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If subtle charm and understated sophistication is your thing, the Cadillac CTS is not for you. But in the best tradition of American consumer goods the CTS is dramatic, striking and exciting.

Its bold grille and sharply creased bodywork may be brash, but the result is a handsome and well proportioned machine.

Best of all, it is something different, something a bit more brave and exciting than the executive saloon norm.

The 307bhp 3.6-litre V6 drives the rear wheels and...Read the full article

Why is the powertrain "largely unpopular"?

"there is occasionally the sense that you are in control of a lot of mass that could get away from you, should you be required to perform an extreme or unexpected manoeuvre." What does that mean?!? Sounds like the tester has a bit of a belly.

"we managed 0-60mph in only 6.7sec. That’s not a dreadful result, but nor is it particularly impressive." I think its impressive - the equivalent Merc 350 E class and Audi 3.2 A6 are both slower and more expensive.

"...until a diesel engine option comes on stream sometime next year." Why not just compare it with the petrol equivalents instead of going on about diesels all the time? Are you reviewing the petrol CTS or the entire Cadillac range, two completely different things? Should've at least got a 4 star review.

Completely agree with all the comments above - Cadillac has made huge progress with the new CTS and with a bargain price (try speccing out a BMW or Audi with all the goodies and prepare yourself for a coronary).  Yes, it may not be as good on the limit but how often do you take a 300bhp vehicle on the limit on UK roads?  And does this lack of on-the-limit performance warrant spending an extra 10-15k for a boring looking teutonic german (which can ride firm, borderline harsh, for most of the time)?

"USA's first real attempt to take on the 5-series" ?? C'mon guys, how many times we have heard topics like these, Americans that can handle as good as Eurpoeans, Alfa Romeo FINALLY made a car with build quality as good as the Germans. .. Be more creative. They might be nice efforts but i cannot imagine any company getting close to Merc, BMW and Audi (I even have reservations for the Audi), yes, you do spend much much more money to buy one of those, but what you get is engineering sophistication and a power reserve (not in outright speed terms, as a whole package) that you wouldn't want to use but it's reassuring to know its there.

I would own one just to be different and not to have a BMW, Merc or Audi, but preferably one with a stonking V8. Hmmmmmm.

Good points by Julian.

There is still an inherent "looking down their" nose at American cars common among Brit motoring journalists. True, many a yankmobile deserved to be slagged off over the years, but the Americans have started to put together some decent (if not exactly world beating) cars in recent years. The latest batch of Corvettes, Mustang, Chevy Malibu (not available here), new Camarro etc, are all distinctive designs and enjoyable drives.

A friend recently drove the CTS, while on holiday in states, was really liked it. No, it's not a 5-series beater, but it looks good inside and out, is decently put together, has more than good enough dynamics and, above all, it is a refreshing change from the default choices. It deserves a better press than it's getting at the moment over here.

Heck, if you think Autocar is being a bit over-critical, consider that AutoExpress gave this car only 2 stars (out of five)! I'll bet it would've given it a higher rating if it had a Jag badge on it.

 

 

Exactly! Speaking of the Jag - which I quite like - it is another example of a car that stacks up fairly poorly against the CTS other than having a great interior. The performance - straight line speed, acceleration at any level, so-called vocal engine strain etc - is leagues behind Autocar's faintly damned review of the CTS's performance. It is also more expensive. As for Pal's comments: "...what you get is engineering sophistication and a power reserve (not in outright speed terms, as a whole package) that you wouldn't want to use but it's reassuring to know its there." There is no 'power reserve' that I can think of that is present in the equivalent Merc and Audi models (maybe if you spend and extra £10-20k and get the E500 or S6 there is), and in any case, if I wouldn't want to use it I don't care about it. Also the Caddy is plenty sophisticated - for example, the Performance Algorithm Liftfoot (PAL) is by far the most interesting technological 'advance' I've read of in recent months, and something I'd actually be quite interested in having as a feature. Design-wise I also think it looks great - Autocar call it brash, I think because of the grille design, but I think it looks rather smart and contemporary. It also works quite well on the BLS, which is one of the few re-skins I can think of that look better than the car it is based on.

My observations from driving the new CTS in the States.  A very handsome car with an extremely attractive interior, very good fit / finish and materials.  It has a fresh look that really sets itself apart from the boring looking German sedans.  The cars real world performance is very good. It will be interesting to see how objective Autocar will be if they are fortunate enough to get a chance to road test the new CTS-V (current saloon lap record holder at Nürburgring).  Autocar's bias against American cars is really getting old. If I could afford them, I'd love to have a CTS-V and a Corvette ZR1 in my garage.  Two cars that compete and beat anything that the world has to offer, regardless of price.

I like this car.  I saw plenty of them about whilst I was in New York recently and it really stood out as a handsome, distinctive machine.  Typical of Autocar to be pro-German, how can they be so ignorant of the performance figures (in comparison to immediate competition) as mentioned on previous posts, and not give this car the verdict that it deserved; would think it should have at least 3.5 - 4 stars.