Cadillac CTS

By Gabriel Goodwin

“The all-new CTS’ mission is to bring the performance of a sports car, the striking design of a concept car and sophistication of an elegant sedan right into the heart of the luxury market,” said general manager Jim Taylor. “Cadillac is injecting more dramatic character into the normally reserved luxury sedan category.”

To make sure the CTS would compete with the best of the best in every aspect, engineers had to focus on closing the gaps. Cadillac took advantage of a new technique, laser brazing, which doesn’t leave enough room between panels for rubber seals. With smaller gaps and little to no rubber seals, there is less road noise inside the car. The doors have been triple-sealed to help reduce the unwanted noise.

The CTS was completely redesigned for the 2008 model year. Cadillac has been pushing the envelope with the designs of all their models but the award for most striking vehicle has to be the CTS. Vince Muniga, product development communications, called the design of the first CTS edgy and aggressive. He said that the design was “like night and day, you either love it or you hate it.”

The all-new CTS’ has a new design that makes a bold statement because it has a look that is anything but traditional. The wheel-to-fender relationship has noticeably shrunk and improves the look of the car. In a matter of personal opinion, the smaller gap in the wheel-well mated with the wider stance increases the athletic look of the CTS while still leaving a sense of luxury.

This car looks bigger and more aggressive than any Cadillac out there. It has finally started to show that Cadillac is out to capture the hearts of a younger generation. The all-new CTS is not your grandfather’s Cadillac. Although I don’t think he would mind it being in his garage.

The all-new CTS seems startlingly larger than the previous models, but the car, overall, has grown very little. The overall growth of the CTS is only five and a half inches. The length has grown an inch and a half while the width has increased two inches in comparison to the first generation CTS. The car’s front and rear track had grown to 62 inches, which is an increase of about two inches. There is nothing left from the original CTS in the all-new CTS.

“There was not one panel on that car that wasn’t changed,” said Muniga.

The CTS has gained some weight during its transformation and growth. To be exact, the base model has gained 336 pounds while the direct injection model weighs 29 pounds more than the base. The all wheel drive adds about 245 pounds onto both models; leaving the direct injected CTS weighing in at 4,118 pounds. Regardless of the weight increases, the car feels light and nimble on its feet because of the added power and upgraded handling works wonders.

The all wheel drive version doesn’t have a much different of a feel than the rear wheel drive version. There is an active transfer case, in the all-wheel drive model, that leaves 75 percent of the CTS’ power in the hands of the rear wheels. Once the rear wheels begin to slip, the transfer case can take all the power from the rear wheels and put it to the front wheels.

Along with a new body, Cadillac has given the all-new CTS some new jewelry as well. While the double sunroof isn’t new to the brand, it is a new feature for a brand new CTS. Dual exhaust and 17-inch rims are now standard on the base model CTS. The fenders of the all-new CTS are more defined and arched to give the car a cleaner look.

There are a few new features that are outright cool and actually increase safety. Adaptive forward lighting is one of the coolest features integrated into the all-new CTS because the headlights turn when the wheels turn. With this system, the headlights will pivot from 5 to 15 degrees and illuminate partially around a corner for better peripheral visibility at night. The standard headlights are halogen but can be upgraded to Xenon lighting.

There are chrome vents that have been built into the fenders. Not only are these vents aesthetically pleasing, they are functional. They extract and displace the hot air from under the hood. A hidden feature of the all-new CTS is the brake cooling ducts, which are located in the lower valence of the front fascia next to the fog lights. They extract outside air and force it into the center of the bearing hub and brake rotors to cool them under heavy use and protect against premature wear.

The new styling cues of the front fascia on the all-new CTS are reminiscent of the Cadillac Sixteen concept car. The all-new CTS has virtually inherited the Sixteen’s vertically stacked headlights, large chrome dual-textured grille, and the oversized Cadillac crest in the center of the grille.

“The large Cadillac crest in the front of the vehicle is for brand identity because when you are proud of a vehicle, you show it,” Muniga said.

General Motors and Cadillac have to be in love with the all-new CTS because they have branded this car with eight family badges. There are two GM badges: one on the front doors and six Cadillac badges: one on each wheel, one in the grille and one in the trunk-lid.

“We want people to know it’s a Cadillac. This new grille design is essentially Cadillac and when it comes up and you see it in one of your mirrors you know exactly what it is,” said Muniga.

Mary Major-Hill, sales and leasing consultant at Capitol Cadillac, said the CTS is extremely popular and their dealership hasn’t seen anything like it before.

“The car is so hot that there were none on the lot. There are literally people lining up to drive the car,” said Major-Hill. “The buzz was already happening then it was awarded Motor Trend Car of the Year; I think the award just magnified it.”

Originally created in November 2007

~ by Gabriel Goodwin on August 2, 2009.