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2011 Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon
Posted by Alexander in Cadillac, Car Reviews on December 30th, 2010
Cadillac continues to show that it can compete with Europe’s best. Its all-new CTS Sport Wagon ranks right up there
2011 cadillac cts sport wagon
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the center console was integrated smartly into the dash. While passenger space is plentiful, headroom was tight in the rear seats for adults around 6 feet tall. On the road, I was able to achieve 18 mpg in mixed driving, but was slightly disappointed in the V6 engine’s power delivery. Overall, I was pleased with the CTS Sport Wagon, and pleased that Cadillac is delivering high-end products to the auto marketplace again.
–Joe Chulick
This is one hot wagon! If you want your utility vehicle to drive like a sports car, forget the crossovers. The 2010 Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon is the way to go. The already handsome CTS form seems to look even better as a wagon, and its unique
Category › Car Reviews
Title › 2011 Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon
rear end sets the Sport Wagon apart from anything else on the road. Our tester was powered by GM’s excellent direct-injection 3.6-liter V6 engine, which puts out 304 horsepower. Other notable features included 19-inch polished aluminum wheels, sport suspension, steering-wheel shift controls and upgraded brakes. The suspension, steering and brakes all have the same excellent feel that the sedan has, despite the extra weight of the larger cargo area. In fact, the Sport Wagon feels more like a sport sedan than any crossover that I have ever driven.
–Mike Meredith
2011 cadillac cts sport wagon
Cadillac shows that a wagon can be cool. Its all-new CTS Sport Wagon looks great, with sleek lines, sharp angles and big rear fender flares. Inside, it is stylish with quality materials. However, I found the front seats to be uncomfortable. The cargo area is well thought out, with movable tie-downs, an adjustable barrier between it and the passenger area, a ski pass-through and a cargo net. Rear seats are a bit cramped but usable; fold them down to create a surprisingly large flat surface for hauling larger items. Like the CTS sedan, the Sport Wagon has nice power with excellent handling. Fuel economy was not terribly impressive, though. With the performance of the CTS sedan and plenty of cargo-carrying ability, the CTS Sport Wagon makes a great alternative to the traditional SUV or sedan.
–Perry Stern
2011 Cadillac CTS
Posted by Alexander in Cadillac, Car Reviews on December 12th, 2010
With its supercharged, 556-horsepower 6.2-liter V8 engine, the 2009 CTS-V is the most powerful Cadillac ever. Also the quickest and
2011 cadillac cts
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original CTS-V always felt like the hot rod it was.
Model Lineup
The original CTS launched as a 2003 model, and the first CTS-V was added to the lineup in 2004. Powered by a 400-horsepower 5.7-liter V8, the “V” was only available with a 6-speed manual gearbox. The CTS was fully redesigned for 2008, and the new CTS-V shares its platform and interior.
Exterior differences are subtle and few, with zero “boy racer” grafts. Its dual front grille with chrome mesh has double the surface of the V6-powered CTS, and a new aluminum hood needs only a discreet bulge to accommodate the slightly greater height of the supercharged V8 engine. The rocker panels are kicked out a touch, and a larger, upturned center-mounted
Category › Car Reviews
Title › 2011 Cadillac CTS
stoplight at the edge of the trunk lid doubles as a spoiler, reducing lift at high speed.
The CTS-V runs on Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 tires but not the run-flat variety used on the Corvette ZR1. Their sizes are 255/40ZR-19 in front and a meaty 285/35ZR-19 in the rear. The Cadillac’s wheelbase is 113.4 inches — nearly identical to BMW’s 500-horsepower M5 (113.7 inches), and the cars are near matches in most dimensions. By comparison, the 400-horsepower BMW M3 has a 108.7-inch wheelbase and is smaller in every way.
Official pricing for the CTS-V will be announced closer to its market launch in October, but the target MSRP is $60,000, with a fully-optioned “V” priced in the mid-$60,000s. By comparison, the M5 checks in with an MSRP of $83,900, while the M3 lists for $53,800 — and both figures are quickly jacked onto a higher plane with a few options. With the CTS-V, you get a sport sedan that is about the same size as an M5, packs a greater punch and will sell for about the same money as the smaller and less powerful M3.
Under the Hood
The CTS-V’s engine is a 6.2-liter, all-aluminum small-block V8 fitted with a smaller-displacement version (1.9 liters vs. 2.3 liters) of the Corvette ZR1’s four-lobe, sixth-generation Eaton supercharger. It delivers 556 horsepower and 551 lb-ft of torque to either a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed automatic gearbox. The manual is coupled to a light, progressive dual-disc clutch similar to the ZR1’s, and the automatic has steering-wheel-mounted paddles for the manual mode.
Cadillac says with either transmission the CTS-V will get to 60 mph in a scant 3.9 seconds, and cover the quarter mile in 12 seconds flat. The car’s top speed is quoted at 175 mph for the automatic and about 193 mph with the manual gearbox.
This means the CTS-V’s unofficial lap of 7:59:38 around the famed Nürburgring track in Germany could probably be improved upon. John Heinricy, veteran racer and director of high-performance engineering at Cadillac, set that sub-eight-minute lap with a production-ready CTS-V equipped with the automatic. Set in Sport mode, Heinricy didn’t even bother using the shift paddles, since this setting already quickens upshifts.
2011 cadillac cts
Inner Space
The CTS-V’s interior is dressed with attractive hand-stitched leather surfaces. These are produced by a small South Carolina-based supplier that also makes interior trim for high-end AMG specials from Mercedes-Benz. The only discordant notes are narrow trim strips (with sharp edges in some places), that meekly try to evoke carbon fiber but end up looking like plastic. Cadillac should simply emulate Porsche and offer the option of real carbon fiber or aluminum trim — the car fully deserves it.
Optional Recaro sport seats will likely be priced between $2,500 and $3,000, and they are worth the money. These perches are adjustable in 14 different ways, including lumbar support cushions in the backrest and side bolsters that can be inflated to the right firmness for ideal lateral support. The seat cushion can also be extended forward manually for better thigh support, which is lacking in the standard seats. On a track, hard braking will send you sliding forward in these, requiring bracing on the footrest. The better thigh support of the optional seats helps prevent this “submarining.”
2011 cadillac cts
On the Road (and Track)
The new CTS-V is anything but crude and will take you to work, or to a track and back, in impressively quiet comfort — not bad for a sedan packing so much power. A significant chunk of this goodness can be attributed to the CTS-V’s standard Magnetic Ride Control suspension. This setup uses shock absorbers that can change their damping characteristics in microseconds, thanks to magnets that act on a fluid filled with minute iron particles.
The return drive was in a CTS-V equipped with the 6-speed manual, as well as the optional Recaro seats and suede-like microfiber trim on the steering wheel and shift lever. However pleasant the automatic, the manual version best exemplifies the new CTS-V’s highly appealing blend of sporting demeanor and refinement.
The engine is a gem, with a muted growl and seamlessly abundant supply of torque at your right foot’s command. The “V” turns into corners willingly, with a touch of understeer that easily disappears with a prod of the accelerator. Use more of it and you get controllable power oversteer on exit, if you wish.
The CTS-V is an even-tempered thoroughbred that never feels nervous or twitchy, and it let us work up to speed with confidence on an unfamiliar track. As I progressively went faster, the understeer, tire squeal, body roll and front dive under braking also grew. There should be a third setting for the CTS-V’s excellent suspension: Track.
Right for You?
In spite of its spectacular performance and track-friendly handling, the new CTS-V impresses at least as much when driven at a serene pace on public roads. Comparisons with premium German iron are not far-fetched in the least. The CTS-V can outrun many big ones for the price of their smaller siblings, with unprecedented grace, integration and refinement for an American sedan. It is truly world class, and leagues better than its hot-rod forebear.
A professional auto journalist for more than 25 years and the founding editor of Sympatico / MSN Autos, MarcLachapelle is a two-time winner of the Canadian Journalist of the Year award from the Automobile JournalistsAssociation of Canada, an accomplished photographer and licensed racer.