Road Test: 2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe

Coupe de Thrill

Two doors adds styling spice to CTS menu By John LeBlanc A sexy coupe version of General Motors’ most competitive car was as predictable as Sunday following Saturday. We may not be at a point where there’s a CTS for everyday of the week. But mimicking the approach BMW has taken in growing its 3 Series from a lone two-door sedan in the mid-seventies, to today’s range of coupes, convertibles, sedans, wagons, and high-performance M3 models, for 2011, Cadillac is adding a two-door CTS coupe to a lineup that includes the original sedan, V—as in “very fast”—Series performance versions, and last year’s Sport Wagon. Although Cadillac would also like to mimic BMW’s sales success (over 13,000 3 Series were sold in Canada in 2010, compared to over 3,000 CTS), arguably one area the Caddy has it over the BMW—and other coupes from Audi, Infiniti, and Mercedes Benz— is in the looks department. The production CTS Coupe is a near carbon copy of the show car that first debuted in 2008, an unsullied execution of Cadillac's decade-old knife-edge styling with a near-horizontal rear profile that doesn’t look like anything else on the road. You have to be impressed with the Cadillac designers' lack of dilution in making the transition from concept to production. Show car highlights like hidden door handles and centre-mounted dual rear exhaust tips somehow managed to survive. From a pricing standpoint, Cadillac hasn’t let the 2+2 CTS Coupe’s alluring looks go to its head. Compared to its German rivals—and like the rest of the CTS lineup—the two-door CTS is priced like a compact, but is about the size of a midsize. My tester was a $47,450 base model. With rear-wheel drive (all-wheel-drive is optional), a six-speed manual transmission (an automatic with a similar gear count is available), a $3,395 Performance luxury package, and $1,770 Sport package, the total came to $53,520. One of the best selling points on any current CTS is its cabin. With plenty of soft touch plastics, tight fits, intuitive ergonomics, and stylish use of aluminum and wood, it’s the best interior of any new General Motors’ car. Period. Full stop. But the compromises created by the CTS Coupe’s concept car styling start to add up as fast as its rear roofline profile. To no one’s surprise, from the driver’s seat, you can’t really see what’s happening within a couple of metres aft of the rear of the Caddy coupe. Its massive C-pillars and tall tail see to that, with the driver relying solely on the car’s backup video monitor found in a screen that rises out of the top of its centre stack. Equally disappointing, the two seats in the back don’t offer much headroom. And like the Chevy Camaro, the CTS’s trunk opening is narrow, and there’s only about three-quarter the trunk space (once you do manage to get large objects wedged in) compared to an Audi A5, BMW 3 Series Coupe, or Mercedes-Benz E Coupe. While Cadillac does offer a $71,000-plus V Series CTS Coupe with a 556 hp supercharged V8, the rest of the CTS Coupe lineup makes due with the most powerful of a pair of V6s available in the sedan and wagon as well. The six’s ratings—304 hp and 273 lb-ft of torque—better the likes of V6 coupe rivals like the $53,400 BMW 335i, $49,200 Audi A5 2.0T or $59,900 Mercedes-Benz E 350 Coupe. And the CTS V6 coupe’s fuel-economy ratings are competitive: 11.4 L/100 km in the city, 6.9L on the highway. But with more curb weight than the abovementioned alternatives, the CTS Coupe’s resulting zero to 100-km/h time of 6.5 seconds puts it about a second behind the slimmer Bimmer. At six-tenths driving, the CTS Coupe is a refined and pleasant car to drive. It has enough power to avoid being a pylon during passing maneuvers. And during long sweepers at highway speeds, it has a hunkered-down presence that’s defies its Cadillac heritage. As a heavyweight duking it out with a bunch of welterweights, though, the second shoe dropping on the CTS V6 two-door as a “driver’s car” is its lack of nimbleness. Like another GM coupe, the Chevrolet Camaro, the CTS always feels one-size too large. It’s simply too big of a vehicle to carve corners with the confidence of a 335i—or for that matter, a similarly priced Infiniti G37 Coupe—lacking the quick and tidy moves you’ll find in a BMW or Infiniti. On smooth pavement, though, the CTS Coupe’s ride quality is similar to its Euro counterparts: firm, yet not as pillow-soft like Cadillac’s of yore. But the optional 19-inch rubber and sports suspension become too harsh on ruts and bumps. And although we applaud GM for making a manual gearbox available in the CTS, its lumbering nature means the optional automatic is probably a more appropriate choice. A brave move by Cadillac, the CTS Coupe is a stylish triumph. And among its domestic rivals, neither Lincoln nor Chrysler offer any competition. Up against the import brands Cadillac is targeting, though, the CTS two-door feels more like a modern-day personal luxury car (i.e. an Eldorado) than a true 3 Series alternative. We’re expecting the confirmed compact Cadillac ATS will give the BMW a better run for its money when it arrives in a couple of years. Until then, the Cadillac is definitely a sportier (and less expensive) choice than a ‘Benz E Class. While in the end, the sedan and wagon are obviously more practical choices, we can understand if you bought the CTS Coupe for its looks alone. Many happy marriages have been based on less. Road Test: 2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe WHAT I LIKED: Show car exterior styling; confident highway handling; nicely put together cockpit; available six-speed manual. WHAT I DIDN'T: Rear visibility hampered by its sleek rear roofline; relatively small trunk with awkward opening; harsh ride when optioned with Sport suspension. Base price/As-tested: $$47,450/$53,520 Type of vehicle: Two-door coupe Engine: 3.6L vee-six-cylinder Power: 304 hp Torque: 273 lb-ft Transmission: Six-speed manual Est. Fuel consumption L/100 km (city, hwy): 11.4/.9 Competition: Audi A5, BMW 3 Series, Infiniti G37 Coupe, Mercedes-Benz E Coupe.

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