I still remember the scene from an assignment years ago when I was sent to a sprawling retirement community in Arizona. Some residents drove golf carts at frightening speeds, while others clutched the steering wheels of large Cadillacs and crept along the streets.
But that was then, and today's test car - the 2008 Cadillac CTS - is now. It's a far different Cadillac from the ones I saw in Arizona, and it's being snapped up by a different type of driver. The CTS set off one of the finest transformations in the auto industry when it was introduced six years ago. Edgy, sharp-lined, and with an emphasis on performance, it was a car you might consider after driving, say, a BMW 3 Series. This Cadillac does not play second fiddle.
General Motors Corp. has learned from the European makers of high-performance luxury cars. Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz often head for the treacherous 14-mile Nurburgring Nordschleife in the Eifel Mountains of Germany to test their cars. It's how they produced the adaptable and adjustable Sigma architecture upon which the CTS is based.
But atop any platform, you need the come-hither look, be it for sport, rough roads, gentle cruising, or utility. This Cadillac redefines the old edginess in a bold way. Crouched low in front, and with a short, sassy tail, it creates a wedge look. And in an especially striking design notion, the small rear spoiler atop the trunk is also a stoplight. Nine-spoke wheels beneath flared wheel wells look muscular. So does the ridge above the rocker panel, rising front-to-rear, that redefines the outside shape. Up front, vertical headlamps and orange turn signals look like slit pupils, while beady-eyed fog lamps gleam below.
Below the bumper, the crisscross grille is matched by an air induction slit, and a black spoiler at the lowest point looks ready to suck up the highway. Particularly striking are the gills - silver metal heat vents cut into the front quarter panels just ahead of the doors.
The interior reflects what Bob Lutz, GM's vice president, proclaimed as a mission when he came on board six years ago. You would not have found this fit and finish in a GM product 10 years ago (and look for it in the new Malibu).
A silver waterfall control panel flows gracefully to the center console at the shifter. It has large knobs and buttons for audio, climate, navigation, and other functions. Parsing their purpose is intuitive.
Air/heat vents on the outboard sides of the dash are matched by scuplted curves that spread away from the console toward the doors, and give the front seat area a tight cockpit feel. Finely stitched black leather adorns the dash; burl wood inserts are the step-over line to stitched tan leathers at the door panels.
The basic engine is a 3.6-liter V-6 with 258 horsepower. But feed that engine and directly inject the fuel, among other tricks, and you are playing with more than 300 horsepower, as we did in our test model. What is striking about the engine's performance is that much of its total torque (273 lb.-ft.) feels available not long after you cross into the four-digit rpm range. It holds and expands to just beyond 5,000 rpms.
Available transmissions include a six-speed manual and six-speed automatic (with manual mode). We drove the automatic, but from what I've read about the manual, the automatic is the way to go. And that comes from someone who loves to drive a manual. The car is also available with an all-wheel-drive system - in automatic mode - that runs 75 percent rear usually, but can send all power forward if needed. Indeed, the Hydromatic GM transmission is seamless for everyday driving, while the shift to manual option puts it into sport mode. That lets the driver decide, and even blips the gas, a racing technique that keeps the rear from locking in downshifts at high speed.
Interior space is, well, spacious, fore and aft, and the short trunk lid is deceptive because it meets a sharply raked rear window. The lid and the window define ample space beneath for cargo, and the rear seats fold away from the trunk for more space if needed.
Six years ago, Cadillac had to redefine itself. This was the start of a transformation. This latest advancement is even bolder.
By Royal Ford.
© Copyright 2007 Globe Newspaper Company.
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