Likes:
- Confident and easy to drive
- Suspension and brakes ready for track time
- Magnetic dampers provide a smooth ride
- Attractive interior design
- Top-notch materials and trims
Dislikes:
- Crowded, cluttered instrument panel
- Steering doesn’t have much road feel
- Manual shift gate required to use paddle-shifters
The latest in a line of performance-focused V-Series cars from Cadillac, the Cadillac CTS-V packs a version of the Chevy Corvette ZR1 engine and takes aim at some of the leading sport sedans from Germany. The 2010 Cadillac CTS-V is based on the more mainstream CTS luxury sedan but is more exclusive, built in small numbers, and considerably more expensive.
Last year the CTS-V was reintroduced as a much more aggressively styled and more powerful vehicle, picking up the refinements inside and out that the CTS gained for ‘08. That’s to say, the CTS-V isn’t as smooth or rakish as rival sedans in this class; from either the front or rear, it’s boxy and angular, though the roofline and door lines help soften the proportions a bit. Taking a closer look, there are plenty of details to appreciate, including jewel-like headlamps, meshlike upper and lower grilles, a well-sculpted front fascia, and integrated fog lamps in front; in back Cadillac’s vertical tail lamps flank the corners, and the trunklid crease is lined with a spoilerlike strip of LEDs. V-Series badging and chrome side vents also help distinguish the V, and flashy 19-inch wheels, polished or painted, have V-shaped spoke segments and showcase the heavy-duty Brembo brake hardware. Overall, the exterior is different and probably won’t appeal to everyone, but inside, the 2010 Cadillac CTS-V follows smoother yet still very fashionable design. Trim alongside the doors extends across the instrument panel from both sides and slopes downward into a V-shaped center console that contains audio and climate controls and additional vents, LED accent lighting is piped in, and an available navigation display retracts neatly into the dash when not in use.
