2008 Cadillac CTS

By Benjamin Cyr

Another winner for Cadillac

Cadillac has been wowing me for several years now and I am not alone. Consumers today think differently about the famous name and for good reason; the entire fleet is on a new path. Gone are the days of huge luxury cars lacking in freshness and modern know-how. Cadillac currently leads in futuristic design and cutting edge technology. If you liked the first generation CTS’s, you’ll love the new one.

Lovelier and more impressive

The CTS 2008 simply cannot go unnoticed. The imposing grille and the modern lines highlight the evolution since the first CTS were sold from 2003 to 2007. The impressive look comes not only from the design but also from its sheer size. Smaller than the big sister, the STS, the fact remains that the driving experience is similar once inside. There’s ample volume and those in the rear will not complain about leg cramps. Great space allocation and a far cry from the narrow rear seats in the Lexus IS or the BMW 3 series.

Unfortunately, bigger means heavier, and this Caddy confirms it. Our tryout version, powered by a fuel injection 3, 6 litre engine with-wheel drive (available for the first time in the CTS) weighed 1870 kilograms! The front-wheel drive version, alone, weighs 1780kg.

The latest in motorization

For the time being, two engines are available; the V6, 3.6 litre with 263hp and 253 pound-feet of torque and the fuel injected 3.6 at 304hp with 273 pound-feet of torque. Both have six-gear automatic or manual transmissions. If you want all-wheel drive, however, like our tryout, you’ll have to forgo the manual box. Performance pleases but does not bowl you over. As we mentioned earlier, the total weight of the vehicle affects acceleration, in gear or not and also road adhesion. Don’t, however, draw hasty conclusions because there’s more; The GM engineers (or Cadillac if you prefer) have designed a truly stable vehicle with good handling. Our trial version included the optional FE2 suspension which offers a compromise between cruising comfort and steadiness in the turns due in no small part to the 18 inch wheels. Even so, you feel the weight in the turns when it struggles with balance near the adhesion limit. The front end becomes heavy (under steering) and so does manoeuvrability.
The rigidity of the platform ups driving pleasure as does the precision steering, although it could communicate a little more.

Powerful braking make stopping distances become extremely short. Surprising, given the Apart from these, the CTS performs very well. The rigidity of the platform adds to driving weight! For the edge seekers, a sport suspension called FE3 rolling on high performance 18 inch tires is available. It helps with under steering and road handling in general.