This is my first drive in the CTS with the turbo four. Like the 3.6-liter V6 I drove before, it looks terrific, with its long, low body and handsome creases thrown in for good measure. The exterior shape looks just right to me; no question, it's a Cadillac. That's a compliment. The LEDs look fantastic at night to give the car a powerful appearance. I like the interior, too, and it is quiet in there, with very little road noise. The materials look well assembled and look high quality. I'm even coming to terms with CUE. Getting used to it, I suppose, though it can still be a pain to turn on the seat heater or to adjust fan speed and temperature control. I am thankful I can turn the radio up and down and/or switch stations with steering wheel buttons…
The CTS is a good driver, and, to me, it's down to the seriously dialed-in chassis, as is the ATS. The car feels nimble for a midsize sedan, even more so with the lighter turbocharged four-cylinder than the V6. Steering is about perfect, suspension firm but compliant, and the car feels balanced and stiff. The turbo four is obviously not as spirited as the V6, and its performance won't blow your mind, but mpg should be better and the car doesn't feel like a dog. The transmission upshifts early for better fuel economy, but there are paddle shifters for manual control if you want to play.
Overall, this is a heck of a nice midsize sedan. Those who think the default choices in the midsize luxury class are the BMW 5-series, Mercedes-Benz E-class and Audi A6 need to take a new Caddy CTS for a spin before plunking down their money.
That said, $67K for a four-cylinder might make you wince. The only four-cylinder E-class is the E250 Bluetec, starting at $52K. A BMW 528istarts at $50K, and its turbo four puts out 32 less hp than the CTS. For $44K, you can get an Audi A6 with a turbo four (61 hp less). Option all those cars to the CTS' level and I'm sure the stickers are within a couple grand of each other.
The CTS drives well enough to compete with those Germans head-to-head. The $67K question is: Do potential customers realize it? Will they even consider the Cadillac?
One thing about this particular car: The flashers come on intermittently when the car is parked. It happened at my house and here at the office. You park, get out, start walking away and the flashers come on. Hmm…
The 2014 Cadillac CTS 2.0T Performance Collection sedan comes in at a base price of $60,325 with our tester topping off at $67,285.
The things I don't like about the ATS have been transferred to the CTS too, though: The gauge cluster sits at an odd angle, facing my chest instead of my eyes. It's not the Cimarron-esque cardboard-cutout clusters on the smaller Caddy but instead a digitally rendered screen à la Jaguar/Land Rover. Combined with CUE, it's almost too much -- too many screens, too digital.
Speaking of CUE, I'm slowly walking back my positive initial impressions of the system. Having spent time mostly in Mercedes, BMW and Audi luxury cars lately, the lack of control knobs for basic functions on the CTS is suddenly annoying. Touchscreen elements work well, but I suspect Cadillac will soon tweak the interface to incorporate a select few real knobs much as Ford has done with the vastly improved MyFord Touch. Really, give me a volume and radio-tuning knob and 90 percent of my complaints vanish.
Otherwise, the CTS is exactly what I hoped it would be: A larger ATS, better suited to families without sacrificing the flingability and fun of its little brother. Trim quality is arguably ahead of BMW and Mercedes, fit-and-finish flawless, and the overall cabin has a lower, airier feel to it than those of its German competitors. The outside follows the same conventions -- every time I've seen a new CTS on the road, it's proved a head turner.
I won't belabor the “Cadillac wants how much for this thing?” point, except to say there are basically two ways to price the car: Low, to attract new customers at the expense of profits, or high, to increase the perceived value of the brand but potentially lose conquests who would just as soon stick with the equally expensive German models they know.
Cadillac has obviously chosen the latter path -- time will tell if it was the right decision, but if the new CTS fails in the marketplace, it won't be because of any flaws with the car itself.
Oh, and before I forget, the hazards randomly activated on me three times in the two days I had the car, so we can't attribute it to Old Man Raynal fat-fingering the capacitive switches. There's definitely an electrical gremlin.
The 2014 Cadillac CTS 2.0T Performance Collection sedan is equipped with a 2.0-liter turbocharged I4.
There's a bunch of interior goodies, too, like CUE with navigation, leather seats instead of leatherette, heated and cooled front seats, heated steering wheel, heated rear outboard seats, tri-zone climate controls, color head-up display, automatic high beams, power tilt and telescoping steering column, rain-sensing wipers, giant sunroof and rocking 13-speaker Bose audio system.
Then there are other safety and convenience features like forward-collision alert, lane-departure warning, blind-zone alert, rear cross-traffic alert, rearview camera and automatic parking assist.
The outside is dressed up more, with 18-inch wheels in place of 17s, xenon headlights and illuminated door handles.
Throw in a few other options and that's how we arrive at the $67K as-tested price of this particular car. Crazy stuff, but this car is loaded with seemingly every option you can get, and all that isn't free.
My first experience behind the wheel of a new CTS was in a Vsport model around GM's own development track in Milford, Mich., last year. At that time, I remember thinking to myself that it behaved an awful lot like a BMW vehicle. It was sportier in demeanor, and it was a riot to toss around. After my night on public roads with this 2.0T Performance Collection model, I feel the same way. It drives tight, with snappy steering response and satisfying weight tuned into the wheel. Not surprisingly, the Magnetic Ride Control suspension keeps the body well controlled when you stiffen it up and take corners, but then it can be softened for a well dampened and comfy ride.
The 2.0-liter turbo is fairly peppy with decent thrust throughout the rev range, but it isn't the smoothest-sounding four-cylinder powerplant out there. I'll give it a pass, though, because it is churning out a lot of power. Personally, I would forgo all-wheel drive and just stick with rear-wheel drive to save $2,000 and probably provide a more dynamic handling behavior. With the winter weather we've been pounded with, I didn't get a chance to throw the all-wheel-drive CTS around too hard, but I would expect understeering tendencies if you really flogged it.
Interior surroundings are also real impressive. Materials looks top-notch, panel gaps are tight and it's also comfortable with supportive seats. Leathers are soft, and all major surfaces are soft-touch with good-looking finishes. However, the touch-sense controls for climate and audio remains maddening with how unresponsive they are to inputs. I'm also a little underwhelmed by the exterior design, which could use a little more visual punch, in my opinion.
And I didn't experience the random flashing hazards during my time with it. Maybe the car just doesn't like the other guys…
EDITORS NOTE: After we published this piece CTS chief engineer Dave Leone buzzed us to say our car’s hazard-light situation is identified and fixed. Overly sensitive switch software allowed the flashers to go on with just the slightest disturbance. The software has been updated and the problem solved. Our car was built October 24. Any CTS built on or after November 27, 2013 won’t have an issue and dealers have been sent a service bulletin.
2014 Cadillac CTS 2.0T Performance Collection sedan
Base Price: $60,325As-Tested Price: $67,285
Drivetrain: 2.0-liter turbocharged I4; AWD, six-speed automatic
Output: 272 hp @ 5,500 rpm, 295 lb-ft @ 1,700-5,0500 rpm
Curb Weight: 3,616 lb
Fuel Economy (EPA City/Highway/Combined): 19/28/22 mpg
AW Observed Fuel Economy: 19.2 mpg
Options: Driver assist package including adaptive cruise control, front and rear automatic braking, automatic collision preparation, auto safety belt tightening ($1,650); jet black/Morello red interior accents ($1,650); performance seat & cluster package including full leather seats, performance front seats, pedals, sport alloy ($1,625); 18-inch polished aluminum 15-spoke wheels ($750); advanced security package including tamper resistant theft deterrent alarm system, tilt sensor, locking wheel lugs, steering column lock, laminated RR side door glass ($395)
0 comments:
Post a Comment