Cadillac has unveiled its new 2015 CTS-V ahead of a planned debut at the Detroit motor show – and it’s been beefed up with a diet of even more horsepower to give Europe’s hot-shot saloons a scare.
The numbers are frankly a little scary for a humdrum four-door saloon:
• 640bhp maximum power
• 630lb ft peak torque
• 200mph top speed
Third-generation Cadillac CTS-V (2015)
The V range of performance models was launched a decade ago and this is the third iteration of the CTS-V.
There’s no evidence of downsizing here, as you might expect from an all-American performance car: the 6.2-litre is supercharged and Caddy proudly says all key outputs obliterate the Germans.
‘With more horsepower and torque than the Mercedes-Benz 5.5-litre bi-turbo V8 and the BMW M-series 4.4-litre TwinPower (twin-turbo) V8, the new CTS-V is capable of 0-60 performance in 3.7 seconds,’ brags Cadillac.
It’s a thinly veiled swipe at the Europeans’ downsizing mantra. Click here for our BMW M5 review.
The CTS-V has uprated electronics governing most aspects of its performance and there’s a new, smaller, faster-to-spool-up supercharger. The eight-speed automatic has paddle shifts and there’s a freshly updated launch control system for showcasing that sprinting ability to maximum effect at the traffic lights.
Carbonfibre trim, stiffer body
The CTS-V comes with a composite bonnet and customers can add further carbonfibre trim, including spoilers and diffusers to complete the brash look.
The body is said to be 25% stiffer, to aid ride, handling and refinement. Even the 19in wheels are said to be 45% stiffer – a good job, then, that the magnerheological dampers are uprated to provide a switch between comfort and cornering modes.
See the new Caddy CTS-V at the 2015 North American International Auto Show; first deliveries are slated for the summer.
Sadly, Cadillac has sold no cars in the UK in 2014. It seems the on-off nature of the brand’s availability on this side of the Pond is on a go-slow beat.