Category Archives: CTS

The Surprising Result of Test Drives

Posted on by
2

Recently I have done weekend test drives of the Cadillac CTS-V, the Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon, the Cadillac Escalade ESV, and the Cadillac SRX 3L.  You can find all of my test drives under the ‘Test Drive‘ tag.

I have enjoyed each vehicle.  A part of testing each vehicle is trying to understand that individual design, what the Design Team had in mind, who the target audience for the vehicle is.    With the Cadillac CTS-V, I fit within the demographic that the team is targeting.   People who want maximum sport, with all the luxury appointments of a Cadillac.   That one was easy for me to ‘get’ and to understand.

The Cadillac Escalade ESV offers amazing space and storage ability, along with 3 rows of seating.  It is a terrific vehicle for when you need to tow, or carry a large family, or frequently carry large items.  It drives well, and is extremely well mannered regardless of size, but especially for a large vehicle.

The Cadillac Sport Wagon offers the feel of the sedan — lower weight, lower center of gravity, more sporty handling — while providing easy access storage space and utility.  The Cadillac Team has carefully engineered the cargo storage and seat configurations with actual uses of the Sport Wagon in mind.

The Cadillac SRX was a real surprise to me.  The inherent goodness of this vehicle is very high.  The package as a whole is delightful.   Integration of a digital display in the dash, along with thoughtful features like folding mirrors and predictive pathing on the back up camera display push this Cadillac very high on my list of desirable vehicles.  Before I drove one, I was pleased that the SRX was selling well for Cadillac, but would never consider it as a daily driver.  After driving one, I not only appreciate why they sell so well, but would consider purchasing one.

And therein lies the interesting side-effect of my test drives.  My palate is expanding.  I have come to appreciate an even wider variety of Cadillac designs and choices.  While I am fond of pointing out that “every Cadillac does not have to be a CTS-V”, now I feel that more than ever.

I have been shopping for a low-mile 2008 Cadillac STS-V as my next vehicle.   Now I plan to consider a low-mile 2009 Cadillac CTS Premium Model as well until the 2009 Cadillac CTS-V prices come down to my budget.  Before I valued the V-series packaging and absolute acceleration/braking/cornering; now I appreciate the balanced packaging of the current Cadillac line.

Specifying Performance for the Cadillac CTS

Posted on by
Reply

I have written about my recommended engines for the Cadillac CTS — I would like to see the LLT DI 3.6L 304hp V6 as the Standard Engine, and the L94 or LS3 403 or 426 hp V8s as the Performance/Premium powerplant.

Let’s put these more in performance specification form.

2010 Cadillac CTS

The Current top non-V CTS Performance Sedan will go 0-60 mph in 6.3-6.5 sec, and corner at 0.87-0.9 g on a 200 ft skidpad.   The base CTS sedan with 270 hp V6 is a bit slower and does not corner quite as well; so say 0-60 mph in 7 sec and 0.83-0.85 on a 200 ft skidpad.

I would like to see the current Performance Sedan as the ‘base’ model.  The counter-argument is that some people want the fuel economy of the 3L and are not that focused on Performance, so I am willing to compromise on this point.

For a CTS Performance Sedan with sizzling performance in today’s market Cadillac needs to attain 0-60 in under 5.5 sec, and a consistent skidpad result above 0.9g.  I believe that the easiest way to get there is to put in one of their current excellent off the shelf V8s, but I would be equally happy with a forced induction V6 that brings the power.

The skidpad / cornering issue is weight.  Until the next CTS refresh that seems fixed.  What can be altered is adding more rubber.

With the retirement of the STS this year, now would be a good time to bring the MR suspension to the CTS Performance sedan.  With the right tires and the right tuning that should keep it over 0.9g on the skidpad.

A true CTS Performance Sedan with 0-60 in under 5.5 sec and that corners at 0.9g would still not match the super car CTS-V performance, but it would be a terrific value and aspirational model at its current price point.

Performance Tires vs Performance Suspension?

Posted on by
Reply

I am hard on tires.  I enjoy driving safely but accelerating briskly from a stop, and not slowing down for corners.    In fact, an ideal passage through a corner is if you hit the apex and just scrub off enough speed to keep the car on track.   That process, scrubbing off enough speed, is part of the problem, because it also tends to means shorter tire life.

As I once mentioned to a friend, if the tires are not squealing as you proceed through the corner, you are not challenging the car.

My current 2005 Cadillac CTS 3.6L has the FE1 (soft) suspension, and the same size wheels and tires all the way around, 225/55R16s.    The car came with Goodyear tires, which I replaced with some take-off OEM Goodyear tires which then were replaced with some Kumho’s and now I have some Continental Touring tires on it.  You begin to see the problem.

Further complicating my planning is that the current performance Cadillacs have staggered wheels/tires, so the rear wheels and tires are larger than the front wheels and tires.  So one cannot rotate the tires front to rear, thus extending the life a bit.

But a key issue is that while the tires on the 2005 Cadillac CTS tend to cost around $110 each, modern high performance tires as used on the V-series tend to run $200-250 each.  Yes, they are great tires.  Yes, they put up great skidpad numbers and help acceleration.  Yes, they are expensive.  And if you are a frequent tire buyer (which I prefer to tire addict) then the expensive part can come up a lot.

Now, I have considered that part of the problem is in fact the FE1 suspension is not designed for the more sporty driving, but is designed for more comfort.  So if I move to a Cadillac that was designed with the expectation of more cornering it perhaps would lead to less tire wear.  I keep trying to find comfort in that line of thought at least.

Meanwhile, I probably need to start saving up for new tires.