In case you couldn’t tell, the CT5 V-Series is, essentially, a slightly bigger version of the CT4 V-Series we reviewed the other day.
Naturally, there are few more differences than size alone, the most notable being that the CT5 V gets two extra cylinders and an extra turbocharger—which makes the Cadillac good for 360 horsepower and 405 lb.-ft. of torque.
Besides that, …
I just don't get it. For years GM diluted the Cadillac brand into bland fogey-mobile territory. Nobody under 60 wanted to own one. The Escalade came out and filled a hole in the market, and gave Cadillac a reason to exist. Then they came out with the V, a fire-breathing monster that was essentially a Corvette that family guys could own with a straight face. All of a sudden Cadillac was a respected enthusiast brand again. And as soon as that happened, they started to reshape their line back into bland crossovers and old fogey sedans again.
And let's not forget one dumb-ass naming convention after another.
I'm not sure what you'd consider "bland old fogey sedan" about this car.
BUT:
It does sure play into the modern trend of jamming yet another just-slightly-different-sized model between any two existing vehicle sizes.
There used to be subcompact, compact, midsize, and large chassis. Now there is a smooth continuum of like 12 different models between the two ends of the spectrum.
The first gen CTS-V was just silly. Corvette motor and a manual and we don't quite know how to build a differential that will handle it. Go knock yourselves out.
Second gen was all the boosts and a wagon and yes, 3 pedals. I bought one of these new.
You could even argue that the 3rd gen was bonkers, but it didn't grab ahold of the psyche quite the same. The ATS-V almost did, but it didn't have the right sound track.
I find it hard to really get excited about the current offerings. They're spectacular cars to be sure, but I can't figure out why I would want to buy one. Maybe I'm just not the right buyer any more?
Wait, we are complaining about 350+hp rwd family sedans?
Bring em on, please!
In reply to wvumtnbkr :
We live in a world where you can go buy a 300hp Camry at the dealer. We're jaded.
Strangely, there's a hotter version set to debut later. Why debut the more pedestrian model first? Who knows. And thanks, Cadillac, for ensuring confusion in perpetuity over CTS/CT5.
The Cadillack naming convention is one of the worst things in the automotive world. Who thought that was a good idea? I have know idea how to delineate any of their offerings from one another.
I owned on 05 CTS-V. Maybe I'm an old fogey now, but I'm becoming acutely aware of how much better modern cars are at being actual cars than some of my older enthusiast vehicles. Even rental cars seem like a spaceships compared to any of my cars.
This looks pretty sharp to me. Yeah, I'd prefer a manual, but I'm not seeing a lot else wrong here.
mazdeuce - Seth said:In reply to wvumtnbkr :
We live in a world where you can go buy a 300hp Camry at the dealer. We're jaded.
I bet the Camry has a similar hp/weight ratio to this Cadillac "V". 350hp is nice, but if the car weights 4000+ pounds...
Jordan Rimpela (FS) said:Strangely, there's a hotter version set to debut later. Why debut the more pedestrian model first? Who knows. And thanks, Cadillac, for ensuring confusion in perpetuity over CTS/CT5.
Pretty much every manufacturer debuts the more pedestrian versions first.
and the ct5 v replaces the cts v sport. The blackbird will have a supercharged v8 like the last cts v had.
Cad-stang style front end.
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