Best Price Deals – 2012 Cadillac CTS 3.6 Performance Sedan
MSRP: $42,290
The Cadillac CTS has been around since the 2003 model year. It was Cadillac’s return to rear-wheel drive sedans, and was built on the same platform as the present model: the GM Sigma. It is currently in its second generation, but Cadillac keeps tweaking the CTS every year to keep it fresh.
The 2012 Cadillac CTS 3.6 Performance Sedan is a midsize luxury sedan that seats five passengers, is the third of four trim levels, and is the first with the larger engine. It has a 3.6 liter V6 engine that produces 318 horsepower. It has 18-inch painted alloy wheels, rear-wheel drive, and a 6-speed shiftable automatic transmission. It is rated at 18 mpg in the city and 27 mpg on the highway, and has an estimated zero to sixty time of 6.5 seconds.
The CTS Performance comes with a leather-covered, tilt-telescope steering wheel that houses the audio and cruise controls, heated 8-way power seats with lumbar and height adjustment, memory settings for two drivers, leather upholstery, keyless entry, remote ignition, full-power accessories, 2-zone climate controls divided between driver and front passenger, simulated fiber carbon trim on the console, dash, and doors, a sun sensor, a rear defogger, automatic Xenon headlights, foglights, and a trip computer. The audio system is a 5.1 surround sound Bose with a subwoofer, 9 conventional speakers, AM/FM/satellite radio, a CD/MP3 player, an audio jack, a USB/iPod input, and Bluetooth.
It also has the GM OnStar emergency communication system, antilock brakes, side front airbags, side curtain airbags, active front head restraints, stability control, and traction control. As of this writing, it is too early for US government test results, but the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety gave the CTS perfect scores of good in front, side, and rear impact tests, and good in the roof strength test.
Conclusions and driver feedback:
The CTS is a very attractive car, both inside and outside. The aerodynamic tweaks and some style changes have given the CTS’ exterior a more aggressive look, and the inside has been made to look quite modern. Some cars have understated luxury, but the best three words to describe the CTS are “in your face.”
The materials are premium quality and soft-touch, while the design is lean and angular. Also, wherever you look, you will see trim. There is a very large center stack of controls. Some think it is too large, but we think it has character. There is plenty of cabin space in the front seats, with ample headroom and legroom for even the tallest of passengers. The rear seats are a bit small, though, for anyone over about six feet one inch. The front seats are extremely comfortable, while the rear seats are a bit stiff for a luxury car. There are 13.6 feet of trunk space, but the opening is so narrow that you can’t fit a set of golf clubs in by laying them straight across.
The Performance trim, like the Premium above it, is tweaked for sporty performance. The steering is very responsive, and so is the suspension. The CTS Performance can handle rough treatment in turns and corners like a champ. This car handles like a lot smaller car. Unfortunately for passengers expecting a traditional Cadillac ride, the Performance trim may be a bit stiff. The ride is still very nice, but there is a bit of road feel and it isn’t the traditional, mushy American luxury ride that feels like you are riding on a stack of pillows.
All in all, this is a decent car that is a lot of fun to drive, but we don’t know who is buying it. Cadillac is a great marque with a lot of customer loyalty. The old Cadillac used to be big, with a lush ride, and a lot of power. With the CTS, you get your choice between a lush ride or a lot of power, and the cabin space doesn’t beat everybody else’s anymore. Our guess is that loyal Cadillac buyers are deciding whether they want power or a great ride, and choosing one over the other.
The verdict: we like this trim level, and feel that it is worth a test drive.
Other trims, options, and miscellaneous caveats…
The first two trim levels, as you may have guessed from their names, get the 3.0 engine. They are tweaked more toward passenger comfort, at least in the front seat. They have a very nice ride, especially in the front seat.
The 3.0 Base, starting at $35,915, has automatic headlights, 17-inch alloy wheels, cruise control, keyless entry, leatherette vinyl upholstery, cruise control, an 8-way power driver’s seat, a tilt-telescope steering wheel, Bluetooth, and an 8-speaker version of the Bose sound system. All GM vehicles have GM OnStar.
The 3.0 Luxury, starting at $39,050, adds heated front seats, an 8-way power passenger seat, leather upholstery, a wood-grain steering wheel, driver memory functions, and a rearview camera.
The 3.6 Premium, starting at $48,290, has everything from the 3.6 Performance, plus a navigation system, a heated steering wheel, and real-time traffic and weather.
There are plenty of options to personalize your CTS. The navigation system is optional on the Luxury and Performance trims. For the Premium, you can elect the Summer Tire Perfomance package, which gets 19-inch wheels, a sportier suspension, summer tires, shift paddles, upgraded brakes, and a rear limited-slip differential. There are plenty of others, too, so that you can personalize your car the way you want.
There is another variant that we will review on its own. It is called the CTS-V. It comes in Sedan, Sport Wagon, and Coupe trims, and has a 6.2 liter, supercharged, overhead valve V8 that produces 556 horsepower and 551 pound-feet of torque. We vote the Sport Wagon as “sleeper of the year.”
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