Driving the 2008 Cadillac CTS

After turning on the 2008 Cadillac CTS at the Milford Proving Grounds I paused for a moment to see if the car would return the favor. Sadly, I think Kate Walsh is being a bit of tease in the commercial as I didn’t notice anything obvious.

Having said that, the new CTS is probably the best conceived and executed GM product that I have ever had the privilege of experiencing. The exterior’s styling is bold, true to the brand but not overwrought or tacky. Inside the car doesn’t disappoint with most materials possessing the right look and feel. I also like the layout of the dash. I was quickly able to adjust my seat, set the climate to auto, the temp to 68, turn on the ventilated seats and be on my merry way: not always the case with high end cars and their myriad of gadgets. Automobile Magazine has carped about the “excess of textures and finishes” in the CTS but this was nothing that shouted out at me. My question, "Where’s Bluetooth?" Cadillac says it is coming.

The car acquitted itself very well on the test loop that GM had setup for us. If I could carp about anything it would be that the steering was a little light for me: I’d like just a little more effort dialed in there. Speaking of the steering wheel, it lacks shift paddles but honestly that didn't bother me as the automatic made all the right moves.

One thing I didn’t care for were the exterior mirrors. They might look alright from the outside, but when viewed from the inside they are in the shape of a stealth fighter. It was very distracting to me. Making things worse was the power adjustment mechanism: the mirrors moved in an erratic, stuttering manner that doesn’t scream quality but rather hark back to GM’s days of yore. Is this flaw the equivalent of the thermal exhaust port on the first Death Star? No, it’s very minor, but as Stewie (playing Vader) from the Family Guy would say, “let’s get some estimates on fixing that.”

A drive in the CTS4 AWD model showed a car that possessed many of the same qualities as its RWD sister, but presented a slightly dulled driving experience. It wasn’t a huge difference, but an offering at the altar of foul weather traction is being paid. Let’s just say that if you don’t foresee a lot of slick surfaces in your future I’d forgo the extra weight and expense.

The CTS may be Cadillac’s least expensive car from an MSRP standpoint, but it is by far its best vehicle. Of all the car segments out there this is truly where GM needs to have its best hardware on display and the CTS achieves this goal. The first generation CTS started to change minds, this second generation model is going to win hearts.