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Cadillac CTS-V

There's been a lot of Cadillac bashing going 'round lately. Some of it has been unfair, and some not wholly undeserved. In all fairness, Cadillacs of late have fallen somewhat short of setting new benchmarks for the world, if not Florida retirement communities and golf ranges everywhere. But it's all been turning about lately. The beautiful sixteen-cylinder Sixteen luxury sedan at the 2003 Detroit Auto Show elicited its fair share of ooooooh's and aaaaaah's, capping several years' efforts of ho-hum concept cars (can you say Imaj?) and stunning near production sportsters. To add some more production spice to the pot, Cadillac's CTS V-Series, to be built alongside the new SRX and the upcoming STS, will be the most powerful production car ever in its line-up, and a darn quick sedan to boot.

Squeezing the Corvette Z06's 5.7-litre LS6 V8 under the hood of the CTS-V must have been quite a feat for Caddy's engineers (what, no engine in the trunk?): after all, 400 horsepower and 390 pounding feet of torque will win you street cred anywhere, even in M5 alley. Transmitting the fury to the rear wheels (a welcome nod to European engineering practices) is taken care of by a Tremec T56 six-speed manual transmission, and a limited-slip rear axle with a 3.73:1 final drive.

That the V will also be able to handle (if worse comes to worse, and the road has a turn) is an added bonus. Cadillac has sent the V to the Nürburgring for training, which is a more apt testing venue than Michigan's, ahem, mirror smooth roads for reasons known only to Cadillac. StabiliTrak - which applies the brakes to individual wheels in order to match the car's motions to the driver's intentions - is standard equipment, and includes four modes of operation, including one for the track. Cadillac will also hook you up with new shock absorbers with stiffer springs, new stabilizer bars and factory-pimp 18-inch wheels with Goodyear tires.

Overall, despite anyone's reservations about or prejudices against GM products, one must admit the CTS V-Series is quite a piece of work. It will be impressive not only at Bingo night, but might even surprise drivers of decidedly high-end German iron like the Audi S4 and BMW M3. - by Traian Popescu

Specifications

Base Price, USD	51,295	Engine Type	16-valve OHV V8
Powertrain Layout	Front engine, RWD	Displacement, cc	5665
Horsepower@rpm	400@6000	Torque, lb-ft@rpm	395@4800
Curb Weight, lb	3847	0-60 mph, sec	4.7
1/4 mile, sec@mph	13.2@109	700 ft slalom, mph	66.0
60-0 mph, ft	121	Top speed, mph	155