Why Cadillac?

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People ask me, “Why Cadillac?”

I often respond with a rambling if thoughtful analysis. I want to tighten that into a pithy and persuasive response.

Cadillac is the ultimate expression of the American Grand Touring machine.

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Driving my V-Series Cadillac is the equivalent to dating a Super Model who is also an Olympic athelete, a trained masseuse, a great dancer, has a great personality, and comes from a good family.

I enjoy my Cadillac because it focuses my sensibilities on finer details.

Cadillac is the essence of luxury performance — grace, power, and style in a finely made American automobile.

What do you think — Why Cadillac? Hit the comments!

Roadtrip in Gas Stop Tweets

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Roadtrip! As we traveled from Texas to South Carolina I tweeted our progress at gas or food stops. The Cadillac STS-V is a great touring car — plenty of room, gobs of power. It is a fun car to drive which makes long trips better. The STS-V has the 4.4L supercharged Northstar engine , making 469 hp and 440 lb ft of torque stock, or around 500 crank hp with intake and exhaust as my car has.

First gas stp on the road near Longview.

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Unfortunate selection of places to stop; in Louisiana.
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We had 340 miles done by this pic, with 840 to go.
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340 miles to go. Feels downhill from here but starting to be a long day. It rained along the way so the V needs a good wash.
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Only 65 miles to go! Nothing was open by this time. Everyone needed a stop but after midnight only the gas pumps were on. Even the Mcdonalds was drivethrough lane only.

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Shot from the stairs above the V while unpacking after arriving safely in South Carolina. We saw lots of deer on the way along highway 17 so that added excitement (!)
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2014 Cadillac CTS 420 HP TTV6 even Quicker than Predicted?

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0-60 mph in 4.6 sec is the spec Cadillac quoted for the TTV6 in the 2014 CTS.

See: Cadillac 3.6L Twin-Turbo V6 Official Info Released!

2014 3.6L V-6 VVT DI Twin Turbo (LF3) for Cadillac CTS

2014 3.6L V-6 VVT DI Twin Turbo (LF3) for Cadillac CTS

We don’t know all the facts on the new 2014 Cadillac CTS until the full announcement on Tuesday.  We do know that it is the next gen CTS and on the Alpha platform.  In other words, it is a longer, larger, up-line model on the same chassis as the new Cadillac ATS.

The ATS famously weighs ~3,400 lbs.  The current CTS weighs 3,860 lbs.  It is logical to expect the new CTS will weigh more than an ATS, because it is larger, and less than a CTS, because it is on the new lighter platform.  So that puts it around 3,600-3,700 lbs?

I put the stats we do know — the engine info, transmission info, and current weight of the CTS at 3,860 into Cartest2000.

Cartest2000 2014 Cadillac CTS TTV6 notional specs

Cartest2000 2014 Cadillac CTS TTV6 notional specs

I then asked for a comparison side by side with a 2009 Cadillac CTS-V supercar — with 556 hp supercharged 6.2L and weighing 4,292 lbs.

Car 1 2014 CTS TTV6 Car 2 2011 CTS-V Coupe

Car 1 2014 CTS TTV6
Car 2 2011 CTS-V Coupe

Cadillac says the 2nd gen CTS-V (2009-current) will hit 0-60 in 3.9 Sec, and the 2014 CTS TTV6 in 4.6 sec. We also know that the CTS-V tests very well — which suggests that the new CTS TTV6 will put up some very good numbers indeed.

Based on the predictions from Cartest I would say the new 2014 CTS TTV6 is going to be a screamer — unless it gains a ton of weight over the current CTS.  Tuesday we’ll see the new look, but I’ll be listening for the new weight!