2005 Cadillac CTS

Reviewed by

Carey Russ

on 07/06/2005

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Page 2

Earning a place in its class
Our test car had the 3.6-liter V-6, an aluminum-alloy twin-cam, 24-valve unit with variable valve timing. Mated to a six-speed Aisin manual transmission, it's rated at 255 horsepower at 6,200rpm, with 252 pound-feet of torque at 3,200rpm. The available automatic is a five-speed, comparable to the automatics in competitive cars. Sound like a recipe for performance? Indeed, but like many modern high-revving engines, this one is merely adequate at low revs. It gets happier as it revs higher, with a strong midrange and high end.

Although you can beam in addresses from your PDA, they are not integrated with the navigation system's route guidance.

The standard-equipment six-speed gearbox is a good match for the engine, although we weren't impressed with the shift linkage. We got 21mpg on average, driving mostly moderately and with a good mix of city and highway miles--competitive with most other cars in this class. Like the engine, the suspension gets happier as it gets pushed harder. Even with the firmer springs and shocks of the Sport package, ride comfort is very good in normal operation. Ride it harder in the corners, and the 2005 Cadillac CTS digs in, with enthusiasm. It's very comparable to the best from the German and Japanese competition.

Like most modern luxury cars, the Cadillac CTS has standard dual-stage front, front-side, and side-curtain airbags. Cadillac includes OnStar with a free one-year subscription to the Safe and Sound feature package. Xenon High Intensity Discharge headlights are available. The Stabilitrak 2.0 stability-enhancement system comes as part of the Sport package. With relatively transparent operation, it controls understeer or oversteer by gentle application of one or more individual brakes and gently decreases engine power if it deems that is necessary. It can be disengaged for high-performance driving. Strong brakes are a necessary match for a strong engine, and the Cadillac CTS scores high with four-wheel vented discs with standard antilock and traction control. The CTS is covered by a four-year/50,000-mile warranty.