Auto Car | 2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe First Drive Review | Although most Cadillac vehicles still have a way to go to satisfy as drivers’ machines, the second-generation CTS has appeared on our past three 10Best lists. In awarding its 2010 trophy, we called it “maybe the best American car ever made.” High praise, and its combination of unapologetically brash styling, modern luxury, and strong performance credentials especially in high-po V spec backs it up. For 2011, the new CTS coupe joins the sedan and wagon, adding more style and a higher concentration of performance to the CTS’s winning formula. The CTS coupe is one of those cars that love the camera, and it’s no less stunning in the flesh.
Walking around the car, one notices several aspects of the design easily missed in photographs, such as the parallel “light catcher” lines helping to break up the tall body sides, the tastefully glitzy twin center-mounted tailpipes, the remarkably seamless-looking joint between the body-side stamping and the roof, and the center spine that travels all the way back over the car’s huge rump. The windshield is two degrees “faster” up front than the sedan’s, and the razor-sharp taillamps and the CHMSL spoiler also have aerodynamic-enhancing properties. The only unfortunate bits are credit-card-sized spacer panels above the recessed, solenoid-actuated door releases; they mar an otherwise perfect waistline. In any case, there is visual drama from every angle, and it works.
Inside, most CTS sedan components are imported without change, although the mood is intensified due to a lower mounting point for the seats, dropping occupants roughly an inch lower into the dash and console architecture. The window sills are high, making arm-out-the-window cruising a bit awkward, but surprisingly, the super-high rear end doesn’t gobble up every shred of rearward vision. It feels purposeful, and we found ourselves very comfortable during our drive.CTS coupe pricing starts at $38,990 for the rear-wheel-drive model equipped with the automatic, rear park assist, power seats, 18-inch wheels, keyless operation, and a Bose sound system. Selecting the manual transmission gives a $1300 saving but requires the $2090 summer-tire performance package.
The $43,430 Performance Collection model adds HID headlights, leather seats, and a surround-sound stereo with a 40-gig hard drive and USB input. Jump up to the $47,835 Premium Collection, and enjoy ambient interior lighting, heated and cooled front seats, a heated steering wheel, genuine wood trim, a rearview camera, and navigation. All-wheel drive is a $1900 option. For comparison, a rear-drive BMW 335i coupe starts at $45,000 or so and will run well over $50,000 with similar equipment. Soon after launch, the CTS-V coupe will arrive with its monstrous 556-hp, 6.2-liter supercharged V-8. It will run a rather reasonable (for the performance) $62,990, and it comes with Brembo brakes, magnetorheological adaptive shocks, and 19-inch wheels with performance tires. The standard and V CTS coupes will be heavily featured in upcoming advertising; Cadillac tells us the brand intends to display more bravado in relaying the virtues of its cars. Given the goodness of the CTS sedan and wagon, and now this coupe—and provided the upcoming XTS, ATS, and flagship models can display the same sort of competence—we’d say Cadillac deserves to thump its chest a bit.
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