Cadillac is hoping to radically revise its image with new midsize CTS-V debuting at the Detroit Auto Show next month. The high performance sedan is anything but the classic Caddy boulevard cruiser, with its supercharged 6.2-liter, 640-horsepower V-8 and track-tuned suspension.
That’s more than BMW’s vaunted M5 Autobahn-burner and just 10-hp less than General Motors’ new Chevrolet Corvette Z06. It’s also enough to launch the new 2016 Cadillac CTS-V from 0 to 60 in just 3.7 seconds and blast it through the 200 mph barrier normally reserved for exotic European imports.
The newest of Cadillac’s V-Series performance models features a Ferrari-like magnetic ride control suspension, Brembo brakes and a Launch Control system designed to ensure a neck-snapping take-off. But it also has plenty of classic Caddy creature comforts, including 20-way adjustable power seats, an audiophile Bose sound system, a wireless cellphone charger, 4G LTE WiFi connectivity, and even a new curbside camera to keep you from scraping up those Michelin sport tires and wheels.
The 2016 Cadillac CTS-V will roll into U.S. showrooms next summer, a few months after the launch of the smaller Caddy ATS-V model.
-- Paul A. Eisenstein, The Detroit Bureau