Everything you need to know
The Cadillac CTS is a near-perfect blend of performance, luxury and comfort.
Unlike its previous iterations, the current Cadillac CTS is a car that can genuinely be compared to the class best. Whilst it does have a few flaws, the Cadillac CTS offers a great blend of comfort, refinement and practicality. Better still, it's responsive and easy to drive, and is fairly well priced for a vehicle in this segment. Overall, if you're in the market for a new mid-sized executive sedan, the Cadillac CTS should definitely be on your shortlist.
A well-made, comfortable and spacious interior
The inside of the Cadillac CTS is built for maximum comfort.
The inside of the Cadillac CTS is built for maximum comfort, with plush leather seats adjustable to no virtually no end and plenty of room to move around. The center console is gigantic, with a USB plug inside and a cover for the cup holders that can open automatically. There are neatly laid out buttons underneath an 8-inch touch screen that, whilst fairly intuitive, isn't quite on par with systems in rival cars.
In terms of trunk space the Cadillac CTS stands confidently at 14 cubic-feet.
Some of the surfaces on the inside of the Cadillac CTS are sleek and glossy, and there are bits of chrome accents tastefully scattered around. The back seats are easy to get in and out of, and provide a lot of leg and head room. In terms of trunk space the Cadillac CTS stands confidently at 14 cubic-feet, which is more than what some rivals (such as the Mercedes-Benz E-Class) offer.
An almost class-leading blend of comfort and responsiveness.
A more advanced adaptive system is available as an optional extra.
The Cadillac CTS delivers a very smooth driving experience. There's minimal body lean when cornering and even the standard suspension setup (a more advanced adaptive system is available as an optional extra) does a great job at ironing out the lumps and bumps in the road. Better still, the strong brakes and light, accurate steering makes the Cadillac CTS one of the most agile and responsive sedans in this segment.
Visibility is also good, with the surround-view camera system being an especially useful tool.
Visibility is also good, with the surround-view camera system being an especially useful tool to have when parking the Cadillac CTS in tighter spots. The Cadillac CTS does exceptionally well to provide a luxurious but impressively performance-heavy experience, and makes the experience almost literally as safe as possible.
All of the engine options are very good
Buyers who'd prefer a bit more power can also specify a 3.6-liter six-cylinder gasoline engine.
On most specifications, the Cadillac CTS comes as standard with a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder gasoline engine that produces 268-hp and 295 lb-ft of torque. Buyers who'd prefer a bit more power can also specify a 3.6-liter six-cylinder gasoline engine, which boasts increased outputs of 335-hp and 285 lb-ft of torque. It's the latter engine that we're more inclined to recommend: whilst the four-cylinder is a good engine, we feel the six-cylinder's higher outputs and smoother operation are a better match for the Cadillac CTS. The 3.6-liter is also barely any less efficient to run than the 2.0-liter, with the four-cylinder's 21mpg city31mpg highway being only one mpg better than what the six-cylinder can return.
The Cadillac CTS is only available with an eight-speed automatic transmission.
More performance-focused buyers can also specify a 3.6-liter turbocharged six-cylinder gasoline engine that ups the power and torque even more to 420-hp and 430 lb-ft respectively. However, whilst it's just as smooth as the standard six-cylinder, we wouldn't recommend this engine to every prospective Cadillac CTS buyer, as the turbocharged powerplant is only available in the two top spec trims (which are also only available in rear-wheel drive). If you're after even more performance than that and have a large budget, then you may also want to consider the 640-hp Cadillac CTS-V high performance sedan. The Cadillac CTS is only available with an eight-speed automatic transmission. Whilst it doesn't offer the smoothest gear shifts, it does well to handle the power well.
Lots of safety features for the money
The Cadillac CTS also has a good reliability record.
The Cadillac CTSis no slouch when it comes to safety. On top of earning a five-star rating in its most recent crash test, the car comes as standard with an extensive list of safety equipment, including traction control, rollover protection, lots of airbags, night vision, brake assist and stability control. The Cadillac CTS also has a good reliability record, so there hopefully won't be any need for you to claim on the four-years/50,000-miles bumper-to-bumper and six-years/70,000-miles powertrain warranties (the latter being incredibly generous by segment standards).
Pricing for the Cadillac CTS is also quite competitive.
Pricing for the Cadillac CTS is also quite competitive. The base model has a starting price of $43,000, which is much less than the equivalent BMW 5 Series ($50,000) and Mercedes-Benz E-Class ($53,000).
Conclusion
The Cadillac CTS is a great car that's amongst one of the best vehicles in the class. It's quick, reliable, safe, smooth and luxurious, and all for a great price. Even if going for the base engine is the only possibility, it's still a good choice and is tough to beat. In fact, the only disappointing aspect of the Cadillac CTS is its good-but-not-great fuel consumption. As a result, we reckon a majority of executive sedan buyers should definitely consider the Cadillac CTS as their next new car.
