It perhaps also gave some of the other brands a few grey hairs, as it placed the Cadillac brand squarely into their market segment.
I'm not joking here. I'm talking about companies like BMW, Audi, Jaguar, and several of the high-end Japanese manufacturers who, never in their wildest dreams, expected to be in sports sedan competition with a company like Cadillac!
Well, now they are, and with the 08 CTS starting at under $40,000, I'd say that they deserve to be a little nervous.
My tester was the RWD version (it also comes in AWD), with the 3.6 litre V6 SIDI motor. This engine produces 304hp, and when coupled to a slick 6 speed automatic transmission, it moves! In fact, at the recent AJAC COTY TestFest, the AWD version returned a 0-60 mph time of 7.2 seconds. Thinking back, I can remember when the VW Gti and even the 944 Porsche struggled to obtain those kinds of numbers.
Another point worth mentioning is that the fuel figures of 12.5 City / 7.5 Hwy / 10.1 L/100kms combined are not too shabby, and also, unlike many of its competitors, the CTS can operate on plain old regular gasoline.
Now we all know that the CTS is very distinctive and quite stunning from the outside, and the minor external add-ons for this model year, like the stylish side vents, certainly add to this. However, it was the vehicle's interior which truly impressed me.
As soon as you step into the CTS, you feel like you're in a true luxury sports sedan. The cockpit wraps around you and the dashboard configuration is wonderful. Many have said that the Cadillac layout looks similar to some other manufacturers, one such named was Acura.
Yes, I can possibly see a little bit of that in there, but be fair now, the Japanese car companies have been borrowing design ideas for years now from everyone, and with so many vehicle out there nowadays, how can anyone realistically come up with anything which doesn't remotely resemble someone else's work?
I'm not joking here. I'm talking about companies like BMW, Audi, Jaguar, and several of the high-end Japanese manufacturers who, never in their wildest dreams, expected to be in sports sedan competition with a company like Cadillac!
Well, now they are, and with the 08 CTS starting at under $40,000, I'd say that they deserve to be a little nervous.
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| A beauty of design and engineering. |
My tester was the RWD version (it also comes in AWD), with the 3.6 litre V6 SIDI motor. This engine produces 304hp, and when coupled to a slick 6 speed automatic transmission, it moves! In fact, at the recent AJAC COTY TestFest, the AWD version returned a 0-60 mph time of 7.2 seconds. Thinking back, I can remember when the VW Gti and even the 944 Porsche struggled to obtain those kinds of numbers.
Another point worth mentioning is that the fuel figures of 12.5 City / 7.5 Hwy / 10.1 L/100kms combined are not too shabby, and also, unlike many of its competitors, the CTS can operate on plain old regular gasoline.
Now we all know that the CTS is very distinctive and quite stunning from the outside, and the minor external add-ons for this model year, like the stylish side vents, certainly add to this. However, it was the vehicle's interior which truly impressed me.
As soon as you step into the CTS, you feel like you're in a true luxury sports sedan. The cockpit wraps around you and the dashboard configuration is wonderful. Many have said that the Cadillac layout looks similar to some other manufacturers, one such named was Acura.
Yes, I can possibly see a little bit of that in there, but be fair now, the Japanese car companies have been borrowing design ideas for years now from everyone, and with so many vehicle out there nowadays, how can anyone realistically come up with anything which doesn't remotely resemble someone else's work?
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| Interior is lovely and practical too. |