Review of the new Cadillac CTS Range

If you're after something a little different in the Mercedes E-Class or BMW 5 Series Executive sector, then it's still unlikely that you'll end up behind the wheel of a Cadillac CTS. Pity. Though your head will tell you it's the wrong thing to buy, you'd probably rather like one.

Cadillac is one of those brands that needs no introduction from me. Or maybe it does. You think of slushy, Presidential limousines, tailfins and chrome. None of which has much to do with the way today's Cadillac wants to be perceived in a modern European world. With the loss of Saab and Hummer, this is General Motors' sole remaining premium worldwide brand and it wants an image that's hi-tech and cutting edge, not retro and Elvis. But being exactly like its competitors is just as dangerous as being wilfully different. The challenge for Cadillac is to produce cars similar enough to those produced by the German establishment to interest executive buyers, yet different enough to stand out. It's a task that they began in earnest with this model, the second generation CTS.

We've seen this famous badge before in the UK in recent times, but you'd be forgiven for not knowing that, so feeble have the attempts been to establish a foothold in the British market. A handful of Jaguar XJ-sized STS luxury saloons were sold here at the turn of the century before GM tried again in 2005, targeting the smaller BMW 3 Series sector with the first generation CTS and subsequently the Saab 9-3-based BLS. A tiny dealer network restricted sales to hundreds rather than thousands and continues to do so. This MK2 CTS targets buyers in the larger BMW 5 Series/Mercedes E-Class Executive sector but will continue to prove a pretty exclusive choice for those brave enough to consider one.

American cars have never worked well on European roads, mainly because they work so well on billiard table-smooth US highways. Put one on a typical British backroad and you expect it to feel all at sea, not something that Cadillac could afford to happen with this CTS. So they ditched this car's slushy Stateside suspension settings and sent its engineers to BMW's back yard, Germany's fearsome Nurburgring circuit, to get the thing sorted out. As a result, this car not only feels firmer than you'd expect for a Cadillac, it feels firmer than you'd expect for an Executive saloon, which may not please buyers who spend their lives pounding up and down motorways.

"British buyers who've never taken Cadillac seriously as a luxury brand need to try this one.."

If you choose the entry-level 208bhp 2.8-litre petrol V6 or the 247bhp 2.9-litre V6 diesel rather than the 307bhp 3.6-litre petrol V6 we tried, things are a bit more compliant and you still get the sharp turn-in and well contained bodyroll that will probably shock sceptical BMW owners who thought a 5 Series was the only realistic rear wheel drive choice in this sector. If you really want to stick it to the Bavarians and talk to your Caddy dealer nicely, he may even let you try the lefthand drive Corvette supercar-engined CTS-V model with its 556bhp 6.2-litre V8, capable of rest to sixty in just 3.5s, making it arguably the world's fastest four-door saloon. The Americans are serious about this you see.

This 3.6-litre V6 should be quick enough for most, powering up to sixty in 6.3s with a pleasing growl, nearly 3 seconds quicker than its humbler stablemates. Unfortunately, due to the fact that peak pulling power doesn't arrive until you near the top of the rev range, it doesn't feel more rapid than apparently slower BMW 530i and Mercedes E350 rivals that generate their torque lower down. The standard 6-speed automatic transmission gets wheel-mounted shift buttons on this model that your passengers may think you're using even when you're not, so abrupt are some of the gearshifts. At least it won't upset the car by changing mid-corner, a time when you'll also appreciate steering that, though not BMW-sharp, is agreeably responsive by slushy class standards.

Subtle it's not. The looks of this CTS say more than anything else about Cadillac's intentions for this market, a sector that needs something new and different. If you think Germanic understated sophistication is over-rated, then you'll likely find this car dramatic, muscular and exciting, a design that's arguably the most edgy and angular on sale in Europe today. It's not been an easy look to perfect either: the front fender is, apparently, the most complex panel ever stamped. From the distinctive vertically-stack light units and imposing grille at the front to the squared-off tail behind, this is a car that'll get you noticed with its flashes of chrome and reams of LED strip lights.

If anything, it's even more shocking inside, at least if you're expecting the usual low rent LAX rental car interior with lots of leather, useless gadgets, squashy seats and cheap plastic. This is clearly an American car but has been bullied into offering European style quality. Caddy say that the dashboard design is inspired by American computers and if so, I'd quite like one. Hand-stitched leather adorns the top of a V-shaped centre console that could do without the silver plastic bits but has a natty party piece that sees a touch screen rising neatly out at you from the dash.

There's a good view out from the supportive, multi-adjustable leather front seats and it all seems quite decently screwed together, if not with the kind of hewn-from-granite feel that you'd get in a Mercedes or an Audi. Rear seat passengers don't get the largest cabin in the class and the headroom on offer may challenge the really lanky, though legroom is fine provided you're not unfortunate enough to be seated astride the transmission tunnel in the middle. Boot space is a little narrow but the total of 373-litres in this saloon model, though 150 litres less than you'd get in a 5 Series, is probably just enough to satisfy most owners.

List prices suggest that you'll probably be paying somewhere in the £27,000 to £30,000 bracket for your CTS, though you could theoretically blow close to £60,000 on one in the unlikely event that you choose the lefthand drive-only CTS-V. Cadillac has also designed Estate and Coupe versions of this car but it's this saloon version that gets the bulk of its European emphasis, especially when it has the 247bhp 2.9-litre V6 diesel under the bonnet rather than the 208bhp 2.8 or 307bhp 3.2-litre petrol V6s. All are auto-only, including the flagship 556bhp 6.2-litre V8 CTS-V model. Obvious rivals include Mercedes' E-Class, BMW's 5 Series and Audi's A6, but this car is probably more likely to be bought by people who were considering something a little different like a Volvo S80, a Lexus GS, a Saab 9-5 or a Jaguar XF.

Traction and stability control, tyre pressure monitoring, adaptive bi-xenon front headlights that move with you at night and a limited slip differential should all help in avoiding an accident but if you just can't, then six airbags are fitted as standard, including full-length curtain airbags and front bags that adjust their deployment based on the position of the passenger and the seats. There's even a bonnet designed to protect unfortunate pedestrians who stray into your path.

When comparing this car to alternatives, you'll need to take account of the fact that it's endless kit list would cost you thousands more to replicate elsewhere. Highlights include leather-trimmed eight-way adjustable powered seats, dual-zone climate control, cruise control, auto wipers with heated washes, an auto-dimming rear view mirror, rear parking sensors and a 300watt 10-speaker surround sound Bose stereo with an integrated 40mg hard drive, MP3 input and sat nav.

You're only going to buy a petrol-powered CTS like this one if you simply don't give a fig about running cost comparisons with rival models. The heavier Cadillac needs a bigger engine to match the performance of rival German models which translates into the poor combined fuel consumption figure of 25.4mpg for the 3.2-litre V6 model that I'm driving here and its even poorer 264g/km CO2 return. Still, there's always the diesel version if that's going to get the Fleet Manager on your back. Despite this car's exclusivity, residual values will also be something dealers won't want to highlight - expect to get between 27 and 35% of your original purchase price back after 3 years or 36,000 miles - but you have to balance these against the lower up-front purchase price and that gigantic kit list. Bear in mind that the dealer network is tiny but courtesy cars and delivery and collection to your front door should compensate. Insurance groups range between 15 and 17 for mainstream models.

British buyers who've never taken Cadillac seriously as a luxury brand need to try this one. Rivals shade it in terms of running costs, build quality and handling but the differences are nowhere near as great as you might expect and will be out-weighed for many likely customers by this car's sheer likeability, kept very exclusive by the tiny dealer network.

This is the best luxury car the Americans have made, with an image that is hard to pigeonhole but very appealing if you want something different and don't mind shouting about it. If this is the kind of thing Cadillac are going to deliver in the new Millennium, then there's plenty to look forward to.

TOP 2 CTS DEALS

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Cadillac CTS 2.8 V6 Sport Luxury 4dr Auto Saloon
Price £28,699 Read CTS Reviews	Save
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