is a big step into the Cadillac nethersphere as it is, but a 556-horsepower Caddy wagon with a earth-shuddering 551 lb-ft of torque otherworldly. 

Now parents need not compromise between practicality and performance, as the wagon only adds functionality to the CTS-V sedan's outrageous capability off the line and in the corners, sporting 719 litres (25.4 cubic feet) of luggage space behind the rear seats and 1,642 litres (58.0 cubic feet) with the rear seats folded flat. 

Performance upgrades over the regular CTS Sport Wagon include 19-inch alloy rims wrapped with Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 performance tires framing a set of top-tier Brembo brakes.  <Read More>

   Cadillac Visually Separates from Parent GM to protect Brand Image

Cadillac appears to be visually separating itself from the other General Motors brands as of late, likely so that its strong brand

Cadillac's built a BMW and Mercedes beating image, and it doesn't want to tarnish it with any GM bankrupcty fallout. (Photo: Canadian Auto Press)

image doesn't get tarnished by GM's lingering dark cloud of consumer concern. 

In a report by Bloomberg, Cadillac spokesman Nick Twork is quoted as saying, "The Cadillac brand is best communicated as Cadillac without GM."

A strong statement from the mouthpiece of a brand that currently is actually using more GM architectures than it was even last year, now that the new SRX is riding on the Chevy Equinox/GMC Terrain platform instead as the same one used by the CTS, and that CTS now sharing many of its behind the scenes components with the new Camaro (Cadillac's Sigma II actually has more in common with Chevy/Pontiac/Holden's Zeta than it does with Sigma I).  Twork appears to be talking more image than reality at this point. 

Part <Read More>

   2010 Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon Road Test Review

There's a new breed of Cadillac on the roads for 2010, sort of.  The popular-selling CTS which, traditionally, came in the sedan

The new 2010 Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon: designed for the sporting family type. (Photo: Canadian Auto Press)

body style, is now available for the first time in North America as a wagon. 
 
From the outside, the Sport Wagon takes some of its styling cues from its sedan sibling such as the signature Cadillac grille and front fascia, with a V-shaped deck and tailgate motif and large, vertical tail lamps with light-pipe technology; making it easily recognizable from the front or back.  Also adding to this particular example's look is a bold Crystal Red paint scheme ($1,295) and set of P235/50R18 V-rated all-season tires with 18" aluminum wheels with premium multi-coat finish. 

Yes, the CTS Wagon looks good from the outside but my favourite view of this vehicle was definitely from behind the wheel.  I was most impressed with this interior because of its tidy execution.  <Read More>

   2010 Cadillac CTS-V Road Test Review

There's an old adage that says "power corrupts," and history has shown us examples of this across many spectrums.  Give a Governor

A wild beast of American muscle, as civilized as any of its European rivals. (Photo: Cadillac)

the keys to the White House, and interns may run amok.  Give a despot the throne in some nations, and the results can be very detrimental to the population. 

So if power corrupts, what was Cadillac thinking when they gave the already potent CTS a huge increase in output and displacement and called it the CTS-V?   Well, power, of course!  In this case the power to run supreme with the established big dogs from Mercedes' AMG and BMW's M.  Long have the Germans reigned supreme in the wars for supremacy in the luxury performance sedan class.  For me, I am marking this day in time, because on this day I drove the 2010 CTS-V and had my vision of German superiority absolutely shattered. 

The <Read More>

   2010 Cadillac SRX Road Test Review

Let's face it. Styling sells! Ok, there's more to the new 2010 SRX than merely a styling upgrade, but despite flying in the

A much improved design over the outgoing SRX, the all-new 2010 model is selling well. (Photo: Canadian Auto Press)

face of current premium trends this new luxury crossover is already finding traction where the previous model's sales slipped and slid off the starting line.

Flying in the face of premium trends? Right off the bat, the base 2010 SRX is now front-wheel drive whereas the previous model featured the more desirable rear-wheel drive layout. Move up the desirability and price ladder and there's no longer a V8. Say what? In a Cadillac? Ya, the times are a changin', and just like Lincoln appears to be eliminating gas-guzzling V8s from its roster, so is Cadillac. So, while not hitting all of the traditional luxury cues, the new SRX nevertheless scores big where it matters.

First, it looks really good. It appears taller yet at the same time more athletic than the outgoing model, and where the old SRX looked and felt like a wagon with a roof extension, <Read More>