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Made in America Sport Luxury |
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2008 Cadillac CTS V6 DI |
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by
Alain Gayot |
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In
short: A pleasing, performance-oriented
luxury compact sedan. |
There
is no doubt that Cadillac is playing catch-up to the likes
of BMW
3 series, Mercedes-Benz
C-Class, Lexus
GS, Infiniti
G35 and Audi A4 with this entry. The crested brand is also
reaching out to a younger clientele looking for sporty
cars loaded with electronics, such as large hard drives
and iPod integration. At first glance, this second generation
baby Caddy displays a sporty stance and there is no doubt
that the car is very tight.
Tuned with a sport suspension,
Grandma won't recognize this Detroit iron
as the one that took her to the drive-in theater. Equipped
with StabiliTrak, it’s meant for tight cornering and
catching up to these imports, racing from city stoplight
to city stoplight. Revving the direct injection V6 might
make you have to turn up the volume on your sound system,
but you’ll
pleasantly reach 60 mph in under six seconds, while riding
in contemporary luxury. It will certainly make a run to the
grocery store or an outing to the driving range more exciting.
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Step
into the totally redesigned and much more elegant cockpit,
and you think luxury, thanks to handcrafted materials like
real sapele wood pieces. There is good space for any size
driver, but the taller ones will eat up quickly at their
rear passengers’ space. Crank the optional cutting-edge
infotainment system featuring a pop-up navigation
screen and a 40-gigabyte hard drive with USB connection
and 10-speaker Bose 5.1 digital surround sound. The advanced
navigation system gives you real-time traffic and weather
data so you won’t get lost in a traffic jam in the
fog. Lots of light can percolate through the ultra-view
double sunroof (optional at $1,450) giving you a feeling
of more room. And trunk space is quite adequate.
Patriots
should not be shy to drive one of these “Made in
America” machines. It is classy and it handles well
for what you'll do with it on a daily basis. You’ll
save on insurance and pollute less with a reported 25% lower
hydrocarbon emissions. A base model starts at $32,990,
getting you a 3.6L DI VVT with 263 hp, but options
quickly raise the sticker price. For example, a dealer-installed
BlueTooth connectivity package will set you back $275. An
All-Wheel Drive transmission is another $1,900.
Now, what are you waiting for? Go test drive one! 
 |
 Read
a review of the 2005
Cadillac CTS-V
Warranty/Service: five-year/100,000-mile
powertrain limited warranty, four- year/50,000-mile bumper-to-bumper
warranty.
QUICK
SHEET |
Base Price: $34,545/As Tested: $45,295 |
Technical
Specifications |
Vehicle
type: 4-door Performance Sedan
Engine: 3.6L V6, direct injection
Horsepower: 306 hp
Transmission: 6-speed
automatic
Torque: 273 lb-ft
Curb weight: 3,874 lbs
Wheelbase: 113.4 in
Length/Width/Height:
191.6/72.5/58 in
Turning circle: 36 ft
Brakes: ABS,
4 wheel disc |
Braking: n/a
Safety: front
and side impact airbags, front and rear curtain
side airbags, safety belt pretensioners, theft
deterrent system, Stabilitrak-stability control,
all-speed traction control, tire pressure monitor
0-60 mph: 5.9 seconds
EPA City: 17 mpg
EPA Highway: 26 mpg |
|
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out Other Cadillac Models
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Visit
the Cadillac Website
PNJ101507 |
(Updated 07/07/08 SCV) |
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