Cadillac’s recent and historic resurgence has brought it back to the top tier of luxury auto brands. The next epoch in Cadillac’s renaissance begins with the all-new 2008 CTS – the next generation of the popular luxury sport sedan that is intended to challenge the world’s best.
Designers and engineers focused not only on the overall package, but on the myriad of details that infused the car with distinctive character traits and attention to detail intended to generate desirability. The ’08 CTS launches in August of 2007; it is marked by dramatic design, serious performance, thoughtful technology and exceptional craftsmanship.
CTS design
Aiming for the quietness and appearance of the finest “prestige” sedans, engineers lavished attention on sights and sounds of the body construction. An innovative laser brazing technique affixes the roof panel more crisply. The windshield glass is free from visible rubber seals and joints. The hood borrows techniques from door panels to improve sealing and noise control. The doors themselves are triple-sealed. Sound levels were analyzed inside the cabin not just for reduced quantity, but also for increased quality.
The car’s more athletic form is characterized by the sculpted fenders that emphasize the car’s wider track and enhanced chassis dynamics. The front fenders feature side air extractors that recall a styling element from Cadillac’s Sixteen concept that also appear on the STS and Escalade. CTS has a “faster” and nearly coupe-like profile, owing to both its increased performance potential and more evolved styling theme. A ”double” sunroof borrows a page from Cadillac’s SRX crossover, enabling both front and rear passengers a sky view.
Like the exterior, the new CTS’ interior reflects a combination of luxury and sport. Metallic finishes, chrome accents and available Sapele Pommele wood envelop the interior. The instrument panel sweeps forward and away from passengers for more real and perceived space. Instruments and controls are compact, yet easily visible and intuitive. The center stack flows seamlessly into the console, creating a cockpit-like space.
Not unlike the recessed or indirect lighting used by home decorators, the CTS cabin features a bit of ambience created by innovative uses of lighting. Several LED elements are recessed in strategic locations inside the cabin for indirect, soft lighting.
CTS performance
More power while maintaining fuel economy and lowering emissions is a daunting engineering challenge and CTS delivers via gasoline direct-injection technology. It delivers fuel more precisely to increase the efficiency of combustion. This means less fuel is consumed and lower emissions created. With the CTS’ 3.6L V-6, this translates to 304 horsepower (227 kW),* no loss of fuel efficiency and a 25-percent drop in cold-start hydrocarbon emissions.
The standard 3.6L VVT engine that produces 263 horsepower (196 kW) and 253 lb.-ft (343 Nm) of torque serves as the base engine in North America and will be available in rear- and all-wheel-drive layouts. The 2.8L VVT engine will be available only on rear-drive models of the CTS offered outside the U.S. The all-aluminum, 60-degree DOHC, four-valve-per-cylinder engine develops 210 horsepower (156 kW) at 6,500 rpm and 194 lb.-ft. (263 Nm) of torque at 3,200 rpm.
For the first time, the 2008 CTS will be available in both rear- and all-wheel-drive configurations. Additionally, the transmission lineup now consists only of six-speed units: an Aisin six-speed manual or – new for CTS – a Hydra-Matic 6L50 six-speed automatic. The Hydra-Matic 6L50 six-speed automatic is designed to decrease engine rpm and enhance overall fuel economy; it also features driver shift control, which enables on-demand clutchless manual shifts. On vehicles equipped with AWD, the 6L50 will be equipped with a new active transfer case that automatically transfers torque from the rear to the front of the vehicle for optimal traction, safety and performance. A limited-slip differential also is available.
CTS driving dynamics
With a two-inch wider track, new suspension geometry and components inspired by Cadillac’s landmark V-Series of performance vehicles, the new CTS chassis exemplifies the car’s melding of performance and luxury. The hardware includes structural enhancements via a tower-to-tower brace, larger brakes and premium steering. The CTS, and the engineers who developed it, are veterans of Germany’s famed Nürburgring circuit. This high-speed proving ground is the world’s best, and now two generations of CTS sedans have been developed and proven there. Prototype cars also traveled the countryside of China, and countless tracks, highways and streets in North America.
Three suspension tuning levels are available: FE1, FE2 and FE3. The multilink rear suspension, with a fully isolated subframe, delivers excellent suspension kinematics that contribute to a superior ride with excellent handling. The rear suspension design is shared in both the rear-wheel and all-wheel-drive models, and has been extensively revised to accommodate the larger rear track. Additionally, the 2008 CTS features advanced chassis technology in the form of Cadillac’s StabiliTrak electronic chassis control system. StabiliTrak integrates the car’s standard four-channel ABS with the full-function traction control, hydraulic brake assist and engine drag control systems.
CTS craftsmanship
CTS offers a hand-crafted luxury interior that brings Cadillac tradition into the modern world of the luxury sports sedan. The new cabin utilizes Cadillac’s new “cut-and-sew” interior process that combines advanced technology with the hand-rendered precision of expert craftsmen. Coverings for components such as the instrument panel, center console and door trim are cut, sewn and wrapped by hand. This enables details such as decorative French stitching, and the near elimination of gaps and seams for a superbly tailored appearance. This is the same painstaking process applied to Cadillac’s limited-production STS-V and XLR-V models, and the SRX crossover.
Since its inception in 2002, CTS has been assembled at the award-winning GM Lansing Grand River Assembly Center. The subject of benchmarking visits from dozens of other top manufacturers across many industries, this Cadillac-specific assembly plant is among the finest auto manufacturing facilities. For the 2008 CTS, great attention was paid during the car’s design and development to incorporate further refinements to the car’s body structure and precision manufacturing.
Detailed analysis of sound and vibration was lavished on the CTS, targeting the sound levels found in elite prestige luxury sedans. This analysis reduces overall cabin noise, via improved body sealing and sound insulation. It also focused on tuning the quality of the remaining sound, including – in some cases – adding to sound levels. A perforated pattern, for example, has been added to the inside of the tailpipes to increase resonance, adding more pleasing, low-frequency sounds to counteract high-frequency noise. Inside the cabin, tones were added to a few otherwise-silent switches and controls.
CTS infotainment and vehicle technology
The new 2008 Cadillac CTS luxury sports sedan combines the best attributes, advanced technologies and electronics, including:
Integrated iPod/MP3 capability – Designed in consultation with the engineers behind the iPod and other computer and entertainment industry experts, the center console of the CTS is tailored for MP3 players, iPods or other digital music devices. They can be charged via a USB port, which also enables playlists to appear on the car’s touch-screen, and steering wheel controls can be used to advance tracks.
Hard drive audio system – A 40-gigabyte hard drive allows pause and rewinding of live radio, as well as “ripping” tracks from CDs. The hard drive enables 60-minute “buffering” of the car’s radio, meaning that passengers can “pause” a live broadcast in order to take a phone call, or even leave the car to run an errand, or simply rewind in order to listen again.
Leading-edge navigation – The “pop-up” navigation screen can retract into the instrument panel when not in use. The navigation system includes state-of-the-art additions, such as 3D imaging of more than 800 major landmarks in 39 U.S. cities, greatly improved points of interest mapping, voice recognition and real-time traffic and weather data. The system conducts route calculations 30 percent faster than previous systems, and conveniently displays freeway exit information (such as service stations, restaurants) via expandable icons. The optional system uses an eight-inch diagonal, high-resolution full VGA infotainment display head with full touch-screen operation.
Adaptive forward lighting system – When equipped with the uplevel HID headlamps, the CTS also includes an advanced forward lighting system that automatically adjusts headlamp direction for improved nighttime driving visibility. The system is capable of turning the headlamps a maximum of 5 degrees inboard and 15 degrees outboard on each lamp.
EasyKey and Smart Remote Start – The optional EasyKey system enables passive vehicle and trunk entry and keyless ignition via a personalized keyless fob. With the fob in a pocket or purse, a person can approach a locked vehicle, pull the door handle and open the door or trunk.
The optional Smart Remote Start system – which operates from as far as 200 feet – not only starts the vehicle via fob activation, but also activates the climate control and the optional heated and cooled seats, depending on temperatures outside and inside the car.
Bose 5.1 Cabin Surround™ audio system – Developed by Bose, this available sound system delivers concert-quality sound normally reserved for home theaters. The 300-watt, 10-speaker system incorporates the exclusive Bose Centerpoint technology, which makes two-channel audio information very rich and spacious. Even the base audio system is a Bose unit, and will include an eight-speaker arrangement.
Heated washer fluid and more – Other useful and significant electronic systems on the ’08 CTS include a heated windshield washer system, rear ultrasonic park assist, heated and ventilated front seats and power rake/telescoping steering column.
CTS safety
The 2008 CTS is designed to enhance Cadillac’s reputation for providing safe occupant environments in luxury vehicles. Details include:
• Dual-stage driver’s front air bag
• Segment-first dual-depth front passenger air bag
• Driver and front passenger side seat-mounted pelvic/thorax side air bags
• Roof-rail side curtain air bags, covers front and rear seating rows
• Front safety belt pretensioners
• Tire pressure monitoring system
• Body structure with strategically placed high-strength steel
As with other Cadillac models, the 2008 comes standard with OnStar with Turn-by-Turn Navigation, the first factory-installed, fully integrated GPS navigation system from OnStar. Turn-by-Turn allows consumers to talk to a live advisor, who in turn sends complete step-by-step directions to customers' vehicles through their OnStar system. These audio directions automatically play through the vehicle’s stereo as needed, triggered by the OnStar system’s GPS capabilities. This enables drivers to be led to their destination while keeping their hands on the wheel and eyes on the road.
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