BigMike

I agree with the above post by Waco... I hate their interiors!!! Just like the H2- c'mon, why won't US car makers spend more attention and improve the quality of their interiors...?

seoulman

On a business trip to the U.S. a few months ago, my rental car was a Cadillac CTS-V. I'll admit that I've been quick to criticize and/or shoot down American cars in a proverbial tirade, but with the CTS-V, I was mightily impressed by this Caddy. Although the pushrod OHV engine in this car is from the dinosaur era, dynamically, the car was great! I know I may be painting a target on my back for saying this, but IMO, the car impressed me. Perhaps it was because I was expecting it to be another American hotrod that only was good in a straight line. Maybe it was because all my experiences in American cars, including the Corvette ended up being caustic. However, the CTS-V in terms of performance the car put a monstrous smile on my face. Not quiet as big as when I drove an M5 (I am a BMW fan and this is a BMW E60 forum) mind you, but it made me smile nonetheless.

Having said this, a few things I'd like to point out. As mentioned a few times above, the interior of the CTS-V and in part most/all American cars are somewhat bargain basement. Even in the higher priced models! Look at the Corvette. Cadillac was very vocal in the fact that they benchmarked the best Euro performance sedans when making the CTS-V. Evidenced by their adamant fixation with the CTS-V's Nurburgring lap time. And they did a good job, but they've had lots of time and great examples to copy, I mean follow! On the flip side of the coin, the CTS-V is much cheaper than the M5, but the M5 came out much earlier, and much more technology went into the M5.

Let's see what happens when the F10 version of the M5 comes out. However, in the never ending battle for supremacy in the high performance car space. The consumers win!

calpalmer

Judged to be too expensive for the market.... mass produced throw-away numbness of the American consumer, who'll only have the car 2 years anyway. Then on to The Next Big Thing!

My535i

The interior of the NEW CTS cars is actually quite nice. MUCH nicer than the older/previous CTS. The CTS-V can be had with gorgeous custom Recaros. I still am a huge fan of german interiors that's why I ended up going with the E60 but the latest Caddy CTS interior is quite nice, fit and finish is excellent...if you get a chance to look at one in person you will probably agree.

pennetta

The sum of Cadillac's parts was faster than the sum of the M5's parts.
We are forunate that Caddy has pushed the envelope because it will make BMW push the envelope again.

Member545

I rented the Corvette ZHZ over the weekend and the interior has not improved. The removable roof panel was squeeking like crazy, I took if off and stowed it in the back and it squeeked from there as well!
Fast as hell though, 436HP. I wonder if the optional interior is any better.

SCWells72

As someone above noted, there are two generations of the CTS-v. The first-generation CTS-v was very similar to the previous-generation M5 on paper with a naturally-aspirated Z06-derived V8 making 400HP. It had a chintzy interior and a rubbery shifter, but it was definitely a fun car to drive and made fantastic sounds when pushed! One of my friends drives one and has let me give it a whirl a few times, and to me it feels very similar to the previous M5 in terms of driving dynamics.

This is the new CTS-v that's based on the new CTS, and frankly its interior is close to best-in-class (these things being subjective, of course). Very high quality materials, great layout, intuitive and useful electronics, etc. Add to that a supercharged V8 making 550HP, heavy duty brakes, and apparently a vastly improved shifter, and it's a heck of an overall deal for the $$$.

Look here for pictures, specs, etc., before writing it off as typical American schlock.

I'm still not entirely sold on the exterior personally, though this generation looks much better than the first-generation CTS-v to me. When the time comes to replace my current car (2004 Audi S4 6MT), a slightly used second-generation CTS-v will likely be a contender along with a slightly used M5/550i/535i, a slightly used (or perhaps new) M3 sedan, and a slightly used RS4. Of course, with gas prices being where they are, cars like this are the gifts that keep on taking!

swajames

The car you drove isn't the car that won this test. It's not yet available. The old CTS-V was a good car as you say, but the new one is a significantly different car to the prior model and is a leap ahead in terms of performance.

swajames

Dead on - I agree

swajames

Again - dead on.