Repair-It

https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a3 ... nl19222807

New Cadillac CT5 Is a Step Backwards
Cadillac's new-for-2020 sedan remedies some flaws of the previous CTS yet gives up on the driving excellence that had begun to define its cars.

Well that worries me.

The CT5 is significantly revised, but the 350T version powered by the turbocharged 2.0-liter four cylinder isn't going to upset the sports-sedan order. While it might be better positioned against the BMW 3-series in terms of price and size, it has lost some of the satisfying handling and performance that distinguished the CTS and ATS sedans.

General Motors's excellent Alpha platform is a big part of why we loved driving the ATS and CTS so much. Like the CTS-to-CT5 transformation, the smaller ATS evolves into the CT4 and will act as an entry-level price leader to compete with the BMW 2-series Gran Coupe and Mercedes-Benz A-class. To improve rear-seat space, the CT5's version of the Alpha platform receives a 1.4-inch wheelbase stretch. The longer wheelbase pays off in rear-seat legroom and space. Shortened overhangs reduce overall length compared to the CTS, but the CT5's measurements are still closer to a BMW 5-series than a 3-series. Despite having a larger footprint than a 3-series, our rear-drive CT5 with the turbo four weighed a mere 41 pounds more than a similarly equipped BMW 330i.

So I'll go on a limb and say this is a tuning thing.

Compared to its predecessor, the CT5's tuning seems to emphasize ride quality and comfort instead of handling precision. Cadillac has made conscious and consequential adjustments to the suspension that serve to soften the car's feel and dull its responses. The steering remains nicely weighted if a bit slower on initial turn-in, and the strong and stiff structure still soaks up impacts well. But the new car's damping is soft and the body control lacks the tightness that made the CTS one of our favorite sport sedans.
There are still good bits. The brake pedal's feel is firm and satisfying, with short travel and excellent initial bite. But in the context of the squishier suspension tune and less precise steering, it feels incongruent.

Shoppers who still crave the feel and handling of the CTS might be more interested in the V-6–powered CT5-V model. We'll be driving that car very soon. Our Sport-trim CT5 came equipped with Michelin Primacy ZP all-season rubber, summer rubber will be exclusive to the CT5-V. On those all-season tires, the CT5 managed 0.92 g of grip on the skidpad and its 70-to-zero-mph braking distance of 161 feet. Those numbers aren't bad, but they would have landed the CT5 near the back of the pack in our recent comparison test of the segment.

Despite the impressive number on the trunk, when converted to units we recognize, we see that the engine makes 237 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque. That's 31 hp and 37 lb-ft down on the old ATS and CTS. Acceleration suffers accordingly. Our test car went from zero to 60 mph in 6.6 seconds, or nearly a second slower than a heavier four-cylinder CTS. What's really troubling is the new engine's character, which emits droning and vacuum-like intake noises that would be annoying in a Chevy Malibu, but are unforgivable in a $50K-plus luxury sedan.

The bigger issue is that the CT5's cabin just doesn't look or feel luxurious or special. Equipped with $1500 two-tone beige-and-black leather upholstery and the Sport trim's carbon-fiber trim, the CT5's interior is an overwhelming mix of too many colors, shapes, and textures. We'd prefer a simpler, more consistent approach to the design. Real leather and metal trim pieces can only do so much if they're combined with hard, cheap-looking plastic bits. This would be a good interior in a Chevy Malibu, but it's not good enough for a Cadillac.

Other than its more spacious rear seat and improved infotainment controls, Cadillac's CT5 doesn't remedy the weaknesses of the outgoing CTS nor does it enjoy the sharp driving dynamics that made the CTS's flaws easier to stomach. Perhaps the CT5-V and its upcoming V-8–powered variant will embody more of the driver-machine connection that we've come to expect in modern Cadillac sedans, but the regular CT5 feels like a step backwards.

It would be funny though if this does sell better than the CTS did. It probably will. I only care that the top end version is good. I don't care about the lower versions as long as they sell enough of them to pay for the high end version and keep it alive.

two-tone beige-and-black leather

I really don't like this combo. I don't think I have ever looked at a car with this and thought it looked good.

I also don't understand what they are doing. They replaced the ATS and CTS which shared a platform, to have a CT4 and CT5 that basically share a platform aside from the 1.4 inch difference. And they now have less power and are slower???

Sounds like they would have been better off pulling a Dodge and just leaving the CTS and ATS alone for 10 (or 20...) years as they were. At least there would have been a bunch of faster Alpha platform used cars down the road. It isn't even like they focused on interior or luxury considering the article continued to refer to the Malibu as a comparison, in that this could pass if this were a Malibu... Not exactly glowing praise.

https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a3 ... cial-media

Here’s an article on the new CT5-V, which should really be the Vsport. It’s actually a hair slower than the Vsport, but it does have a significantly lower MSRP than the outgoing Vsport. This seems like a solid, but not excellent offering that will probably become a pretty good used car value in 4-5 years.

Cadillac's New CT5-V Needs a Different Name
Cadillac calls its new-for-2020 sports sedan the CT5-V, but it's really a replacement for the previous CTS Vsport model.

Let's clear up some confusion. The Cadillac CT5-V shown here is not the replacement for the fire-breathing CTS-V. It's best to think of it as a replacement for the old CTS Vsport model, a car that won three 10Best awards from 2014 to 2016. There, that's out of the way.
Now that your expectations have been adjusted, you won't be too upset to find that there's a 360-hp twin-turbo 3.0-liter V-6 and a 10-speed automatic transmission driving the CT5-V.

The CT5-V's engine replaces the Vsport's twin-turbo 3.6-liter V-6. While the CT5 is down 60 horsepower to the old engine, our test car still managed to scramble to 60 mph in 4.8 seconds, just 0.4 second behind the Vsport. We're willing to forgive a couple of tenths of a second to 60 mph because the CT5-V's $48,690 base price is an entire Chevy Spark less than the 2019 CTS Vsport's $62,690 entry point.

Alright, I'm still listening.

We noticed that the Vsport's staggered tire sizes are gone this time around. Every corner has a Michelin Pilot Sport 4S sized 245/40R-19, but the like-sized tires enliven the tail's propensity to wag. On the skidpad, we found an easily exploited and sports-carlike 0.99 g of grip. But this isn't just about numbers on a track sheet. Unlike lesser CT5 models, the CT5-V is more engaging and fun to drive than the German competition.

Go on...

LOWS: Badged a V, that thing on the C-pillar, shouty V-6 sounds.

Eh, I'm not sure any of those things fundamentally ruin the car, though Cadillac needs to continue to work the whole "this isn't the V you are looking for" situation, which I THOUGHT they had solved with "V-sport" but then they didn't sell any so...in fact they may have sold more V3s. Which probably average $30-40k more.

Especially since the car is decent (nay, the car is excellent):

We're amazed to find that General Motors's Performance Traction Management (PTM) is standard in the CT5-V. This is the stuff of Corvettes and track-focused Camaros, but here it is, and it's not dumbed down. We enjoyed the same adjustability and levels of stability control and traction control intervention for track play. It's probably completely unnecessary, but it's also a bit of a secret handshake and nod to lunatics like us who might decide to take one of these 3993-pound sedans to a road course.

Stunning brakes and a nice stiff brake pedal are up to track work. Equipped with the optional performance brake pads, the CT5-V stopped from 70 mph in a short 153 feet. The ride is firm but satisfying, and the structure attenuates even the biggest wheel impacts without much protest and without the basketball-bouncing sound that a C43 sends into the cabin whenever the road turns ugly.

A 1.4-inch wheelbase stretch over the CTS goes into the rear-seat legroom, and the new body has larger door openings that make it easier to get in and out. Larger windows help increase the view out while adding to a feeling of spaciousness. The CT5-V's interior design could use some more love, though. While there are no real misses and the interior is more attractive than the new 3-series's, the overall shapes and design struck us as Malibu-plus instead of distinctly Cadillac. Lincoln might not be able to build a credible sports sedan, but when you're inside a Lincoln, you never think about Ford.

Except Lincoln STILL DOES NOT have a competitor in this class. So all of that is worthless on its face.

As far attractiveness, the CT5 is a mixed bag. Everything behind the B-pillar isn't what we'd call good. Inspired by the fastback Escala concept, the design loses its way behind the rear door. The Escala is pretty, like an Audi A7. The way the trunk and C-pillar come together on the CT5 is a clunky mess, and the weird trim on the C-pillar resembles smudged eyeliner. It's not all bad, however. The front end is elegant, original, and distinctive, which is something that rarely happens these days.

So...I think this opinion is overly strong. I think the CT5 is not polarizing at all. But to each his own.

We'd just say no to the $1300 Driver Awareness Plus and the $2090 Parking packages because they're incongruent with a car tailored for drivers who know what they're doing. It's money better spent on a performance-driving school or even on something next to useless, like Bitcoin. The right salesman might be able to talk us into the $4190 Premium package since it adds the strong and clear Bose Performance audio system, heated and cooled seats, and the larger 8.0-inch touchscreen with navigation, even though we'd probably only use Apple CarPlay or Android Auto and Waze for directions.

Although it's only 16 years old, Cadillac's V-series moniker has taken on as much meaning in the enthusiast community as Mercedes-AMG or BMW's M. The V-badge has been something reserved for the hardest-core Cadillacs, the cars built to bring German-car customers into the fold while simultaneously scaring away DeVille-seeking blue hairs. While we're still waiting for Cadillac to introduce an even hotter CT5 with a supercharged V-8, the CT5-V with a handful of options and a price just over $50,000 is a terrific value for drivers who remember the great German cars of the recent past and who are bored by the latest German efforts.

¼-mile: 13.3 sec @ 107 mph

This might actually sell considerably better than the V-sport if people are even still going to Cadillac dealers. The extra length is key, I assume the interior is still better overall, the sound system is probably better, and you lose a small amount of acceleration (the 10 speed is much better than the Aisin 8-speed previously used), probably no handling, and the whole thing is actually quite a bit cheaper. That doesn't sound so bad to me.

kevm14 wrote: Tue Apr 16, 2019 3:14 pm V-sport maybe 3.6TT ~460 hp

GM missed your estimate by a bit here.

Well...guessing for more power (and more price) seemed like an obvious trend. I did not expect them to take the V badge down market but it is completely understandable. The Germans have been doing that and are raking in the cash. Making the CT5-V meaningfully cheaper is definitely relevant. I don't understand how the REAL V branding will work when that eventually drops (as a 2021?).

https://www.motortrend.com/news/2020-ca ... rst-drive/

The good news is, articles like this walk people through the confusion.

I believe I can be forgiven for my quite negative preconceived notions going into this drive. See, at our annual Car of the Year brouhaha, we drove the non-V version of the CT5. We did not like it. It was one of the first cars we culled from the field, as I recall, and one that led to almost every judge muttering a version of, "What is Cadillac thinking?"

It's not like we're Cadillac haters, either. When the CTS—one of the cars the CT5 replaces—was new in 2014, we named it our Car of the Year. But when it came to the CT5, among the many things we dinged it for were its "overworked turbo-four engine" and "lackluster driving dynamics." Surely the upcoming V version would be the CT5's savior? Not the way Cadillac initially pitched it.

The new CT5-V does have a 3.0-liter twin-turbo V-6 that makes 360 horsepower and 405 lb-ft of torque. Thing is, the recently deleted CTS-V had a 6.2-liter supercharged V-8 that made 640 hp and 630 lb-ft of torque. Sacre Bleu!

Here comes a bushel full of caveats that I'm being forced to make on behalf of Cadillac. Although way too similar (especially for copy editors), the CT5-V is not a replacement for the CTS-V. The CT5-V is a quasi-replacement for the ATS-V and a replacement for the CTS V-Sport. Wut? Yeah, Cadillac never did a good job of marketing its middle-tier performance offering. In truth, it was the 420 hp, 430 lb-ft V-Sport model that won us over back in 2014. Had Cadillac just sent out the 2.0-liter turbo-four and 3.6-liter V-6 CTS trims six years back, we likely would have picked the Mercedes-Benz S-Class as our COTY.

But yeah, that thing I said about the Germans:

What's going on? Think German. Audi makes the A4, S4, and RS 4 (even though you can't buy an RS 4 in America). BMW makes the 330i, M340i, and M3. Mercedes-Benz makes the C 300, while Mercedes-AMG makes the C43 and C63.

It's those middle models that are worth comparing to the CT5-V. The S4 makes 349 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque. The M340i produces 382 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque. The C43 is good for 385 hp and 384 lb-ft of torque. I'm aware this has turned into a numbers-fest, but bear with me: The CT5-V's engine creates 360 hp and 405 lb-ft of torque. Not the most (or the least) powerful, but it's the torquiest by a healthy margin. As former GM vice chairman Bob Lutz said, "Americans buy horsepower but drive torque." Cadillac will be employing a similar strategy with the upcoming CT4, CT4-V, and unnamed range topper (probably CT4-V Max).

The CT5-V then becomes Cadillac's midgrade performance car, with a more powerful and yet-to-be-named range topper coming. That car (I'm guessing it will be called something like CT5-V Max) will be first seen in April at the New York auto show. Will it have the 6.2-liter supercharged V-8 and 10-speed auto powertrain combo currently powering the Chevy Camaro ZL1? Yeah. I'd guess power levels at around 650 hp/650 lb-ft, just like the big Camaros.

V Max? I mean, I guess? Vmax is a thing...

GM's President Mark Reuss caught a bunch of well-earned flak when he explained the drop in power from CTS-V to CT5-V, saying, "There were, frankly, some people who were intimidated by the cars." But see, he was just vamping, filling dead air because Caddy hadn't (and still hasn't) officially announced the big dog V Max car. Not to ever admit that an auto executive is right about anything (shudder), but anecdotally a buddy of mine is getting rid of his 2017 CTS-V because it's too much car for him.

Now that you have a crystal-clear, product-planner-level understanding of Cadillac's sedan naming strategy, let's talk CT5-V. Riding on the second generation of GM's game-changing Alpha platform—called simply Alpha 2—the CT5-V is stuffed to its funny-looking C-pillar with all sorts of go-fast GM parts. A performance iteration of the 10-speed automatic transmission co-developed by GM and Ford is the only gearbox for now, though don't act too shocked if a six-speed manual shows up for model year 2021.

Identically sized and vehicle-specific Michelin PS4S rubber wraps all four wheels, clocking in at 245/40ZR19. An all-season tire is available, but as a Californian I say, "Who cares?" For the first time ever, a Cadillac V product is available with AWD, but the fine folks at Cadillac are quick to point out that they're talking AWD for bad weather (whatever that is), not as a performance enhancer.

With all these items working together, Cadillac claims the CT5-V will hit 60 mph in 4.6 seconds, with the AWD version a touch slower. Prices start at $48,690 for the rear-driver and $51,290 for the all-wheel drive version. Insanely, Super Cruise—Cadillac's game-changing, best-in-the-business, hands-free, sorta-autonomous driving mode—isn't available on the 2020 models. However, the 2021 CT5-Vs are coming sooner than you think, and they will have it. It's such a great technology that I recommend waiting.

First of all, Cadillac has a new exterior strategy where sporty models get de-blinged. I'm a fan. You can even see this at work on sport versions of the new Escalade. The brightwork is replaced with black trim, and aesthetically the cars are much better off. The CT5 was the first Cadillac to use the Escala concept car's design language, and the V version takes it a positive, though iterative, step farther. I like the front end of the CT5-V better than the Escala's. But of course there's that C-pillar.

I don't understand all the hot air about the C pillar.

I cornered GM's vice president of global design Mike Simcoe for 30 minutes just to pick his brain about the C-pillar. If you don't know what I'm talking about, it's the area behind the rear door of a car. On the CT5, it's covered by a bent triangle-shaped black plastic graphic. I'm not going to quote him (he never, no matter how hard I tried to make him, said the word "compromise"), but essentially Cadillac wanted as large of a back seat as possible while at the same time maintaining the arcing, sloping, coupelike, hatchbacklike roofline from the Escala. Something had to give, and it was the C-pillar.

Why not just put a piece of glass there? Because the rear doors are so large (the CT5 has a 1.4-inch-longer wheelbase than the CTS, all of which goes to the rear seat) that Cadillac had to split the rear door glass into two pieces to ensure that the large piece lowered all the way down. Four panes of glass on a single side of a sedan would look frumpy. Did the design team try many other iterations before settling on what they settled on? Yeah, and I imagine they must have looked real bad. C'est la vie. I'm going to think of the C-pillar as a beauty mark. Feel free to pretend along with me because otherwise I dig the looks.

Is this what we've come to? I mean we can critique automotive design from an artistic standpoint but my god, acting like this would get in the way of purchasing the car...

Finally, he drives it. And thankfully, it's good.

Now we drive. The big difference between a normal car and a performance car (especially a real performance car) is found during a corner. In a regular car you worry about the turn you're in. With a performance car, because it handles so damn well, you get to worry about the next corner coming at you.

I am happy, stoked, elated, and surprised to tell you that the CT5-V is squarely in the latter camp. This thing drives fabulously. Again, my surprise is simply due to how underwhelmed we were with the CT5 at Car of the Year. From behind the wheel, you would have a difficult time believing that the V version is in any way related to the standard car. We're talking vast differences in every way that a car performs.

I'd like to take a second and praise the brakes. As mentioned, they are of the brake-by-wire persuasion, shared with the C8 Corvette. But they were developed after the C8's stoppers were finished, and these stoppers feel much, much better. Hard to believe you're not pushing fluid with your toes.

Handling is just sweet. Look, every single performance car built off the Alpha platform (ATS-V, CTS-V, Camaro) has been dynamically wonderful, and the CT5-V is no exception. This Cadillac V is just as great to drive as I should have expected. Sure, the new Bosch Premium EPAS (electric power steering) is probably a skosh better, but hammering this Caddy on a bitchin', twisting desert road felt not just great, but familiar. It felt like a proper Cadillac V. There, I said it. Happy? More ATS-V than CTS-V, but remember, this car is also effectively replacing the ATS-V.

I suppose this is a good time to talk about the all-wheel-drive CT5-V. Like Cadillac told us, the AWD ain't there to help performance. Braking distances felt longer, and the wonderful steering of the RWD car is gone, as there's now another 100 or so extra pounds on the snout. The car feels slower and sloppier. A bit of this showed up on the road the day before. But as is always the case on racetracks, all the warts were exposed once we were allowed to really push the cars. Northerners, I'd advise against the AWD version and just buy a nice set of winter tires.

The RWD CT5-V remained excellent on track. Actually, I liked it even better on the track than on the road. I tried out two of the five PTM settings. Sport 2 turns off most of the nannies. Race basically turns everything off, but after the rear end drifts past some rotation threshold, it brings it back in line before finally just turning everything off.

The Cadillac seemed to be perfectly specced for the track. Had we been on a bigger track, would we have craved more power? Yes, I know we would have. And that car is coming. Here's the thing: When you think about the cars the CT5-V is directly targeting—S4, M340i, and C43—you conclude that Cadillac's got them all beat, not just on price but also on what really matters in this segment: performance. None of those three Germans drives like this thing. Even though I shouldn't be, what with the recent history of Cadillac V lineup, I am impressed and surprised.

Well this is a relief. As for relevance to me as a used car? Well for acceleration alone, this is about equal to an STS-V that I could buy for $12k. But the rest of the car is likely superior (hopefully Bose has redeemed themselves with this new Bose Performance line). Certainly the handling is though the STS-V ride/handling is perfect for a daily driver. The ability to get one in AWD is interesting but the article and GM have been clear: it is for winter driving, not performance. It makes the car worse. But it's good to have the option - it is probably important to the segment.

But I also like the CT6. A 2016 CT6 3.0TT AWD runs 13.5 sec @ 105 mph (which is a bit slower). But the CT5-V looks like a highly recommended performance/luxury sedan for $50k.

Blackwing News:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/enthusi ... spartanntp

Original link: https://www.hagerty.com/articles-videos ... ili-torino

I guess this is better than not using the engine. The low redline doesn't really fit the mission of that car but what do I know (LS7 would have been much better).