Cadillac — City S *

The updated CTS looks so expressive that you don't perceive it as a silent piece of metal bored in a parking lot waiting for a modest office-worker owner. Rather, it's a living, hot-tempered predator.Comments (5)

We all wait for the New Year and holidays. And remember how you waited to meet someone or something special? That very excitement of anticipation — do you remember it?

It was with such awe that I, like an enthusiastic eccentric, rushed to a date with the restyled Cadillac CTS of 2008. Why? I'll answer. For me, Cadillac is not just a car, but a whole era, one might say, a legend. Born on a great land that, however, has somewhat tarnished its reputation in recent decades.

The swift and aggressive look of the CTS immediately makes it clear to neighbors on the road that it's better not to mess with it. As soon as you see it in the mirror, you realize that the headlights are watching you, and the radiator grille is about to bite.

This brand was a companion to many celebrities who were proud of their cars. It's not about horsepower or design, not about seats and mirrors, but about that very charisma that these cars possess.

While I was pondering great personalities and their connection to the Cadillac brand, I reached the right spot. And there a red "demon" with the brand emblem and tons of chrome details was waiting for me. Indeed, waiting — that's the right word.

The noticeable rise of the body from the front to the rear creates the impression that the back of the car is trying to catch up with the front.

The appearance of the updated CTS is such that it doesn't look like a lifeless pile of iron waiting in a parking lot for its frail clerk owner. On the contrary — it's a living, hot beast catching its breath at a rest stop, waiting for a cowboy who stepped away for a couple of minutes to drink a glass of... milk.

Its sharp geometric shapes attract like a magnet. The intersections of vertical and horizontal planes — precisely planes, not lines, the bared radiator grille, the gills on the front fenders — all this reveals the violent temper of a wild stallion.

"Caution, highly flammable" — such a warning would suit not only fuel but also such an explosive car as the Cadillac CTS.

I approach closer and continue the inspection. The wedge-shaped hood with widely spaced headlights that can adaptively change the light, the bumper with fog lights recessed into chrome niches — the entire front end with sharp breaks flows into a heavily raked windshield, then into the central part of the body, which seems to dive forward, pulling the rear along with it. The rear part deserves a separate discussion, primarily because of the new lighting. The main taillights are equipped with LED tubes giving bright vertical stripes of blood-red color. On the trunk lid there is a spoiler-styled stop light, also on LEDs. But that's not all: for more active enthusiasts, at the bottom of the bumper, in a narrow niche above the decorative cutout of the exhaust system, a "killer" fog light hides. When you turn it on, annoying drivers behind get a powerful red burst of LEDs that acts almost like a strobe on a special vehicle.

The interior is surprisingly high-quality and well-thought-out, not in an American way. Many European "flagships" would envy the multimedia systems of the CTS.

Noticing my admiring glances and recognizing me as an equal, the CTS hospitably opened the driver's door. Or rather, I just had to pull the handle — the keyless access system worked without pressing buttons on the key fob — and here I am inside.

And, pleasantly, in the main seat. The other seats can be removed without regret as unnecessary.

I'm joking, of course: inside this "demon" four adults will fit comfortably. But it's better that the two in the back are not too tall, otherwise they risk rubbing holes in the ceiling of the dream car with their heads.

The spectacular ensemble of the rear lighting makes the model one hundred percent recognizable. For especially annoying "tails" there is a secret weapon — the brightest LED fog light at the bottom of the bumper.

Let's return to the driver's seat. Everything here is subordinated to the convenience of the "leader." The central console is slightly turned toward the driver — this is convenient and doesn't force you to be distracted for long searching for the right button. Studying the central panel from top to bottom, you never tire of being surprised by successful engineering and design solutions.

At the top is a multifunctional touchscreen display that outputs all the multimedia content of the car. And there are plenty of "gadgets" here: a BOSE 5.1 audio system with subwoofer, amplifiers, and ten speakers. A 40-gigabyte hard drive allows you not to carry piles of discs with you, but simply dump all the music onto the storage. The function of focusing sound on a specific zone of the cabin, the Pilot Noise noise suppression system, and much more — all this is displayed on the screen. Moreover, the display can hide into the panel, leaving only two lines of the most necessary information.

The all-wheel-drive version takes the handling of this heavyweight athlete to a qualitatively new level.

Below are classic clocks in a chrome frame. They are both traditional and stylish, and ultimately just convenient. With such analog clocks in the cabin, you feel almost at home.

Further down are two blocks of functional keys for controlling audio and climate, and even lower on the sides of the panel are two small LCD screens with indicators of the set temperature.

The low center of gravity and the stiff suspension leave the driver no right to make a mistake and, as a result, no right to lose control.

Under the screens are buttons for seat heating and ventilation and temperature adjustment, each with its own. This is a very convenient solution: during the entire test, not a single passenger remained indifferent.

The quality of materials and fit of parts is at the highest level for an American car, capable of giving a head start to some German "grandees."

But enough spreading the thought along the tree — by the way, quite natural, since it is used in the interior trim — it's time to hit the road, full of adventures and breathtaking turns.

All functional and decorative body elements are created in unison with the single stylistic line of the model's design. They have many sharp vertical and horizontal ribs.

And believe me, there are good reasons for this: we received for testing the most aggressive modification of the CTS with a 3.6-liter naturally aspirated engine that produces no less than 308 "horses." Paired with this engine is a five-speed automatic transmission. And this technical picture is completed by all-wheel drive, which can be ordered for an additional 101 thousand rubles.

How is all-wheel drive arranged here? When all systems operate normally and no threats like slippery surfaces are detected, about 30% of the torque goes to the front axle. But as soon as the electronics notice a deterioration in traction and loss of control, the electronically controlled Borg Warner coupling transfers the necessary part of the torque forward. Thanks to this, the CTS behaves like a rear-wheel-drive car, but in some situations demonstrates the habits of an all-wheel-drive one.

The CTS multimedia system is equipped with a retractable display using Touch screen technology. On a long journey, the display can simply be hidden, leaving only important information on it, for example, about the currently playing music track.

You wouldn't call this car's dynamics hurricane-like: the naturally aspirated engine, which predictably and smoothly delivers power, is installed in a body weighing almost 1.8 tons. Nevertheless, the CTS is quite capable of making many rivals with higher power figures sweat in honest street battles.

The Cadillac handles complex corners one after another very confidently. The somewhat stiff suspension allows it to carve such turns with virtually no body roll. Directional stability is also top-notch thanks to excellent weight distribution, and reaching that 'point of no return' where the car breaks into a poorly controlled slide is almost impossible.

The straights are 'accelerated', the corners are 'straightened', the brakes work efficiently and clearly, with even pressure throughout the pedal travel... And here we are, my new friend Cadillac CTS and I, back at the starting point to part ways until the next meeting, which I will look forward to with impatience — and I'm a hundred percent sure: so will it!

The ergonomics in the CTS cabin are top-notch - everything is in its place, and the central console is slightly turned toward the driver - a very successful solution.

I won't even advise whether to buy this car or avoid it: it's a car for connoisseurs, but I think it will give all business sedans a run for their money and find many kindred spirits, like me.

* Cadillac City S = Cadillac Urban Sportsman.

See Ya ! :)

Dmitry Malygin