Retirement of CTS, ATS Models Makes Room for New V Treatment on Last Big Cadillac Sedan

Back in 2004 the race for a big comeback for Cadillac was in full gear. Fueled by the success and profits from the Cadillac Escalade full-sized SUV, the American luxury icon was going after the German brands that took big chunks of its market-share. And while the lush interior amenities were relatively easy to match, the real battleground was performance and excitement!

Today the Cadillac drive to reclaim its former glories has been swamped by the onslaught of SUV and Crossovers and the steady decline in sedan sales, leading to the retirement of both the CTS and ATS models which admirably and respectably led the charge against the European premium performance cars.

A last test drive of the 640 horsepower CTS V sedan is a reminder of just how good a performance sedan Cadillac can build, packing a 6.2 liter supercharged V8 breathing 640 horsepower of naked aggression. On the track this bad boy tops out at around 200 mph and can knock off 0 to 60 in under 5 seconds with sharp handling magnetic ride control and high performance traction management and braking systems.

Inside the $90,000 Cadillac CTS is a secure comfort zone with the full panoply tech gear with a rough and ready racing edge. The passing of the CTS V is bittersweet with some consolation in that the CT6 big Caddy sedan gets a brand new 550 horsepower twin turbo V8 engine for its own V series entry for the next model year.