2011 Cadillac CTS-V Coupe First Impressions

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At first, the excitement makes you tuck a grin discreetly behind your lips—but when approaching the 2011 Cadillac CTS-V Coupe for a drive, nervous pangs in the stomach are the more likely physiological reaction.


Numbers flash across the brain as drivers zero in on the hidden door-handle with nervous anticipation. Eight cylinders, 1 supercharger, six gears and a colossal 556 horsepower help blast this posh-rocket from standstill to 100 km/h in well under 5 seconds. Not long after that, the likelihood of a major ticket with numerous demerit points grows exponentially.

But while making yourself at home inside the CTS-V Coupe, it’s almost easy to forget all of that.

The cabin is no pinnacle of easy access, though the leather and wood-trimmed dashboard, leather seats and high-class materials throughout all seem to say ‘classy cruiser’—not ‘frightfully fast torque-beast’. There’s even chrome accenting to dress things up, and all of the well-minded, high-tech features you might expect.

Hard drive audio storage, an intelligent key, heated and chilled seats and navigation were all on board. OnStar, too.

How oddly, oddly sensible.

There are a few clues inside that break the cabin’s air of luxury and give a hint towards the CTS-V’s ‘other’ side, though. The chunky suede steering wheel is one. The hefty six-speed shifter is another. Look closely at the instruments, and you’ll even see a little boost gauge for the supercharger.

Get that gauge rotating clockwise, and the CTS-V is as fast as hell. Jam the throttle, and it feels like you’ve stomped one end of a pulley system that connects the front of the car with the horizon ahead. With the siren-like whine of the blower up front and the thundering V8 snort from behind, the CTS-V delivers a full-throttle rampage of acceleration in gorgeous, all-American high-definition surround.

Powerful brakes with decent feel and a sharp and eager steering back this up. You’ll need a track to get anywhere close to this car’s limits—but a very lenient traction control system helps do this safely. There’s even a switch to dial up some additional suspension firmness when required.

When it’s not required, the CTS-V pulls off a modest cruising-around-town attitude, too. Though the clutch, shifter and steering are heavy enough to pull drivers into the experience, they’re light enough to use without wearing oneself down during a day of errands. The engine pulls things along effortlessly in traffic, the ride is relatively calm, and the relaxing cabin can even be used to unwind when drivers stay out of the sauce.


It’s all part of that delightful split personality that defines so many great performance cars. In fact, the blending of high-performance and high-luxury helped the V beat out the Ford Shelby GT500 and Mercedes Benz E550 Cabriolet for a win in the Sports – Performance cars over $50,000 category at this year’s round of Canadian Car of the Year (CCOTY) testing. Price as tested: $76,742.

Where the rough and ragged GT500 is always ‘on’ and always savage, and where the E550 Cabriolet always operates under a layer of soft gentleness, the CTS-V represents an ideal happy medium. Without abusing or coddling its drivers, this machine turned in the group’s best steering, handling and braking scores—not to mention tying the Benz for engine refinement. Fastest 0-100 km/h times in the field, too.

Gripes? Sure—there are several. Visibility is nasty, the ride can be harsh on some surfaces, and at the hands of a lead-footed driver, the CTS-V will burn up more fuel than the average refinery fire. Given the power-per-dollar ratio at work, it can easily be forgiven.

It’s a Cadillac, and a “V”—and as such, this slick new coupe should clearly tell the world of pricey performance coupes that America is up for a brawl.