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Cadillac CTS V Challenge: Privateer BMW M3 Posts Best Time of Challengers

Minggu, 24 Juli 2011 by admin

GM’s Bob Lutz offered to race a CTS-V against anyone with a production sedan and he found several takers. The event took place at Monticello Motor Club in Monticello, New York on a very nice 4.1-mile track. Former Car and Driver Editor-in-Chief Csaba Csere came out to verify the cars were indeed stock sedans and keep an eye out for any potential cheating in the pits. A few moments ago Csaba delivered the results and Michael Cooper of Long Island, New York posted a 2:50.424 in his BMW M3 sedan — very quick, even before you take into account he is the youngest driver here at 21.

Jack Baruth of The Truth About Cars followed with a very respectable 2:51.153 in a CTS-V. Third place went to Lawrence Ulrich, a freelance journalist, also driving a CTS-V, at 2:53.157. Bob Lutz had the fourth fastest lap at 2:56.321. Michael Mainwald, an M5 owner, came in fifth with a 3:05.398. Jalopnik‘s Wes Siler managed a 3:08.126 in a borrowed Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution MR Touring. Chris Fairman, a CTS-V owner, came in seventh with a lap of 3:14.292 in his personal V. An owner-driven Jaguar XF Supercharged, driven by Archan Basu, was next with a 3:15.670. Tom Loder managed a 3:15.702 with his Audi RS4.
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Then some of GM’s ringers took to the track and posted very, very quick times. John Heinricy managed a lightning-quick 2:46.560 and a mystery driver posted the fastest time of the day at 2:45.537. Nobody is disclosing the identity of the mystery driver, but it’s quite obvious he has a few racing trophies at home.

It’s not surprising the best times of the day came from GM’s people who have spent countless hours developing and tuning the CTS-V. Out of the actual contestants, the BMW M3 placed first, but the times were so close it was likely a difference in driver skill that won today’s race — nothing shocking to those who follow racing. Even though the BMW technically won, Cadillac still comes out on top for this event. Few manufacturers would step up and challenge Lutz, the Mitsubishi Evo driven by Siler was the only vehicle to be provided by a competing manufacturer, which says a lot about the competition’s view of the CTS-V on a track.

The car is clearly built to stand up the rigors of a track day right from the showroom. There aren’t many other production sedans in the world that can claim that, and none of the others was represented here to prove it.

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2011 Detroit: The Future of Cadillacs V Series Performance Line

by admin

Cadillac’s V-series line continues to grow with the introduction of the 2011 CTS-V Coupe at the Detroit auto show. Eager to know where the V badge might show up next, we spent some time with Ed Piatek, manager for Cadillac’s performance V-series program. What makes a V-series car, and what can you not do with a Cadillac V?
The CTS-V Coupe is really the fourth or fifth generation of V. We started with the original CTS-V, STS, XLR-V, and now the CTS-V sedan and coupe. Consistent throughout these has been the application of performance and technology.

It can’t be punishing. We want performance without the punishment. I think the key there is a bimodal character where you can get in the car and it’s got the poise and composure to be driven every day, like a luxury car has to be. It’s a Cadillac at the end of the day. But you want to be able to have track capabilities, acceleration performance among the best cars in the world. That’s where we’ve developed a bandwidth with V-series where the car truly is track capable right out of the box. And at the same time, it’s a car that you can drive every day without feeling like you’re in some kind of numbers-producing car with all the noise insulation removed.
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Is anything off limits to V? Could you build a V crossover or SUV?
If you think about what the history has been, you’d have a hard time developing that track-capable credibility. At some point, I think there’s a risk in diluting the brand equity that has been very focused. We haven’t done models that would be half-hearted attempts. You never say never, but if you look at the heritage to this point, we’ve really restricted it to cars that you can go out and burn a tank of gas and feel really good about on the track and not think that you’re trying to defeat the laws of physics.

What about all-wheel drive?
To this point, it’s been rear-wheel drive and part of that is our longitudinal architecture. You look at driveline packaging at these kind of power levels and you’d really have to do some things architecturally different to enable a transfer case next to these transmissions that can handle this torque. It’s certainly an interesting idea. If you have four-wheel drive in the car on a track you can do things differently than with two wheels.

I think the key with rear-wheel drive is to make sure you have enough tire footprint that you put that power down. We’ve actually grown the wheel width on the coupe as compared to the sedan. We have a new fender, so we could put a wider wheel on it. That ten-inch wheel spreads the footprint out and you can really get the power down. That’s why the coupe is faster on a racetrack than the V-series sedan.

Does forced induction have a permanent role in V-series cars?
I don’t think a V-series needs to be forced induction. The original CTS-V was a naturally aspirated V-8. To reach the stratospheric power levels you need to be competitive in this sedan segment, that’s one way to do it very efficiently. The real key for a V is you have to look at power to weight. If you can get there naturally aspirated, that’s fine.

A CTS-V is heavier than a CTS. Would you ever focus on weight reduction to change that?
Certainly it’s something we’ve thought about. From the concept of a Superleggera-type execution, it’s something as an engineer I find very compelling. As we do V-series models, we look for specific places to be very efficient with mass. On the CTS-V, it’s got an aluminum hood and co-cast front rotors where you’ve got an aluminum hat section cast into the cast iron swept area, saving about a kilogram of rotating and sprung mass. We’re very conscious about mass and take it out where we can do it efficiently. As far as doing something like a carbon fiber decklid, what you’re going to find is you’re not moving that power-to-weight ratio very much and yet you’re driving cost up quite significantly.

What’s the latest thought on a CTS-V Wagon?
There is no formal announcement about a V-series wagon at this time. I know our esteemed vice chairman, Mr. Lutz, has said he’d like to see a V in every CTS model. I can tell you that we’ve explored the concept in hardware. There has been a physical evaluation of the idea. It’s certainly something that we could do from the standpoint of the number of parts you’d have to change. It’s not that technically difficult, it’s a question of is there a market for that car. Does it fit the V-series image?

Do you need more to the V-series line than the CTS?
If you look through the history of the V-series, we’ve had up to three different V-series models at one point. I think as you go forward, as Cadillac develops its portfolio further, as you find the right places for V, you’d like to have a V of every applicable model. I don’t think there’s any limitation to a single V at a time, but it’s just important that we pick the right types of cars to do V-series models on.

Would V-series benefit from a halo car like the SLS AMG?
The CTS Coupe is probably the most dramatic design Cadillac has put into production. Couple that to the V-series powertrain and technology, and what we have right here (the CTS-V Coupe), is the highest performance Cadillac in the history of Cadillac. This car is the focal point for the revamped lineup. This is the halo car.

If you’re talking about something orders of magnitude more expensive, that’s a really neat idea. A lot of those cars, as an enthusiast, you read about them and they sound neat. From a market standpoint they may not make the business case very attractive. Maybe when GM is in a different financial position—if you were doing something where you’re not getting the return and you’re doing it really for the halo effect—that would be possible.

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Cadillac SRX turbo

by admin

Only a few months into the 2010 model year, the all-new Cadillac SRX has added a higher-performance engine option. Whereas the previous-generation SRX offered a choice of a V-6 or a V-8, this time the choices are V-6 or turbo V-6, which seems like the more modern solution. Unfortunately, this turbo V-6 is something of an underachiever. The turbo’s horsepower and torque figures are impressive enough: 300 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque, from 2.8 liters. They easily eclipse the standard, 3.0-liter V-6’s 265 hp and 223 lb-ft. But one wonders whether some of those horses have escaped the corral. There’s a bit of a lag at take-off, and the SRX turbo never feels as lively as an Audi Q5 (despite the Q5’s power and torque deficit). Automobile Magazine’s tests confirm that the SRX is a full second slower to 60 mph (7.6 versus 6.6 seconds); that puts it about on par with the Lexus RX350, whose larger V-6 is also less potent on paper.
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A relatively small displacement six boosted by a turbocharger should at least be fuel efficient, but the SRX turbo has nearly the drinking habits of a V-8. Its 15 mpg city, 22 mpg highway figures both fall short of its two major competitors, the Q5 (18/23 mpg) and the RX350 (18/24 mpg). The engine is also somewhat raspy at start-up, although it quiets down once underway.

Other aspects of the SRX are more successful—particularly chassis tuning, long a strength at General Motors. The steering is a pleasure, not overboosted (despite this car’s luxury ambitions) and very precise; I’d rate it better than the Audi and just ahead of the Lexus. The turbocharged SRX comes with a sport suspension that included continuously variable damping, and body motions are well controlled, at a cost of a slightly stiff-legged ride. It’s a similar compromise to what Audi offers in the Q5, although the Cadillac seems a bit more comfortable.

The interior is nicely finished, although as in the CTS, the dash has too many similar flat buttons. The rear seat is comfortable, only a bit shy on headroom; the flat floor helps make the center position useable. The giant (“ultraview”) sunroof is standard in all but the very base-trim SRX, and it certainly opens up the interior, particularly for rear-seat riders, but it does sometimes vibrate when closed. While other manufacturers often use a mesh screen that fails to effectively block heat or glare, Cadillac has a proper opaque screen, which will be welcome by SRX owners in the sun belt.

The SRX turbo is available only with all-wheel drive and only in the top two (of four) SRX trim levels. As such, it comes fairly well loaded with every imaginable feature. Besides the aforementioned mega-sunroof and adaptive damping, there’s navigation, a rear-view camera, twenty-inch wheels, park assist, swiveling HID headlamps, keyless ignition with remote start, heated seats, and an audio system with a 10-gig hard drive. The top-spec, Premium, version also includes ventilated front seats and heated rear seats. My test example added a rear-seat entertainment system with dual screens ($1295) and crystal red tintcoat paint ($995) for a total of $54,475. The turbo itself runs $3820 more than an equivalent all-wheel-drive 3.0-liter. And in either case, the Premium trim level is far above the starting price of the entry-level (3.0-liter, front-wheel drive) car, at $33,830.

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The Caddy that rocks

by admin

Back in 1997, GM introduced the Cadillac Catera, a mid-sized, rear-wheel-drive offering that was essentially a rebadged Opel Omega. This being GM’s utterly clueless Ron Zarella era, the company marketed the car—whose best characteristic was its competent, European handling (it was a European car, after all)—with the tagline: “The Caddy That Zigs.” A cartoon duck also featured prominently in the advertising.

Not surprisingly, this high-concept campaign did little to boost sales of the otherwise deeply mediocre Catera, and the car stumbled along in the marketplace until 2001, when it was, mercifully, replaced by the CTS.
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Now in its second generation, the CTS is really feeling its mojo. The past year has seen the Cadillac flesh out the lineup with the surprising CTS wagon (surprising by its very existence, given how much our market seems to hate wagons) and the dramatic CTS coupe. Both new body styles now also can be had in V-series trim, with a 556-hp supercharged V-8 and the attendant mechanical and appearance upgrades.

While the CTS-V wagon earns kudos for its rare and unlikely combo of searing performance and (modest) utility, the CTS-V coupe puts its muscle-car cajones in an absolutely standout shape.

Granted, the styling may not be universally loved, but you have to admire the coupe’s radical angles and uncompromised details, which hark back to the days when Design was king at General Motors. Items like the hidden door handles, the nearly horizontal backlight, and pointed CHMSL that also functions as a rear spoiler are not the products of committee-driven compromise.

It’s all the better wrapped around a mechanical package that delivers Nurburgring-worthy performance. With its tire-smoking torque, available six-speed stick, beautifully calibrated stability control, and form-fitting Recaro seats, the CTS-V should earn the respect of even the most hard-core gearhead. And yet, the car’s generally polished demeanor—excepting some supercharger whine and the manual’s less-than-perfect shift action—make it a highly livable everyday supercar.

This is most bad-ass Caddy since—well—ever. Much more so than even the old, Corvette-based XLR-V, the CTS-V coupe is the brand’s unfettered hot-rod. Far better than a Caddy that zigs, the CTS-V coupe is the Caddy that rocks.

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The Cadillac CTS Wagon That Never Was

by admin

I just spent a night with a 2011 Cadillac CTS-V wagon, and I can’t help but feel a little grateful. Grateful that Cadillac not only saw fit to launch a five-door version of its latest CTS (along with such an awe-inspiring performance version), but also that the end product was a far cry from the company’s first attempt at a CTS wagon. About a year or so back, I was driving by a GM-owned parking lot in Metro Detroit that was filled with vehicles slated for disposal. Something caught my eye — I thought I saw a first-generation Cadillac CTS, but I also thought I glimpsed an elongated roof and an extra set of pillars. Was I seeing things?

Not exactly. I circled back, and peered through a fence from the safe haven of a sidewalk. Sure enough, tucked alongside other engineering mules and scrapped vehicles was a design mockup for a first-gen CTS wagon.
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The 00-00-00 license plate, coupled with a number of faux trim elements peeling from parts of the car, indicated this spent most of its life within GM’s design studio, and likely never moved under its own power. But the thing was still captivating — not only was it evidence Caddy had considered a CTS wagon before, but a high-riding, butched-up wagon designed to appeal to SUV-loving buyers.

The end result looks a little like an American knock-off of Audi’s not-so-successful A6 Allroad Quattro. In addition to the tall stance and large wheels, designers were apparently also working on adding anodized front and rear skid plates, grey cladding along the rockers, and matching grey bumpers out back.

This all suggests Cadillac was considering adding all-wheel-drive to the CTS line way-back when. That was certainly plausible, considering two other variants of the Sigma platform were capable of delivering power to the front wheels, but it would have been new for the CTS itself. Although the second-generation was (and is) sold in AWD form, the initial model never was.

What I’d like to know is exactly when this idea came about. I can’t help but think this steps closely on the toes of the original SRX, which not only shared its Sigma platform with the CTS, but always felt a little more wagon-like than many of its competitors. I wouldn’t be surprised if this concept was nixed after Audi canned the Allroad in the states, opting instead for conventional SUVs and crossovers instead.

That’s a mystery I may never solve. Few at GM seem to remember the project, or those who do remain silent, apparently in the hope they’ll someday forget. Regardless, the mockup itself is history (literally; it was demolished a week after I shot these photos), but thankfully the idea of a CTS wagon wasn’t so easily dismissed.

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