To paraphrase a now-defunct GM ad slogan, today’s Cadillac is not your father’s Cadillac. Gone are the ones that you had to moor instead of park and that had no connection to the road. Today’s models offer aggressive, edgy styling, a firm yet comfortable suspension, efficient 4- and 6-cylinder engines and the latest in automotive technology. The CTS is the car that led Cadillac’s renaissance, and in its latest iteration, it grows a bit to offer mid-sized luxury, performance and practicality.
Luxury features abound, and an 8-inch touchscreen on the center console controls audio, navigation, climate, car systems and myriad other functions. Apple CarPlay allows you to sync your iPhone and control functions. Heated and cooled leather seats are comfortable, and split-folding rear seats offer decent leg room. The trunk is large and deep. An Ultravue sunroof is huge and extends over the front and rear seats.
The CTS offers a glimpse of the future with multiple features, including V2V communication technology, which alerts you when another V2V-equipped car that is out of sight brakes hard, is disabled, is in a crash or is experiencing a slippery road. Warnings appear as gauge cluster message alerts, sounds or even rumbles from an available Safety Alert Seat. A heads-up display projects speed, speed limit and other information on your windshield, and the rear view mirror streams HD video from the rear of the car, offering a wider, less obstructed view.
One of the surest ways to know this isn’t your father’s Cadillac is the 4-cylinder engine. It boasts half the number of cylinders of past Cadillacs, but with turbocharging and modern fuel delivery systems, the four-banger is up to the task of marshaling this mid-sized Caddy down the road with sufficient power. Amazingly, power is close to an old V8, or at least a V6, but gas mileage is economic, thanks in part to automatic stop/start at stoplights. If you require a bit more gusto, a 3.6-litre V6 with 335 horsepower is available. In sport mode, the suspension, steering and gear box are pretty tight. The wafty sailboat handling of yore is gone thanks to magnetic ride control that automatically adjusts the suspension to road and weather conditions. Braking is equally up to the task. In pure automatic mode, transmission shifts are as smooth as you’d expect in a Cadillac, but there is a slight hesitation if you employ the paddle shifters.
Available safety technology includes stability control, lane change alert with blind zone and forward collision alert, lane departure warning and more. If the car senses you’re about to do something stupid, it will flash an alert on the windshield and make your seat vibrate (presumably to jostle your brain).
No longer solely the purview of the Social Security crowd, the Cadillac CTS is a legitimate American competitor to the best mid-sized luxury sedans from Europe and Japan. According to Bill Pastor, sales manager at Elco Cadillac in Ellisville, “The CTS has bold, athletic styling and a sleek, aggressive stance. I really like the performance of the 2-litre turbo and the 3.6-litre V6.”
cadillac cts luxury
price
Base: $54,500, including delivery
As driven with options: $55,500
gas mileage
City: 21; highway: 29
drivetrain
front engine, all-wheel drive, 2-litre turbo, 4-cylinder engine, 268 horsepower, 8-speed automatic transmission
Robert Paster (robertpaster.com) is also an attorney in private practice, concentrating in estate planning and probate.