It’s a question we’ve probably all been asked before whenever someone finds out we’re into cars. “What’s your dream car, money no object?” they ask. Well, I feel we’re in a safe space here. I don’t have to pretend my dream new car is some $3 million Bugatti Chiron. It’s still a high-end vehicle but it’s a little bit more humble… about as humble as an $87k luxury sports sedan with a supercharged V8 engine can be. Yes, my dream car is a Cadillac, to the surprise of nobody here. Another American car – similarly sized yet diametrically opposed in specification – is a close second. With the CTS-V soon to make way for the inevitable V-Series versions of the upcoming CT4 and CT5, it will no longer be my go-to dream new car. Will those new Caddys take over or will Tesla win my heart?
It makes sense that an American car is my dream car given the fascination I’ve had with the U.S. auto industry for many, many years. Mind you, were I to fill a hypothetical garage of dream cars, money no object, there’d be plenty of non-American iron. Any new Aston Martin, for example. A Porsche Panamera Turbo Sport Turismo, with a 911 Turbo on the side. A Mercedes-Benz S-Class Coupe in either S63 AMG or S65 AMG guise. Of course, there’d be some other domestics in said garage, including a Dodge Challenger Hellcat.
I’m drawn to the Tesla Model S, specifically the P100D model, not just because of its world-class technology and zero emissions but because its so bloody fast. I mean, for real, 0-60 mph in 2.5 seconds? How could you not be captivated? If this is the future of not only electric cars but cars themselves, then I’m very enthusiastic.
Compared to that, the CTS-V’s 3.7 second sprint is a little less meteoric. The soundtrack from its supercharged 6.2 V8, conversely, has so much more theatre while its handling is more poised (although the Model S is no shrinking violet dynamically). With 640 hp at 6400 rpm and 630 ft-lbs at 3600 rpm and a top speed of 200 mph, the CTS-V’s pushrod V8 is an absolute beast. That’s more power and torque than even the brand-new, $20k-pricier BMW M5, although it demonstrates how difficult it gets at this stratosphere of performance to put the power down to the ground. That’s why the new M5 has all-wheel-drive and why the Bavarian express manages an ever-so-slightly quicker 0-60 time.
I’ve driven the 2.0 turbocharged version of this CTS and found the ride/handling balance to be superb, as is frequently noted by automotive journalists. The V takes it to the next level or, as Car & Driver puts it, the V “works as a tool of clinical precision as well as a tire-smoking, drifting hooligan.” The best part? Cadillac’s Magnetic Ride Control affords the V with superb body control yet a ride that’s surprisingly comfortable and compliant for a super-sedan.
If it wasn’t for a certain popular electric car, I’d consider the CTS-V to be the ne plus ultra of American cars. It manages to expertly blend raw American V8 power – hell, it still has a pushrod V8 – with the sublime dynamics of a German sport sedan. Its interior is made of high quality materials and it has an impressive array of safety features and performance hardware. The only consistent complaints from critics are that rear seat room is a bit tight and the interior is a bit busy-looking.
Alas, the rousing recommendations haven’t been enough to elevate this latest and more expensive generation of CTS and CTS-V in the sales race. The caveat to that is the old CTS was available in three different body styles. Still, for all the talk of higher ATPs and suggestions that exclusivity is more desirable than big sales volumes, it must disappoint GM to see the CTS and CTS-V posting these numbers. For reference, the entire CTS line sells in roughly the same numbers as the Lexus GS and, as of this year, about half as well as the Audi A6 and around a third of the Tesla Model S’ numbers. It doesn’t help the CTS that, like the Lexus GS, there’s an even larger if more sedate sedan available at the same price (Cadillac XTS, Lexus ES).
It’s funny that Cadillac of all brands has occupied a niche of sorts, offering some of the most dynamic luxury sedans out there. BMW has been criticized for softening their sedans or at least tucking away their true dynamic potential in expensive option packages. Meanwhile, Cadillac’s ATS and CTS – if not, by some accounts, the bigger, plusher, moribund CT6 – have offered sharp handling and communicative steering even in their lowliest, four-cylinder models.
It’s even more amusing when you consider what Cadillac was pitching as a sport sedan thirty years ago. I covered Cadillac’s first attempt at a sport sedan, the 1988-91 Seville STS, earlier this week. It was front-wheel-drive, boxier than a Chrysler New Yorker, and managed to simultaneously undercut similarly-sized European sport sedans and be ridiculously overpriced. How far Cadillac has come, even if it’s still struggling against the Germans (and now Tesla, too) after so many reboots and leadership changes.
For any American who criticizes their domestic auto industry – and it’s an industry whose decisions often invite criticism – I’d just like to point at the CTS-V and say, “Well, when they try, they can come up with something like this.” Any misgivings you may have about the Big 3 and General Motors in particular surely must give way to some feeling of pride that your country can engineer and manufacture a world-class sport sedan like this. It’s like the pride I felt for our defunct Aussie auto industry, although even the most expensive HSV didn’t quite offer the same level of polish as the CTS-V.
I’m not going to gush on and on about the CTS-V. There are some things about it that I don’t love. For example, the interior color options are much more limited than that of the regular CTS, which has been offered with stunning all-tan, all-blue and red/black options, while real-world gas mileage is bound to be as terrible as you’d expect. But this car still occupies, for now, that prime spot in my fantasy garage.
Tesla has shown how mighty an electric car can be, utterly rattling other luxury automakers. And even if you don’t care about the latest in infotainment or in the environmental benefits that can arise from electrification, you must be in awe of the sheer performance the Model S offers. I know I am, and it looks great sitting in my fantasy garage in my fantasy mid-century modern lake house (with its array of solar panels). Cadillac, unless your next V-Series models really bring it, it’s possible that not even the intoxicating sound of your V8 engines or the agility of your chassis can keep you in that prime garage spot.
Photographed in June 2017 in Washington Heights, Manhattan, NY.
Related Reading:
CC of the Future: 2013 Tesla Model S – Welcome to the 21st Century, Your Jetpack is Here
CC Comparison Test: The Best And Wurst Alternatives – 1st Place, 2014 Cadillac CTS 2.0T Luxury
COAL: 2006 Dodge Magnum SRT8 – My Dream Car Is Another Dodge Station Wagon
I believe that my 2013 Escalade EXT premium ( 34k original miles showroom condition Not daily driver ) is also a Future classic!!
Just needs some side pipes complete the effect.
How demoralizing it must be for the GM engineers that worked on this thing to realize that for all of their efforts they are not and will not be able to overcome the inertia of several decades of mistakes by prior leadership and the fact that GM/Cadillac can’t seem to market their way out of a paper bag when it comes to something like this.
You are right in insinuating that there is no objective reason why this car should not be considered along with several of the others from Germany but the market is a fickle beast that does not easily forgive generation-long transgressions.
The fuel mileage is irrelevant in the land of $2.07 refusal and $2.65 premium but sadly I personally am starting to find these types of cars less relevant in the land of 6.5c/kw overnight charging rates especially when they are routinely embarrassed by those selfsame electrics in the area of raw power even though outright speed is becoming far less important and interesting to me personally. A nice fat slug of torque is always appreciated though.
America’s true engineering and marketing chops (and of course, interest and buyers) are now firmly in the arena of pickups, this won’t be changing soon, if ever.
But lastly yes, this is an impressive vehicle and thank you for recognizing and writing about it.
It would be tough to be a GM engineer these days. Their enthusiasm is obvious but it’s still tainted by the efforts (or lack thereof) of their predecessors. It’s sad but also a reflection of the predispositions we have due to being human.
What’s going to be really tough is one of these days the US auto industry will realize producing something other than a pickup would be in their best interest. That’s a rant that has been simmering within me for a while.
Will, it does me good to see someone under 30 have enthusiasm for a Cadillac – and new ones, not forty year old examples.
It’s not the engineers that decide what to build.
The whole problem with Cadillac is that it’s been chasing an outdated formula. BMW and Mercedes are wringing their hands (actually holding each others hands, as they’ve decided to essentially hop into bed together and share platforms and drivetrains and technology) because they see what a vulnerable position they’re in now against Tesla and other EV start ups. They’re chasing Tesla, while Cadillac chases them. That’s pretty clueless. But not the engineers’ fault.
You are correct in the engineers not deciding on what gets built; I have some firsthand experience in that!
My thought is how frustrating it must be for current GM engineers to make every effort to set your product apart and it simply not getting traction in the marketplace.
It is discouraging to see Cadillac going the direction it is. From Standard of the World to Follower.
I drove ATS with v6 rear wheel last summer for a week in LA and SF, it is a very good car indeed. It feels like an European car. With my driving skill, it drives better than my friend 2018 Audi A4 s-line. So there is no question Callidac now builds a better vehicle before, even Consum Report praised its handling. But these modern Callidac does not have the original Callidac image, instead it is an alternative BMW and Mercedes-Benz. That approach is doom to fail even those v series limit production car could not save them from death. If you want a fast vehicle, you will get a Tesla. Then again I feel Tesla should spruce up the style on its S model.
I just saw my first Pontiac G8 on the road today. Maybe I’ll see one of these Cadillac’s in 10 years or so.
Did you really say that you just saw your first G8 on the road today? Wow! Will say that that they are an occasional sighting in the Midwest, such as central Ohio, or Michigan or Indiana. While kinda rare, not that big of a deal to see in the wild.
“works as a tool of clinical precision as well as a tire-smoking, drifting hooligan”
Which is why there’s a notable cottage industry for retrofitting E30s and E36s with LSx engines, and with the full BMW wrapper in the end to boot. But I suspect this is a great deal cheaper than a new V series Cadillac, and hooligans, who are the prime demographic to desire such traits in a car, tend to not have much money.
Cadillac’s problem is BMW (and many others) built the best cars they were ever going to build for the enthusiast demographic already, and the second hand market is consequently saturated with huge value for the dollar propositions that modern day Cadillacs are effectively competing directly against, and worse yet ther is no prestige for the price tag, since anyone you tell “ I bought a Cadillac” to will get you the same reaction regardless if it was a brand new CTS-V or a 1995 Eldorado. BMW, while certainly a falling star in the age of Tesla, still carries an prestigious aura to it, new, used and hot rodded.
You put your finger on it.
And the result is the only people who ended up buying these are the same old guys who have a perfectly professional restored ’63 Corvette and/or ’69 Camaro Z-28 in their garage. They tootle around in these as their dd.
But genuine “tire-smoking, drifting hooligans”? Me thinks not.
Only the ones employed by the magazines, driving the manufacturers cars!
“…ther is no prestige for the price tag, since anyone you tell “ I bought a Cadillac” to will get you the same reaction regardless if it was a brand new CTS-V or a 1995 Eldorado. BMW, while certainly a falling star in the age of Tesla, still carries an prestigious aura to it, new, used and hot rodded.”
Well stated. That’s certainly been true in SoCal for decades. Cadillac is not a prestige brand here, and many young people are completely unfamiliar with the nameplate.
The other concern is quality/reliability. Colleagues and friends who bought Cadillacs later than the 70’s have horror stories and none would own any GM car today. And if my Midwestern friend’s new 2018 ATS is any indicator, quality is not particularly stellar today. Consumer Reports owner surveys reflect that concern.
I loved the STS-V when it came out the CTS-V when it came out as well. The CTS-V coupe is a true classic. Look at it in side profile. It is supposed to make you think of an archers drawn back bow. The wagon is fantastic as well. When we get over our current fetish will pickup/SUV’s, these will be remembered as the as greatest vehicles of the early 21st century.
I was a Cadillac fan for the first thirty years of my life. Through the early 1950’s, 60’s and up to 1970 they built the fastest big road cars around. They were desired the world round. Then the malaise set in. They almost got their mojo back in 1977 but couldn’t sustain it. I had a ’77 and then even a ’94 Seville STS, it was still a pretty good performer. After the Seville and it’s problems Cadillac lost it for me. I just can’t see myself going into hock to buy a new one.
Given the unfortunate depreciation rates on Cadillac cars; it would be a bargain 3 years old.
I was passed in a parking lot last week by what I believe was the previous generation of CTS-V, my gawd what a sound that car made at idle and even just a bit off idle. I don’t think I ever heard a factory stock Corvette sound that good.
If a guy is going to gush over a modern Cadillac, you have at least picked one worthy of gushing over. What we need is a big impressive stock car road race as from the days of yore, where a car like this could strut its stuff on an international stage.
i see a holden with fancier duds – no mention of Australia in this article ???????
Because they’re unrelated. The CTS uses the Alpha platform, engineered in North America, not the Zeta platform engineered in Australia and used for the Holden VE/VF Commodore, Pontiac G8 and the previous generation Chevrolet Camaro.
They still some engineering and calibration work at the Holden proving ground I believe. It’s been a while now (have not been driving in the right places) but I have seen Cadillac prototype cars on the road.
This one? Meh.
But a few weeks ago, I was passed by a VERY attractive Cadillac coupe (those are cars that only have TWO doors). An ATS, I think?
I’d drive one of those. It looked great!
There have been coupes in both the CTS and ATS ranges.
Will, I really enjoy your passion for these cars and I look forward to the day that you make one yours!
I can’t say this Cadillac is on my lust list (there are other, older Cadillacs I would enjoy owning), but I’m all over a number of your other top picks, most especially the Hellcat, the Porsches and the Mercedes. Maybe someday for me too….
Like you, even if I won the mega-lottery, I’d never get something like a Bugatti. Simply not appealing to me at all. There are so many dozens of other cars I’d much rather have, and the sum total of them still wouldn’t touch the Chiron’s price tag.
They should have kept the 2 door CTSV.. for my own selfish reasons. But that’s not a knock on the ATSV
If Bring-A-Trailer is anything to go by, CTS-V wagons with 6-speed manuals seem to have already bottomed out in depreciation and the selling prices are rising. I know I’d like one.
I’ve never been much of a fan of Cadillac’s ‘edge’ styling. If I were in that high-end market, I’d go for the Model S, too. Tesla is still currently on the forefront (Elon Musk’s odd behavior notwithstanding).
With that said, I can’t begrudge those who like the Edge Cadillacs. They are distinctive and do have a presence, with startling performance, to boot. It’s a shame Cadillac continues to carry the albatross of past mistakes around their neck to this day.