Auto Reviews
2008 Cadillac CTS V6 DI Performance Sedan
Mar 13, 2008

We always liked the Cadillac CTS, even back in the days when it was a European-built, inadequately promoted compact called the Catera. The trouble with the debut CTS was its odd, unpredictable shape — seemingly random planes and angles adding up to something resembling a Stealth fighter — and the occasional concessions to bean-counters who insisted on the use of cheap components, here and there, from General Motors’ well-stocked parts bin.

But the CTS has been redesigned for 2008, which will be remembered as the year this model reached its potential. Not only has it emerged as the compact, sporty Cadillac it was always meant to be, but it melds performance and luxury like no previous Cadillac.

Best of all, it’s not all that expensive, given its overall excellence. Our CTS V-6 DI Performance Sedan started at $34,545. The Thunder Gray Chromaflair test-driver was loaded to the rafters with expensive options — even the color added nearly $1,000 to the price tag — so its bottom line easily broke the $45,000 barrier. But even without the Ultraview sunroof, interior accent lighting and Sapele wood trim, it’s a well-equipped luxury cruiser with undeniable sporty credentials.

With its sport suspension, 6-speed shiftable automatic transmission and 304-horsepower engine, the rear-drive CTS is a superb performer handicapped only by its very light steering. There’s plenty of room in front, fore and aft and side to side. The back seat is problematical for tall adults because of tight head room and insufficient knee room when the front seat is all the way back, but children and shorter adults will be comfortable there. The trunk is long but somewhat narrow. Unlike many luxury cars, the CTS has a back seat that can be folded down to allow transport of long items.

We had just two complaints about the CTS. The icons and words on the climate-control, navigation and audio buttons were too small for our fiftysomething eyes to see in the daylight. And we felt the fuel economy could have been better; we averaged just 20.4 mpg in a car that’s supposed to get 26 mpg on the highway. On the plus side, the CTS is content with regular gasoline.

Buyers can choose several levels of sportiness and luxury. Engine choices range from a 263-horsepower V-6 to a 400-horsepower V-8 in the high-performance CTS-V. All-wheel drive is available as an option, as are three suspension packages.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety rated the 2008 CTS a Top Safety Pick. Past CTS models had average reliability, except for the 2007 model, the last year for the previous design, says Consumer Reports. It was below average.

Cadillac gets points for daring to redesign an acclaimed model aggressively and turn out a successor more than worthy of the name.

Follow-up: In our recent report on the Volvo XC90, we bemoaned the fact Volvo doesn’t offer a smaller, “right-sized” sport-utility vehicle. The company has unveiled just such a model, the XC60, that should become available in the United States next year.