Cadillac CTS 2008 Overview
The expression “Yank tank” could have been coined for Cadillac, an American luxury brand whose history is full of huge car palaces, perfect for driving on US freeways but sunk elsewhere.
Not a Cadillac CTS.
The car that will bring the American brand to Australia is fit, young and surprisingly good to drive.
For something made in America, the quality is surprisingly good.
And just like the gangster Chrysler 300C, the CTS will stand out in any crowd. Best case scenario.
The CTS will go on sale here in the last quarter of the year with a starting price in the $75,000 range, putting it in competition with a range of competitors including the BMW 5 Series and Lexus GS.
Its arrival is part of the GM Premium Brands strategy that started with Saab, grew with Hummer and reached its full potential with Cadillac.
The plan is to eventually have a wide distribution of luxury cars and XNUMXxXNUMXs from around the world by General Motors linked through a network of premium dealerships in Australia.
Cadillac's plan was revealed over two years ago and looked wildly ambitious at the time. There was nothing international about the Cadillac family, despite promises of a new generation of global vehicles that would operate in Australia.
The first of the global Cadillacs is the second-generation CTS - for a compact touring sedan - and it was announced to the Australian press last week while driving from San Diego to Palm Springs, California.
It made a strong impression, from bold styling to spacious interior and enjoyable driving experience, and proved Cadillac's global approach to development.
As far as is known, Cadillac vehicles have not been sold in Australia by an official importer for over 70 years. There were Caddies on the roads, mostly creepy '70s limousines, but they were grandpa's cars, ugly in every way.
CTS chief program engineer Liz Pilibosian knows all about the intricacies of building something special and says Cadillac has made fundamental changes.
“We are in the game now. It was a global car from the very beginning,” she says.
“It's much easier to start from the beginning. Less need to redo something.
“You have to make sure you are satisfying your global customers. And you need to understand them."
So, who will buy the CTS sedan or the CTS wagon and coupe that will eventually follow?
“He is a wealthy buyer in a country like Japan or China, but in America he is a middle-class person, and probably the same in Australia,” Pilibosyan says. “This is for an entrepreneur, for a promising person. They need more than just transportation."
She says the CTS has always been conceived as a European-style car, despite its aggressively American design. This meant the total commitment of over 500 people working on the program.
“The biggest challenge was designing the car while maintaining style,” she says. “We had to make sure we emulate the designs we were given, and that doesn't always happen.
“We mainly worked on two vehicles, the previous generation BMW 5 Series, in terms of steering, handling and ride. And we turned to Audi for the fit and finish.”
So the shape is the same as the CTS concept car unveiled at last year's Detroit auto show, while the mechanicals are built around a 3.6-liter V6 engine, six-speed automatic transmission, rear-wheel drive and a spacious four-seat interior. .
The engine is basically the same as the one used in the VE Commodore, but features high-pressure direct injection and other tweaks to push the power up to 227kW and 370Nm.
The chassis features a wide-gauge layout with independent control in all corners - with two suspension settings - and has switchable electronic stability control and anti-skid brakes.
The safety package consists of six airbags, though the expensive pedestrian-friendly bonnet won't make it to Australia. The car is also available with keyless entry, a Bose audio system with 40GB hard drive, LED interior lighting and more.
Satnav is US-friendly but won't be here due to map conflicts. 2009 model year cars will land here with shift paddles and some other tweaks.
Parveen Batish, head of GM Premium Brands Australia, says: “We haven't finalized either the specification or the price yet. This will happen closer to the date of sale.”
Work on the CTS continues, with new features and a strong focus on safety.
Pilibosyan says she intends to make the '09 model even better.
But she's happy with what the Cadillac team has produced and is looking forward to the next full makeover of the CTS.
“There is always room for improvement. The current car is really close to 10, which is what we wanted. But I know what I will do in the next program,” she says.
ON THE ROADS
The CTS is a very, very good car. We said it there. We landed in the US with low expectations and some baggage from earlier Cadillacs, but the CTS changed us. Fast.
It only took 5km and a couple of tight turns to realize that the chassis is taut and responsive, the steering is completely un-American, and the finish is taut. Looks good, nothing creaks or rattles.
The upgraded V6 rumbles like a diesel at idle, which means an impressive noise reduction package, but it really gets along. It feels more like a V8 from a standstill, and the six-speed automatic is smooth and has well-spaced gear ratios.
Just as well considering the likely price, the cabin is spacious with good space for tall people in the back, and there's plenty of equipment including a powerful sound system and even a built-in garage door opener.
The ride is docile and smooth, but still with good control, although the FE2 and FE3's suspension choices are divided.
The CTS handles smooth and refined on the freeways when using the FE2's slightly softer suspension settings, but the FE3's sport package meant some hitting potholes and broken surfaces. Both are good on twisty roads, with slightly more grip and response from the FE3 setting.
CTS is not perfect. The fit and finish isn't up to the level of a Lexus or an Audi, but Pilibosyan quickly finds flaws and promises to investigate and improve. It can't do anything about the limited rear view, but the car has a parking aid.
So there is much to love and little to criticize, at least until we know the final pricing and specs for Australia.
And one thing's for sure, it's not your grandfather's Caddy.
INSIDE VIEW
Cadillac CTS
ON SALE: estimated October
PRICE: approximately $75,000
ENGINE: 3.6-liter direct-injection V6
FOOD: 227kW at 6300 rpm
MOMENT: 370 Nm at 5200 rpm.
TRANSMISSION: six-speed automatic, rear-wheel drive
ECONOMY: Not available
SECURITY: front, side and curtain airbags, electronic stability control, anti-skid brakes
CTS-V NOT SUITABLE FOR AUSTRALIA
The king of the Cadillac hill - the super-hot CTS-V (right), which claims to be the world's fastest four-door sedan - will not be coming to Australia.
As with many American cars, the steering wheel is on the wrong side and cannot be changed.
But unlike heavyweights like the Ford F150 and Dodge Ram, the CTS's problem comes down to engineering, not just neglect in planning.
“Once we installed the 6.2-liter V8 and attached the supercharger to it, we ran out of real estate,” says General Motors product manager Bob Lutz.
Its mechanical package includes a magnetic suspension control system, Brembo six-piston disc brakes and Michelin Pilot Sport 2 tires.
However, the key is the engine: a supercharged V8 with either a six-speed manual or a six-speed automatic sending power to the rear wheels. The bottom line is 410kW and 745Nm.
But Lutz, always an optimist, thinks Holden Special Vehicles has the potential to set up a faster CTS for Australia.
“Talk to the HSV. I'm sure they'll come up with something," he says.
ATTRACTIVE CONCEPT
Two bold new concept vehicles point the way to Cadillac's future. They couldn't be more different - an all-wheel drive family station wagon and a two-door coupe - but they share the same design direction and youthful approach to the automotive world.
And both are hitting the road and could easily join the Cadillac product offensive in Australia.
The CTS Coupe concept is second to none in the Detroit 08 and points to a new style of two-door headlining, with as many angles and edges as the curves on most coupes.
It was announced with a turbodiesel engine but will get the V6 petrol engine used in the CTS sedan and the rest of its running gear.
The Provoq was unveiled as a fuel cell electric vehicle at the show, but its real purpose is to attract young families to the Cadillac family station wagon.
It features GM's E-Flex drive system, which uses electric power along with the gasoline engine as a "range extender".
But the body and cabin have much more work to do.
And it will definitely come to Australia as a hidden twin of the prestigious Saab 9-4X station wagon.
