2008 Cadillac CTS arrived

The 2008 CTS arrived in Chicagoland dealerships this week and has a base price of $32,990 -- $540 less than the 2007 model with the same engine. The all-new model comes standard with a 3.6-liter V-6 engine that delivers 263 horsepower, but for an additional power boost, you can opt for the 3.6-liter Direct Injection engine that delivers 304 horsepower.

For 2008, the CTS takes previously optional features -- such as 17-inch wheels, a Bose eight-speaker surround sound system, Stabilitrak and tire pressure monitoring -- and makes them standard fare.

2007 Cadillac SRX

The big Cadillac SRX boasts a smooth 3.6-litre V6 petrol engine. The smooth unit is mated to a five-speed automatic gearbox, giving decent pace. Acceleration to 60mph in 9.3 seconds is competitive, while in-gear performance is also impressive. On the road, this translates into a relaxing experience. The Cadillac SRX feels sprightly and keen to respond to the throttle, while the engine doesn't have to be pushed that hard.

The handling is also a pleasant surprise. It's far from car-like, but it's not the large, unwieldy beast you expect. Instead, it has quite firm suspension, and body control is fairly good.

It doesn't wallow too much in bends and the steering has decent feel. The ride is OK too; the model soaks up bumps and potholes well, and is a good motorway cruiser.

The Cadillac SRX has been on sale for a few years, but only in 2007 was it offered in right-hand-drive guise. And little prepares you for seeing one in the flesh. Make no mistake, this is a big SUV with plenty of road presence.

Yet thanks to the well proportioned styling, it hides its size quite well. It looks more like a large estate, and the long LED tail lights give it a modern, upmarket appearance. Its upmarket credentials mean Cadillac see it as a rival to the Range Rover, but with a bargain price in its favour.

It's also positioned close to the Audi Q7, BMW X5, Mercedes ML and Volvo XC90.

Billed as a seven-seater, you wouldn't put your worst enemy in the rearmost row. A high load floor makes them uncomfortable for adults, and there are no headrests either. They can be (slowly) folded out of the way at the press of an electric button though.

There's plenty of room in the middle room, too. And though American cars have traditionally been blighted by poor interiors, the Cadillac SRX's cabin surprised us. Soft-touch plastics give an upmarket feel, while the twin glovebox is clever.

Some of the switchgear is low-rent though, and the cheap plastic and nasty wood on the steering wheel is disappointing. The rim doesn't move for reach, either, although the Cadillac SRX does get electrically adjustable pedals, and the driving position feels quite car-like. It's decent value too, and equipment levels are impressive.

However, the lack of a diesel engine and V6 engine's thirst means fuel bills will be high, and residuals are unlikely to be very good.

2008 Cadillac STS

Cadillacs need V-8s, at least. We know that. Except that GM's most potent V-6 ever, a new direct injection 3.6-liter, has come along. With its 11.3:1 compression ratio, it has 47 more horses than the 3.6 on which it is based. The '08 STS V-6 is just 18 horses shy and 22 pounds trimmer than the STS V-8. Keep the hood shut and no one will know.

Direct injection also gives slightly better fuel mileage and cleans start-up emissions by 25 percent. GM's plans for a new premium double-overhead cam V-8 thus becomes clearer. Direct gas injection, variable-valve timing and at least five liters displacement (to make sure it's sufficiently more powerful than this engine) is obviously in the works. The engine goes into production in 2009, in time for an all-new STS expected for the '10 model year.

Most direct injection gas engines start up with a gravelly diesel voice. Not the Cadillac's 3.6, with fuel system sound shields and covers to prevent metal-on-metal clatter. The engine remains quiet until you put your foot into it, unleashing a V-6 rumble satisfying enough to make you roll down the windows. It's wrapped in a facelifted STS with a Sixteen concept-inspired nose and a tastier interior that hides much, albeit not all, of the '07 STS' plastic-y parts with supple leather and vinyl as well as elegant woods and metals.

StabiliTrak 3 will be available for about $1,000, with a new active front steering system, offered at launch only with all-wheel-drive. This hyper-power steering feels more natural than BMW's, with none of the linearity problems. Cadillac's way of showing it off was to let us drive a conventional '07 and the new car with active steering around a handling course. The active steering required about half the left-right motion of the conventional steering, and we didn't have to remove our hands from 10 and 3 o'clock to make any of the turns.

There's also an effective blind-spot alert and lane-departure control, combined as a safety package for about $1,000. The blind-spot alert isn't alarming as in the large, vertical lamp in the base of the Audi Q7's side mirrors. Cadillac instead places an amber symbol in the side mirrors that light up when a vehicle enters a blind spot from behind. The lane-departure control beeps at you and lights up on the dash when you cross readable lane paint without signaling. You can drown out its beep if you crank up the tunes. Both warning devices can be shut off, but they're useful, and they'll reward the alert driver much more than the latte-drinking, mobile-phone wielding one.

Cadillac only let out the rear-drive '08 STS on public roads for initial impressions. Yes, the DI V-6 felt like a V-8, although its six-speed automatic hiccupped a few times, either a pre-production problem or lack of break-in miles. The interior still suffers hard black plastic, particularly at the top of the doors, but it's Cadillac's nicest non-v interior until the '08 CTS arrives. That car gets the same DI V-6 with slightly different power and torque numbers due to different intake and exhaust tuning. The kicker is that with its all-new interior and sheetmetal, the '08 CTS could render the STS V-6 as superfluous as an STS V-8.

2008 Cadillac CTS

You're looking at the single most important car Cadillac will launch this decade. The new 2008 Cadillac CTS will prove once and for all whether GM's luxury division can truly deliver on the promise of its radical "Art & Science" styling revolution and run wheel to wheel with the likes of Audi, BMW, Lexus, and Mercedes-Benz. There's a lot at stake for GM with this car: prestige, credibility, and the corporation's reborn faith in the primacy of product. By definition, there's also a lot at stake for the American auto industry: "Hey, forget pickup trucks, guys. We can do this stuff, too."


With its edgy panels, wedgy stance, and bold light graphics, the new Cadillac CTS appears a straightforward design evolution of the current car. That's no bad thing: Although now in its final model year, the current Cadillac CTS is selling better than ever. But you only need to walk around the 2008, to run your hands over the surfaces, to eyeball the details to realize this is probably the most revolutionary Cadillac sedan in decades. And here's why: You can see GM has spent serious money on this thing.
The front fender is a case in point. If you look closely at where the fender meets the base of the A-pillar, you'll notice not only the die-cast metal (not plastic) chrome vent, but a near bas-relief effect around it that's as ordered and intricate as a Frank Lloyd Wright faade. "My head still has the dents in it from the clubbing I got from the manufacturing guys," laughs exterior designer John Manoogian. "They told me it would defy the laws of physics to try and stamp that thing."



But stamp it they did. Along with the rear quarter panel that includes a crisply chiseled notch wrapping around the leading edge of the C-pillar, doors with a gash like a thumb run though wet clay that starts near the bottom of the front fender and runs to a point above the rear-axle centerline, and an aluminum hood that features hypnotic combinations of positive and negatively curved surfaces, sharp creases, and soft transitions.
In terms of sheer manufacturing competence, the precise, complex execution of the sheetmetal rivals that of BMW. But it's more than just a panel engineer's masterclass: In the metal the new Cadillac CTS oozes a character and charisma the somewhat cold and clinical current model lacks. "The idea was to use a little more art and a little less science so the car didn't look so computer generated," says Manoogian of the new Cadillac CTS. "We wanted the car to look as if the surfaces were all developed by hand."

2008 Cadillac CTS

General Motors has revealed the 2008 Cadillac CTS — an all-new version of its popular midsize sedan, on display at the Detroit auto show this week. The new model is wider and longer than its predecessor, with a 113-inch wheelbase the only unchanged measurement. Some of the most noticeable changes come to the interior, which GM promises will be extremely competitive with European rivals.

The base model features a 3.6-liter variable-valve-timing V6 with 258 horsepower. A direct-injection version offers 300 horsepower. GM is expected to introduce a high-performance Cadillac CTS-V for the 2009 model year at a later date.



Like its predecessor, the 2008 Cadillac CTS is offered with rear- or all-wheel-drive. Some suspension, braking, and steering improvements from last year's Cadillac CTS-V have been added to the standard Cadillac CTS. Optional features include iPod integration, swiveling headlights, Bose premium audio, and remote start.



The Cadillac CTS's success was credited to its appearance in The Matrix Reloaded. When creating the film, the creaters of the film were looking for a car for a chase scene for the film, and were looking for a car that would fit the atmosphere of the film. General motors heard about this, and suggested the Cadillac CTS to the filmmakers. They also suggested the Escalade, but the filmmakers rejected it. They showed more interest in the Cadillac Escalade EXT, but it wasn't scheduled to go into prototype stage until 2001. Because of this, General Motors took production Chevrolet Avalanches and converted them into Escalade EXTs using prototype parts. Joel Silver, the creater of The Matrix stated, "We selected Cadillac to play a major role in The Matrix Reloaded because we knew the Cadillac CTS and Cadillac EXT could handle our rigorous production demands, as well as fit seamlessly into the innovative, hyper-stylized world of the Matrix." Ten Cadillac CTS prototypes were used for the film, each showing different extents of damage.