With every new model, Cadillac indeed gets closer and closer to actually performing at the top of its class, rivaling those crafty Germans at their own sport/luxury sedan game. The best example yet of Cadillac's efforts to challenge the world came last year, when we met the 2013 ATS – a vehicle that we praised for its on-road dynamics and interior refinement, and later went on to be named North American Car of the Year.
Now comes the 2014 CTS, an all-new sedan that aims to improve upon everything Cadillac learned from the ATS project, making its official debut this week at the 2013 New York Auto Show. We've already had the chance to check out the car in person, and everything seems to be a bit sharper with this new CTS, and we aren't just talking about the bold front end. The powertrain lineup has expanded to three engine offerings, including an all-new twin-turbo V6; the interior materials are some of the best we've seen and felt on a Cadillac ever, and the engineering team's effort to make this CTS longer, lower and leaner will no doubt pay off once it hits the road.
If ever there were a Cadillac to truly rival the world's best, this could be it.
Take one look at Cadillac's new baby and you'll notice that there are elements of the Ciel concept in the CTS' design (look closely at those headlamps, lower air intakes and large, prominent grille), and to say this new sedan is a great-looking car is an understatement. Up front, you can really see the designers' attention to detail with little things like the rakish headlamp clusters that extend far back along the front quarter panel, the many curves and character lines that start in the front fascia and sweep far back into the rear deck, and the sharp LED accents at the front and rear. Cadillac says it absolutely wants to own vertical LED technology, and the 2014 CTS is just another iteration of how this lighting element can be used as part of an overall modern design.
Honestly, we're surprised at just how low this sedan's hood sits, but Cadillac assures us that the design does, in fact, meet pedestrian crash standards in all of the markets in which it will be sold. And while things are indeed bold and heavily sculpted at the front, this doesn't exactly carry over to the car's rear. In fact, from the rear three-quarter angle, the large overhang behind those hind wheels looks a little long – we feel this way about the XTS, too (even more so, truthfully). But because the car sits lower to the ground and the roof height has been reduced, it's not a total deal-breaker. The overall styling is good, and the CTS' rump is indeed elegant, with its better integration of the third brake light and LED taillamps. It just isn't quite as menacing as that face.
Compared to the outgoing CTS, the new model is 4.2 inches longer (riding on a 1.2-inch longer wheelbase) and nearly an inch shorter in overall height, though the 2014 model is actually narrower by three-tenths of an inch, a subtle nod to General Motors' intent to sell this car in narrow-streeted markets. Cadillac worked to save weight wherever possible with the new CTS, and thus, lots of aluminum bits are used outside, most notably on the doors, bumpers and in many other exterior components. All in, the new CTS (in base form) weighs in at 3,616 pounds – 244 pounds lighter than the current 3.0-liter base model and roughly 200 pounds lighter than a similarly equipped BMW 528i sedan.
On the powertrain front, we already told you about the brand-new twin-turbocharged 3.6-liter V6 that will make its debut in the 2014 CTS, pumping out 420 horsepower and 430 pound-feet of torque through a new eight-speed automatic transmission. This powerful six will also be offered in the 2014 XTS flagship (mated to a six-speed transmission in that application), and while Cadillac has not yet confirmed any other plans for the LF3 V6, we'd be a little shocked if a variant didn't work its way under the hood of the forthcoming ATS-V.
Rounding out the CTS' engine range is a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline four-cylinder for the base car producing 272 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque, and a naturally aspirated 3.6-liter V6 rated at 321 horsepower and 275 pound-feet of torque. The 3.6-liter engine can also be paired with the new eight-speed automatic from the twin-turbo powerplant, while the 2.0T uses a six-speed automatic. A manual transmission isn't offered with any engine, and Cadillac says it isn't investigating the use of dual-clutch transmissions in the CTS at this time.
On the fuel economy front, official EPA numbers haven't been released as of this writing, but Cadillac estimates that the base, rear-wheel-drive CTS 2.0T will achieve 19 miles per gallon city and 30 mpg highway. (Adding all-wheel drive to the equation should reduce the numbers to 18 and 28, respectively.) For the naturally aspirated 3.6-liter V6, Cadillac estimates 19/28 mpg city/highway with rear-wheel drive and 18/27 mpg with AWD. On the top end, the twin-turbo V6, which is only available with RWD, is estimated to net a still respectable 17 mpg city and 25 mpg highway.
Cadillac engineers have built upon the strength of the chassis engineering found in the ATS for this new model, and for the first time, the company's Magnetic Ride Control real-time damping system will be available on non-V-badged cars equipped with 18- or 19-inch wheels (17s are standard).
For the first time, Cadillac will also offer a Vsport version of the CTS – sort of like what BMW does with its M Sport cars. This highest-performance CTS (until the legit CTS-V shows up) uses the twin-turbo V6, eight-speed automatic and model-specific features like aluminum 18-inch wheels with Pirelli summer tires, a quicker steering ratio, Brembo disc brakes, a heavy-duty track cooling package, an electronic limited-slip differential and a driver-selectable track mode.
Cadillac engineers have told us that the new CTS will have the "most agile driving dynamics in its class" while still being an immensely safe vehicle, as well. The latest suite of technological safety goodies have been fitted to the CTS, including adaptive cruise control, panic brake assist, forward collision alert, collision preparation with brake prefill, lane departure warning, blind-spot monitoring, a rear-view camera with cross-traffic alert, OnStar and so on.
Inside the CTS, a stronger focus has been put on high-quality materials and better fit-and-finish, both an area of complaint we've always had about the outgoing model. A total of eight "interior environments" will be offered, with leather hues ranging from black to tan to brown to blue (yes, blue), with just as many contrast colors available. As for trim pieces, real wood, carbon fiber and aluminum will be available, and Cadillac says that these pieces can be switched out at the dealership depending on a customer's individual taste. It all looks very good, though the interior isn't a dramatic departure from what we've seen in the ATS and XTS.
Cadillac's full suite of love/hate CUE infotainment functions will be available in the CTS, including the reconfigurable 12-inch LCD gauge cluster that wowed us in the larger XTS. In addition to that tech, material upgrades like Alcantara are available, as are optional goodies like a panoramic sunroof, rear sunshades, tri-zone climate control, unique ambient lighting and a 20-way power adjustable driver's seat.
Pricing has not been announced as of this writing, though we expect to have that information closer to the car's on-sale date later in 2013. Production of the 2014 CTS will begin this fall at GM's plant in Lansing, Michigan.
All in, we're impressed by what we've seen with the new CTS. Cadillac is indeed accelerating forward with each new car it produces, and this third-generation CTS looks to be the brand's best offering yet. Of course, we'll reserve final judgments until we get the car out on the road, but things look very, very promising.
Oh – and this goes without saying – but based on everything detailed here, we simply cannot wait for the next CTS-V.
Courtesy of Auto Blog
