Move Over BMW, The 2016 CTS-V Is So Fast That Cadillac May Consider Landing Gear As An Option

The CTSV has ALWAYS been a brilliant reason NOT to buy German.

Great car but lets keep it under the E63/M5s base price by at least $10K and maybe it might sell as well as the Germans.

CTSV's get discounted

When I consider a vehicle, I want one that has performance that's good enough for *me*, so having impressive numbers that can only be attained by a professional racer, and only on a race track, doesn't mount to a hill of beans for me. Does it matter if I get a car that's "what Steve can handle +120%" or "what Steve can handle +235%"? Not to *me*.

Then there's the non-performance stuff that matters to me, like comfort, feel, and styling. With Cadillac looking like it does, it could have Ferrari performance and I'd still be looking elsewhere. It just isn't pleasing to my eyes, and a low price tag, a long feature list, or impressive track numbers don't change that for me.

I think the car looks great. It's performance is awesome. But I would never buy/lease a CTS-V for one simple reason: It's a Cadillac.

I love its "F-you Europe" brashness.

Its a fantastic car and a car everyone has been screaming "America can never do this, American companies cannot do that..." Thing is they invented cars like this back in the 60's. This car is fantastic... I hope the Cadillac Dealers are reading this, you've simply got to do better, you've got to be world class. You've got some terrific products now.... now sell them and delight the customer.

@W124E320 To be fair, the CTS has been credible as a premium sedan from the get go. The CTSV has also always been credible. I'd like to see a little more flash in the styling, NAMES for models, and a radically improved dealer experience.

If I were GM, I'd make Corvette a brand (sub-Stingray, Stingray, and Zora) and put it in the same dealer space as Cadillac. And have that dealer not be on the same lot as any other GM franchise.

Cadillac dealers usually have separate showrooms, but are usually on the same lot as other GM products.

We are in agreement here. The metal has been competent from the get go. I agree on the names as well. I think names will help the cars stand out. I think Johann is repeating what Acura did in the 90's. Acura didn't want folks to say I've got a Legend or a Vigor, they wanted folks to say I have an Acura. Clearly that hasn't worked. Hyundai has done the opposite, folks say I have a Genesis or I have an Equus vs saying I have a Hyundai. The Corvette is a bit of an odd ball in the Chevrolet line and it could be a brand, I agree. However the XLR was not a bad car it was not promoted properly and too expensive. That set up CAN work I think and they should make it work. Mark my words the new mid engined car that is rumored will be a Cadillac, I'm convinced of it....

What is the 0-60 when it is in the shop??

They aren't in the shop.

So, when are you moving to Japan? lol!

I think Cadillac's last 5-8 years have proven that they are serious about being different from GM. Having said that, I'm fairly certain their success and popularity will be restricted to US only and possibly Canada. I don't think they have a chance in Asia and Europe. This is not based on opinion, preference or emotion. It's based on my having lived in Asia and Europe. Until they prove they can compete in markets outside of the US, Cadillac is at best an unknown and at worst, inferior.

Europe is oversaturated with cars so it would be counterintuitive to go there. China on the other hand...

Cadillac doesn't really need to compete with the Europeans, as we all know, the U.S. brands simply just can not compete with the Europeans, in any possible way. There is no brand that can compete with something like Mercedes-Benz, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Rolls-Royce, Bentley, you name it.

But that's not the point. The point is, General Motors is able to produce something cheap and incredibly fun to drive.

The United States of America is back. When Japan is becoming almost a third world country (As it keeps getting beaten by South Korea on so many areas), all thanks to Fukushima radiation and many others. Have you even ever heard of a "hardcore" Lexus "loyalist"? lol!!

So my point? CTS-V, Z28 Camaro and C7 Corvette, show that the U.S. is the only nation capable of competing with the Europeans, not on the same price point, but on the performance number.

In some ways the Americans KILL the Europeans. The Fusion is 1000% better than a Passat. Yanks do crossovers WAY better.

Once again, the media shows their ignorance and myopic view of cars.

Drag racing speed is only one part of a car's performance. But don't tell Auto Spies about that. They are too busy advertising for GM.

Consider this fact: Cadillac is nothing but a re badged Chevrolet. The entire drive train of the "Cadillac" is Chevrolet. Still impressed? I thought not.

So according to you every Lexus is a Toyota, every Acura is a Honda, every Audi is a Volkswagen, every Bentley is a Volkswagen (which they pretty much are - Phaeton's) , every Rolls-Royce is a BMW, every Lamborghini is a VW or an Audi, every small BMW is a Mini....Or does this all just apply to GM?

This is a phenomenal car that will little for helping Cadillac gain the prestigious reputation it needs in order to be competitive in luxury sales. The problem is that they are only matching the best from Germany and Japan and they haven't found something SIGNIFICANT to set them apart. Sure, this CTS-V has 640 hp, but at the end of the day, does that really matter to the masses? And does that really give them any substantial performance advantage, especially without AWD.

BMW used to set itself apart with its truly ultimate driving machines. Even though they may have strayed from that a bit lately, they are still considered a desirable product.

Mercedes used to set itself apart with its unrivaled solidity and luxury. Not to mention many "firsts" for Benz in terms of technology and safety that are now commonplace today. They are still those things, but so much more and now they are probably the most, arguably, stylish of the luxury makes. So, they continue to build on that reputation that distinguished themselves from all others and have great momentum.

Audi set itself apart with its amazing quattro system and incredible interiors. Though they may have taking a few hits lately with some pretty mundane updates/redesigns, their reputation is still strong and many still see them as very viable contenders, especially with their S and RS models.

Lexus originally set its stage with silky luxury and bulletproof reliability. Though they are still going through an image transformation, they are still viewed with relatively high esteem because of those qualities, while adding attempts are performance (though not necessarily successful).

Acura even set its stage early in its life with phenomenal FWD cars and with the NSX (no, don't even mention the new production delay). Additionally, they had great reliability. Even through the last decade where they seemed completely lost, and had some hits with reliability, they have proven if they build the right car, then buyers will come.

So the question is, what has Cadillac brought to the table? What is distinguishing this brand from the others that will leave an indelible mark in buyers' minds? They have proven that they can be amazing followers, copying BMW's very successful, previous formula for driver-oriented cars. But in what specific area do they lead? Where else can they go to get ahead of the game? They failed with affordable EV and Tesla has the market on upmarket EV. OK, maybe they have the greatest strength with the Escalade, I'll give them that. But the GL pretty much matches or beats it in sales. A new SRX will prove a strong seller, but the RX will still crush it in 2-door crossover luxury sales. Where does Cadillac go from here? They can continue to build products that can out-handle and/or out accelerate their direct competition, but that's just not enough. Especially when your parent company builds cars that can perform just as well for less money. Eve

i think the cts-v is awesom. would i ever get one ? maybe. i personally prefer the m4/rc-f,rs-5 over it, but would never trash someone for having one.
i think its a great option if you like something different and want to support an american company.

The CTS-V does not compete with the M4/RC-F or RS5. That would be the ATS-V. The CTS-V now competes with the M5, RS7 and E63.