Cadillac brings the fastest saloon in the world to the region banking on its track supremacy, astonishing performance and unbeatable value. Top Performance puts the new CTS-V through the paces, both on a racetrack and the silky smooth roads of Dubai.
Zlatko Mulabegovic

Gone are the days of long term supremacies, dominations and exclusivity in the automotive arena. That is right, no such thing as being the “King of the Ring” for a long period of time, since competition does not rest and you never know who’ll be the next to attempt to overturn your forerunner. The BMW M-series cars have been dominating the segment of compact to medium premium sport sedans for decades and a competitor was nowhere in sight, not even amongst the German brands. So, would you expect an American luxury brand to take the plunge and attempt the unthinkable. Hell no!

Well, Cadillac jumped on the performance sedan bandwagon and aimed for the M5 in their first attempt in the early years of this decade. The first edition of the CTS-V was a hot car, but was not a worthy competitor to the german uber-sedans. Far from discouraged by the defeat in the first round, the Americans have thoroughly dissected the competition and set ambitious targets for their new model, stuff like best 0-100 km/h time in its class, fastest lap around the ‘Ring, best equipment levels and best price in the segment. Victory on all fronts was achieved, as the new CTS-V managed sub-8 minute “ring lap times, supercar-like sprints from standstill to 100 km/h and outperforming all of its direct competitors in every imaginable aspect.

Well, this brings me to the question that’s been bugging me ever since I’ve seen the spy shots of the “V” and that is why? Why did a luxury-driven brand like Cadillac need to build a car like this? According to Mike Deveraux, the General Manager of GM in the Middle East, it was a matter of prestige. By developing the CTS-V Cadillac demonstrated their prowess and excellent engineering, easily overshadowing cars like the Lexus IS-F, BMW M5, Audi RS6 and a few more. Point proven!

On the outside
Did we say that the CTS-V looks good too? Well, the designers made damn sure that this model never gets confused with the one it originates from. The in-your-face aggressive and chiseled body work includes deep and flat spoilers, sporty but classy chromed mesh grilles, twin exhausts and a lowered stance. The bonnet features a massive dome that provides extra space for the supercharger and the vents in the bumper are larger than the standard ones for improved cooling. The Caddy rolls on staggered 19” wheels, like the Corvette, and the multi-spoke forged rollers are wrapped in ultra low and extremely sticky Michelin Pilot Sport rubber. The high mount brake light fitted on the trunk not only complements the sharp lines, but also provides a hefty amount of downforce at elevated speeds.

Seen from any angle the CTS-V looks aggressive and menacing, but nothing comes close to the feel of seeing one coming at you in your rear view mirror; makes you wanna give way without hesitation.

Under the hood
When the donor of the engine is a Corvette, then there’s no doubt that crazy things are to be expected. And, if you add a supercharger to the above, then we’re no longer talking muscle cars, we’re talking supercars.

The Cadillac CTS-V is powered by supercharged 6.2 liter V8 LSA engine generating a class-topping 609 horsepower and an astonishing 793 Nm of torque from as low as 3,800 rpm. The cast aluminum engine has been carefully prepped for forced induction, featuring lower compression forged pistons, aggressive camshafts and a fully balanced rotation assembly. The Eaton supercharger has been improved too, delivering better performance at high rpm while making significantly less noise. Not that I mind the whistling, it never fails to remind you of that blower sitting atop your V8.

The engine is offered with a choice of a Tremec six speed manual transmission or the Hydra-Matic auto tranny. The manual setup is carried over from the first model of the CTS-V, but it has been upgraded and now features twin clutch plates in order to handle the extra power and torque. The automatic gearbox too is beefed up, equipped with a twin plate torque converter – a GM first, and it has driver selectable modes for relaxed or spirited driving.

All of the work gone into developing the supercharged and intercooled V8 resulted in a number of benefits, including high horsepower and torque levels, great flexibility, instant response and the kind of refinement you’d expect to find in any other Cadillac. This means that you can have supercar performance without the noise, vibrations and harshness usually associated with cars from this segment. The CTS-V is docile and drivable in a range of situations, be it stop & go traffic, relaxed urban driving or a blast down the highway.

The stiff stuff
Aside the great engine, the CTS-V inherits more goodies from the Corvette, stuff like the world’s fastest reacting suspension, the infamous Magnetic Ride Control which uses shocks controlled by electro-magnets, rather than mechanical valves, greatly accelerating response time. Electronic sensors at all four wheels feed the data every millisecond, resulting in constant adjustments to damping for extremely precise control of body motions. This is of particular benefit for a high-performance sedan because it keeps the car very composed during hard cornering, acceleration, braking and hard driving in general. Having said that, the car still retains a comfortable ride and everyday usability, something that is a trademark of the Cadillac vehicles, even the sporty ones.

Powerful Brembo brakes with six-piston calipers in the front and four-piston calipers in the rear are in charge of stopping the fastest production sedan in the world, while grip comes courtesy Michelin’s PS2 ultra high performance tires.

Sports and luxury
All this performance talk might make us forget that the CTS-V is still a Cadillac and, as such, it will boast a luxurious cabin. The CTS design theme extends to the interior with the addition of tasty V-specific touches, like the optional Recaro sport seats, carbon fiber panels, quality materials and an extensive list of equipment and gadgets. The CTS-V offers a leading edge infotainment system with a pop-up display and a BOSE digital surround audio set with a large hard drive and Bluetooth connectivity.

The seating position is excellent and the 14-way adjustable Recaros make it possible to find the optimum setting. The seats even enable you to play with the side support, which comes handy when preparing yourself for a track day or a blast down some curvy roads.

Track test
Make no mistake, we are talking about the track experience at the wheel of the new CTS-V, followed by a road test. Not only that this was the chronological order of things, but to do this marvelous car justice, the road test was more of an eye opener than the Autodrome sessions. Wonder why? Read on!

The CTS-V was developed on the race track and has proven its mettle on the M5s home turf by clocking a time of 7:59:32 and breaking the magic eight minute barrier at the Nordschleife. At the Dubai Autodrome the cars performed above my expectations and the only regret I have is not having driven the cars on some stickier rubber to fully exploit their potential.

With the suspension in the Sport mode the CTS-V is surefooted and composed in both tight corners and high speed turns, under hard braking and acceleration. A precise and direct steering rack makes it dead easy to place the car on the right path and clip the apex every time. Although this is not this car’s primary intended use, it handles track days with easy, without the usual faded brakes or overheated engine.

On the road
Although the race track is the right place to verify any given car’s performance claims, the CTS-V excels even more on ordinary roads and in everyday driving. The massive torque makes for effortless driving, blindingly quick overtaking and there are few cars than can get you from A to B with such ease, speed and comfort too. I don’t see that many of the CTS-V owners being regular track day goers, but I do see them using the power and enjoying every moment at the wheel of this fabulous car.

The Caddy really shines in everyday driving, thanks to great ergonomics, comfort, refinement and offered equipment. Silky smooth when driven slowly, it would almost fool you into thinking this is the ordinary CTS-V. But, blip that throttle a tad harder and you’ll be reminded that this comfy sedan can hang with big boys.

Our conclusion
I’ve had great fun commuting in Caddy’s CTS-V, scaring 911s off the traffic lights, taking highway ramps at elevated speeds and sprinting hard at any given opportunity. Thanks to its ground covering capability, I was able to leave for work later than usual and still make it on time, thanks to the 609 ponies sitting under that sculpted hood. And, its power to comfort ratio makes it such a fun car to drive on a daily basis, combining supercar performance with sedan versatility and the proverbial Cadillac luxury.

And, although it does not make complete sense talking about value for money at this level, the Cadillac CTS-V surely is worth every penny, and its closest competitor is priced at a hefty 100,000 Dirhams north of its selling price. So, the fastest sedan in the world also happens to be the best price one. What are you waiting for?