2011 Cadillac Coupe CTS: An American beauty

The Cadillac division of GM continues to be successful. In fact, its CTS sedan is one of the best selling Caddies in the history of the brand, while the new SRX crossover unveiled last year is also quite popular. As always with a successful model, the number of versions of the CTS is being increased. It has already been available in the sedan and wagon versions for some time, and now the Coupe is arriving on the market as the 2011 model. For now, the sedan and wagon are also sold in the sportier V version, which is distinguished by its 6.2-litre turbocharged V8 engine producing 556 horsepower!

The Coupe was initially unveiled during the 2008 Detroit Auto Show and was expected to be available the following year, but the manufacturer’s financial problems delayed its arrival. But there are no delays this time, and this elegant car has been available in Canada since the beginning of August. It’s also interesting to note that it’s the first coupe to be offered by the Cadillac division since the Eldorado was abandoned in 2002, but there’s no resemblance or similarities between these two models. The Eldorado had a very ordinary shape and its performances and output were not very interesting.

The look, first and foremost

One of the main reasons for the CTS’ success is undoubtedly its shape, which was inspired by the United States Air Force stealth airplanes. With its sharp angles, its uncompromising shape, its prominent vertical taillights and its extremely unique front end with its vertical headlights and chrome front grille, it’s tough not to notice. Add to that, of course, the small air extractors located on the upper part of the front fenders.

In corporate slang, this design philosophy is called “art and science,” and it’s exclusive to Cadillac. As for the coupe, the stylists didn’t simply settle for cutting the sedan off at its rear doors. There have been several style changes, such as using a windshield with a more pronounced, 62.3-degree angle, while the rear window is almost horizontal. This gives it a truly unique shape. I must say that the two-door version’s wheelbase is similar to that of the sedan, but the height and length have been reduced by 51 mm. On the other hand, the rear track width was widened to give it that curved shape that the company’s stylists like so much. They call it a Coke bottle shape.

Among this model’s other unique features, there’s a central exhaust with two dihedral exhaust tips and a small spoiler on the trunk lid that also acts as raised brake lights. Finally, this car doesn’t have door handles. As is the case with the Chevrolet Corvette, there are small buttons on the inside of the upper part of the door that are used to open it with the help of an electrical system. Once inside the passenger compartment, to open the door, simply push a button located on the interior handle. It has the type of silhouette that you either love or hate, but I have to admit that during our test drive, most of the comments that we received were positive.

An authentic 2+2

In most cases, the back seats in coupes aren’t terribly comfortable and are very cramped. However, most manufacturers try to delude us into believing that there’s space in the back. By calling this vehicle as a 2+2, Cadillac is playing the honesty card. For starters, the front seats are very generous and are quite comfortable, not to mention heated and air conditioned to meet the demands of the season.

In back, there are two bucket seats that offer good leg room as long as the passengers in front cooperate. Getting in is easy thanks to buttons situated on the back of the front seats that help you slide them forward to create more room. However, taller people will bump their heads on the ceiling, guaranteed. The rear seatbacks fold forward to increase the trunk capacity, but the opening is relatively narrow to make the body more rigid.

The dashboard is similar to that of the other CTS models. The finish is excellent, the use of chrome parts is appropriate and the controls are easy to access and use. High marks for the pop-up display screen that can be put away vertically in the dash board and leaves room to display information like the climate control and radio settings. As with many of this manufacturer’s models, the quality of the materials and assembly is good.

Grand touring

Its look will lead you to believe that it’s a fiery car just itching to devour the road, but this two-door Cadillac is more of a Grand Touring car. For the ultra-sporty version, you’ll have to wait for the V model and its 556 horses.

That’s not to say that the regular version just crawls along on the road without offering anything in the way of inspired performance. Its 3.6-litre, direct injection V6 engine produces 304 hp, which is still more than acceptable. It can be ordered factory standard with a six-speed manual transmission. Cadillac offers an optional six-speed automatic transmission equipped with a manual mode and shifters mounted behind the steering wheel. Some have been critical of this feature, noting that paddles would be more practical. To each his own, but we were satisfied with them. It should also be noted that this engine and this transmission are equipped with the engine speed harmonization system when downshifting. It also comes with a sport mode, which can be engaged by pushing the stick shift to the right to put it in manual mode. Then, shifting is modified to offer better performances. I should specify that you don’t have to shift manually to be able to benefit from the sport mode. This rear-wheel drive can be ordered instead with all-wheel drive. Then the automatic gearbox is mandatory. Our test version was equipped with the Sport Package with 19-inch summer tires, which helps with comfort and handling while making for a quieter ride.

On the road, it’s reasonably agile for a car of this size. This manufacturer’s electrically assisted steering is a little too assisted in low gear, but things get back to normal at higher speeds. And although it’s not meant to be an ultra-sporty car, the traditional 0-100 km/hr took only 6.3 seconds, which is nothing to sneeze at. The brakes are reasonably powerful and the braking distance was very short at only 38 metres – pretty impressive for a vehicle that weighs two tonnes. Behind the wheel, comfort and soundproofing are good, and it has an excellent audio system. When the road starts to wind, we noticed a slight under-steer and the tailend seemed to want to sway, but you’ll have to really push hard to get to that point.

Overall, if you like the originality of this car’s contours, you’re going to like its plush passenger compartment, while its performances are more than adequate. However, it’s still a notch below its German competitors in terms of handling and ride, but the difference isn’t enormous. Compared to some Japanese cars, such as the Infiniti G37 Coupe, the spacious passenger compartment gives the American a slight advantage.

This model will be less popular than the sedan, but there is a place for it on the market and you have to give credit to the Cadillac division for not simply copying other models. This beautiful American model is nothing if not original.