2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe First Impressions

There is no doubt that with the current CTS sedan, Cadillac succeeded in bringing their compact sports-luxury sedan within reach of the segment’s best, notably the BMW 3-Series, the Infiniti G and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class.

The CTS Coupe looks virtually identical to the show car. (Photo: Matthieu Lambert/Auto123.com)

But since many of these rivals offer a coupe version of their small sedans, Cadillac would normally benefit from following suit. That is, if they feel the need for a two-door vehicle in their line-up, which they currently don’t have.

So the CTS Coupe was born. Presented on the auto show circuit in 2008, the car drew praise for its spectacular show-car shape. The production version of the CTS Coupe looks virtually identical to the concept car.

Set foot in the CTS Coupe, and you’ll notice something peculiar resting on the floor, beside the door. It seems like a lever, so in my natural curious self, I pull on it; I was expecting to be shot out the roof of the car, strapped to the seat and slowly come back down under a deployed parachute. Instead, the door opened.

You see, to open the doors, there are no handles like you usually see in a car, but pushbuttons. You can’t open the door with the button when the car is in gear, but you can with the ‘emergency’ pull handle in plain view on the floor. Why didn’t they just put a conventional handle on the door like any other car, I don’t know. The doors open with a button on the outside too, which partially explains it.

Anyhow, the car’s dashboard is identical to the CTS sedan’s, with the same quality finish, the same navigation screen that pops out of the dash, and the same straightforward centre stack button layout; the split temperature displays for the driver and passenger, which are located at knee height, still draw mixed opinions.

The front seats have power-adjustment controls near their headrests to help access the back seat. Once you climb in and sit down, you’ll instantly notice that designers forgot that humans still have heads, and you have to tilt yours forward because there’s a lack of headroom. Then again, many compact coupes have this shortcoming, so it’s nothing new and not much of a surprise.

The CTS Coupe rides on the same wheelbase as the sedan, and mechanically, there isn’t much difference, so the car’s handling is familiar; dynamic but not overly sporty, a little body roll, and a slightly harsh ride on bumpy surfaces.

The CTS Coupe rides on the same wheelbase as the sedan, and mechanically, there isn’t much difference. (Photo: Matthieu Lambert/Auto123.com)