Category: Compact Executive 
Price Range: No data available
A unique proposition, distinctive from the usual (German) contenders, high-performance CTS-V model and its sharp handling
Quality not quite what it should be, not much rear legroom, unforgiving ride, no diesel option
Hugely amusing CTS-V is a credible sports saloon, and well worth a look; V6s are less convincing
General Motors invested heavily in re-launching the Cadillac brand in Europe and in bringing a range of right-hand drive Caddys to the UK.
The CTS is somewhere between a BMW 3- and 5-Series in size. On sale since 2002 in the USA, it was heavily revised for 2005, and the 400 bhp V8-engined CTS-V joined the range - the most powerful production car Cadillac had yet made, and developed with specific reference to European tastes. It's by far the most appealing version in this line-up, and not just in terms of its out-and-out performance.
The two mainstream versions are a 2.8 V6 (215 bhp) and 3.6 V6 (257 bhp), both offered in the UK with a five-speed automatic gearbox only. The 2.8 V6 is the same Holden-sourced engine as used in the Saab 9-3, and the CTS uses much componentry familiar from elsewhere in the General Motors empire. Its rear-wheel-drive 'Sigma' architecture is near-unique, however, shared with the SRX station wagon/4x4 crossover vehicle but not with cheaper Opel/Vauxhall or Chevrolet models.
An all-new CTS range has already been launched, but right-hand-drive versions will not arrive in the UK until late 2008.
