Drew Dowdell

Oh Lord, Won't You Buy Me A CTS-V? style="width: 457px; height: 343px;" alt="CTS-V Coupe front" src="http://www.cheersandgears.com/uploads/gallery/album_144/med_gallery_51_144_3267146.png"> July 26, 2011 - DrewDowdell - CheersandGears.com With apologies to Janis Joplin: Oh Lord, won't you buy mea CTS-V? My friends all drive bimmers, they go faster than me. Worked hard all my lifetime, now I need something for me So Lord, won't you buy me a CTS-V? 2011 Cadillac CTS-V Coupe -Full Review It is hard to write about a car that is so amazing. Where do you start? The awesome suede trim interior? The unending thrust? The handling when pushed hard? Or the ride when driven soft? I have a template that I use to write automotive reviews, but it feels inappropriate to use it here because this car doesn't fit any template out there. alt="2011 CTS-V Coupe" src="http://www.cheersandgears.com/uploads/gallery/album_144/gallery_51_144_1904383.png" hspace="20" vspace="20">The CTS-V Coupe is Cadillac's ultra high powered version of the CTS Coupe we havereviewed earlier. That CTS coupe comes with a 300 horsepower V6 thatmakes for satisfying thrust. The supercharged 6.2 litre V8 in the CTS-Vputs out enough horsepower to be about equal to the coupe's V6 plusthe V6 from the base CTS sedan for a grand total of 556 snorting ponies. All of that power is fed through a 6-speed manual transmission to the rear wheels. Pick a gear... any gear... and the thrust is amazing. You know that part in the opening credits of Star Trek: The Next Generation where the Enterprise stretches out and goes to warp? That's exactly the feeling you get when you launch this car. The exhaust note is tuned to be refined, but you still get a hint of the old school muscle car burble in there. No soulless mechanical sounds here. During my time with the car, I averaged 13.1mpg while driving it hard and was able to get EPA on the highway at 18.5mpg. This is exactly in line with its main competitors the Mercedes Benz C65 AMG, the BMW M3 and M5. The CTS-V isn't just fast in a straight line, this heavy coupe can perform some extremely gratifying cornering maneuvers despite its 4,209lb curb weight. All in all, the curb weight isn't much of an issue as it does not detract from the driving experience. However, it also makes one wonder what Cadillac could have done in the handling department had the car been 500lbs lighter. Thankfully, out on the open highway, Cadillac's magnetic ride control smooths everything out into a quiet comfortable ride. Where other sports cars with tight handling might beat you up on a highway drive, the CTS-V coddles you. Inside I wasn't so sure about the suede inserts and covered steering wheel... until I needed them. Not only do they feel great in your hand, but they also give you an easier grip to keep your butt and hands planted where they should be when the road gets twisty. The piano black finish can get dusty quickly. Spend the $3 for a glove box sized California duster. The climate control and stereo work well enough, but the layout of the buttons for the combined sound system/navigation system could probably use a re-think. alt="2011 Cadillac CTS-V rear leg room" src="http://www.cheersandgears.com/uploads/gallery/album_144/gallery_51_144_57135.png" hspace="20" vspace="20"> alt="2011 Cadillac CTS-V center stack" src="http://www.cheersandgears.com/uploads/gallery/album_144/gallery_51_144_4002433.jpg" hspace="20" vspace="20">The optional front Recaros are sublime... as they should be for a $3,400 option. Rear seat legroom is still surprisingly good for this car. Certainly much better than GM's other 4-seat V8 coupe, the Camaro. People often wonder about rearward blind spots from the large. I never really had a problem with visibility out the back. It isn't the best, but it is by no means bad. In fact, I had a far harder time seeing out the back of the Camaro Convertible that followed this CTS-V. If someone is in your blind spot, just tap the pedal on the right... that should clear up the situation. The trunk opening is small, but over all space is reasonably large. If you think you're going to get yours and three of your buddy's golf clubs in there... 'taint happening. Here is a small plug for OnStar. Towards the end of one of our evaluation days, a family emergency came up. We were in a very rural area and my cell phone cut out. I used the on board phone to call back and get an assessment of the situation. After hanging up, I realized I didn't get the actual name of the hospital I would need to drive to. While on the road, I contacted an OnStar rep and explained to him that I needed to get to a hospital very close to a certain mall (that's all the information I had) and I didn't know the name of the hospital. The OnStar Rep was able to search the maps to locate the hospital nearest to this mall and have the directions downloaded into the NAV system. Try doing that with your Garmin. I engaged the warp drive and was there in record time. Thankfully, the family emergency ended with happy news 4 days later. Everyone around seems excited by the CTS-V. I get stopped to talk about this car CONSTANTLY. Everyone from 18 year old kids to 90 year old coots stepping out of their '98 Devilles want to talk to me about the car. Budget for extra time at the grocery store. style="width: 411px; height: 308px;" alt="2011 CTS-V coupe spoiler" src="http://www.cheersandgears.com/uploads/gallery/album_144/gallery_51_144_1198025.png" hspace="20" vspace="20"> In the end you can find minor quibbles with any car. I don't particularly like the location of the emergency door release handle and the switch gear on the dash to the left of the steering wheel is right out of Grandma's Buick Lucerne, but there is absolutely nothing about this Cadillac that would stop me from buying a stack of scratch off lottery tickets. So.. dear Lord, please, won't you buy me a CTS-V? Gallery: 2011 CTS-V coupe 2011 Cadillac CTS-V Coupe (HD) from Chris Doane on Vimeo.

Could be a hint of what to expect in the ATS-V, but if it is to be 3.6L it has to be a heavily reworked block. There's a reason GM turbocharged the 2.8L version and not the 3.2L or the 3.6L versions of the HF V6. EDIT - But since there was a 2.8L installed on a 9-3 and doing 400hp (that car was once photographed at the Trollhättan parking lot), maybe the 3.0L can approach these numbers with ease. I'd want dwight's opinion on that.

I'm betting they'll test out how the Cruze does with a diesel first before coming to a decision. Cruze is their best selling car right now, that's where to test it.

I still think a Cruze diesel is in the picture for us eventually. The only sad part is having to buy an automatic for Albert.

Absolutely. They are probably going to build one for the EU anyway.

Gah! The Tacoma was at least mildly attractive in the last iteration. Now it looks like it has a thyroid condition! I wonder if I can order one with "folding frame delete"

Don't at all judge an electric by it's top horsepower number. First SMK, the horsepower number you quoted for the Volt is when the car is set to standard Eco mode. Switch it to sport and you've got yourself 220hp. Second, no ICE of equal horsepower out there can beat the torque curve of an electric. As far as off the line performance is concerned, electrics have max torque at zero RPM. At a standstill, it is the torque that gets you going. So even if the ELR comes out with a 220hp default version of the Volt drive train, some gearing tweaks will make it a very competent performer around town and up to max U.S. speeds.

I don't think you will regret your choice Ocn.... and you will be even more well protected in case of another accident.

One thing that bugs me... Why wouldn't they call it the ELC? 1. It's a coupe 2. It more evokes the thought of electricity.

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The rumor is wrong. The ELR will specifically undercut the Tesla S by a few thousand. Meaning the ELR will probably base just above the Volt's current top end (remember there are Volt price cuts coming)

Currently my favorite GM built ride! Congrats! I huge upgrade over a G6.

$36 here for the Toronado

There was both. There was a 4.5 V8 Diesel for trucks and a 2.9 V6 Diesel for cars. The 2009 CTS was supposed to get it for European launch

I suppose it really depends on how important a bit of history it is.

and what did you think of the Cruze?

The Ciel is new and never before seen. I've seen the Converg in person at least twice now.

Delta was what the Cobalt SS was built on. It kept up with high end BMWs on the 'Ring. The Insignia was indeed designed for the autobahn... like... specifically.

First Official Photos of the 2012 Ferrari 458 Spider August 19th 2011 - Drew Dowdell - CheersandGears.com While there have been a few illustrations floating around out there, the first official photos of the 2012 Ferrari 458 Spider showed up in our inbox today. Set to debut in September's Frankfurt Auto Show, the 458 Spider will share the same mechanicals as its coupe counterpart packing the same 570 horsepower and 400 lb-ft 4.5 liter V8. The retractable hard top and extra chassis strengthening will add weight and likely lower the overall performance compared to its coupe sibling. European deliveries begin in September 2011 with U.S. deliveries starting in early 2012. 2012 Ferrari 458 Spider Official Photos