Last year, the redesigned Cadillac CTS was the second car to win a 10Best Cars award (the first was the 1992 Seville), and this year, it’s the first Caddy to become a 10Best repeater. We were impressed with its dynamics, its upscale interior, the performance of its optional 304-hp, 3.6-liter direct-injection V-6, its slightly softened but still distinctively edgy styling, its overall refinement, and the fact that it offers manual as well as automatic transmissions.We’re still impressed. But impressed is a tame descriptor for our response to the V version of this car. Overwhelmed is more like it. Like the CTS, the CTS-V is far more refined in its second generation. But that’s not the first thing that grabs the driver’s attention, particularly if his right foot is flat to the fire wall and he’s rowing through the six forward speeds.
When that’s happening, the center of the driver’s universe becomes the super-Caddy’s 6.2-liter, supercharged V-8, which is busily churning up 556 horsepower. And if the road is challenging, the driver’s reward includes amazing agility and response. Best CarsBY TONYSWAN
Cadillac CTS / CTS-V specs
VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, rear- or 4-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door sedan
BASE PRICE: $36,880–$59,995
Cadillac CTS / CTS-V ENGINES : DOHC 24-valve 3.6-liter V-6, 263 or 304 hp, 253 or 273 lb-ft; supercharged and intercooled pushrod 16-valve 6.2-liter V-8, 556 hp, 551 lb-ft
TRANSMISSIONS: 6-speed auto with manumatic shifting, 6-speed manual
Cadillac CTS / CTS-V FUEL ECONOMY (mfr’s est):
EPA city/highway driving: 13–18/19–26 mpg
