Caddy sashays into sport-sedan set

Cadillac’s CTS-V marries American muscle with European manners.

Like a Texan in a tearoom, it crashes the elite sport-sedan party with a drawl and an attitude.

It may not know where to point its pinkie, but it can point itself through the apex of a high-speed sweeper.

Invented by BMW in the late-‘60s, the sport-sedan market is to upscale automakers as A-lists are to socialites. Respectability requires that one play in the right circles.

Cadillac once owned the upper end of the sedan market but ceded it. The price of readmission is subtle and complex; it depends largely on the company’s ability to make a car worthy of mention alongside offerings from BMW and Mercedes-Benz.

In 2001, Cadillac introduced the CTS, a sport sedan that was convincing enough, but whose layout seemed to preclude the addition of an eight-cylinder engine. Most buyers are content with high-output sixes, but the bragging rights belong to the eights, especially those lurking within the BMW M and Mercedes-Benz AMG families.

Casting about for a competitive solution, Cadillac engineers found it not in their own parts bin, but in Chevrolet’s. If Cadillac’s own, sophisticated Northstar V-8 wouldn’t go into the CTS, last year’s 400-horsepower Corvette Z06 pushrod eight would.

Pushrod technology may be a relic of the muscle-car era but it has its charms. For the most part, pushrod engines are bulletproof. They run on regular fuel and make gobs of torque down low in the power band, for instantaneous low-end acceleration.

Its architecture may be dated, but the ‘Vette LS6 engine makes use of such newer technologies and materials. Highlights include an aluminum block and pistons, sodium-filled exhaust valves, electronic throttle control and a composite intake manifold.

The 5.7-liter short-block eight had already proven itself in the Z06, the most potent production Corvette ever. It makes 400 hp and 395 pound-feet of torque and in the CTS-V can turn the 0-60 sprint in 4.6 seconds and the quarter-mile in 13.4. It’s capable of a top speed of 163 mph.

In the algorithm that is a sport sedan, though, power must be balanced by finesse. If the new Caddy couldn’t stop on a dime, or turn on one at 80 mph-plus, it couldn’t be considered for inclusion in the upper ranks of the sport-sedan world.

Fortunately, it does.

Cadillac spent months developing the original CTS at the Nurburgring, the legendary and challenging German racecourse, and went back to fine-tune the CTS-V. The CTS platform was plenty stiff to begin with, but chassis engineers installed a front shock-tower brace for added linear steering input. Spring, shock and bushing settings were firmed up and beefy anti-sway bars installed.

Equipped with 19-inch Goodyear Eagle F1 245/45s, the CTS-V achieves more than .90 g’s of lateral acceleration on the skidpad, well into sports-car territory.

To get it stopped, designers fitted the CTS-V with 14-inch vented Brembo disc brakes up front and 14.4-inchers in the rear.

A new engine cover was designed to reduce unwanted mechanical noises, while a dual exhaust system both enhances the good noises and improves airflow. The CTS-V also gets a larger driveshaft, reinforced differential housing and heavy-duty CV joints.

On the exterior, the CTS’ brazen “Art & Science” styling is emboldened with deeper front air dams designed to house the large air-intake ports and brake cooling ducts, which are located below the fog laps.

A chrome-mesh grille replaces the egg-crate design of the CTS.

Inside, a new instrument cluster is more readable and attractive than on the base model and the gauges and dials have adopted a sporty white-on-black motif. A digital read-out provides the requisite engine-monitoring and fuel-use information, plus one chunk I’ve never seen before — a read-out of the lateral g-forces achieved during hard cornering. It’s best to keep one’s eye on the road under those conditions, but it’s a neat parlor trick all the same.

The seats are large and well-bolstered and suede inserts prevent one’s body from slipping around during aggressive driving, but the gas and brake pedals don’t line up properly for heel-and-toe driving.

The steering wheel tilts but doesn’t telescope, although I was able to find a comfortable driving position.

This is not the most graceful or elegant interior on the market, but its blunt effectiveness mirrors the car’s essential character.

With its base price of $51,485, including destination, the CTS-V is priced well below its primary competitors and comes fully equipped, with such standard-features as a DVD-based navigation system, xenon headlights and an eight-speaker Bose sound system. The only option is a sunroof.

The CTS-V is surprisingly well behaved around town and even on broken pavement. Its 3,949-pound curb weight gives it a big-car feel and the steering system is accurate and nicely weighted.

The eight gives it a slightly front-heavy bias (52/48), but the CTS-V is not prone to understeer. In fact, with the stability control system turned down or even off, controlled oversteer comes naturally. It manages quick side-to-side transitions neatly and, despite its weight, gets around a track in short order.

On the down side, the shift mechanism is rubbery and hard launches are nearly impossible to mount, due to axle tramp, which sends the tail skittering as the tires scrabble for traction.

Cadillac has ground to make up before overtaking the competition, which has been at this game for years. There’s no question the CTS-V has caught the attention of performance nuts and its price makes it an attractive option in the high-end sport sedan market. Some seasoning could transform this fast sedan into a world-beater.