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2003 Cadillac CTS
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| Hip To Be Square |
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| Updated |
Jun 10, 2004 22:13:48 |
| Rating |
 180 ( 34 +18.88% ) | | Author | Tara Baukus Mello |
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Description:
2003 Cadillac CTS
Hip To Be Square
Writer's Notes
Test Car: 2003 Cadillac CTS
Curb Appeal: Although I wasn't so sure about the styling, many folks I spoke with found the design very appealing.
Asphalt Rating: The 3.0-liter V-6 has been re-worked into a 3.2-liter with 220 horsepower and 218 lb-ft of torque with either a Getrag five-speed manual or a Hydra-Matic five-speed automatic transmission.
Real World: While the CTS doesn't yet surpass its foreign competitors, it is a strong entry that will cause people take notice.
Handling: GM's all-new rear-wheel drive architecture is highlighted with GM common features, such as the StabiliTrak stability enhancement system.
Comfort: A hosts of creature comforts are standard, including all-leather seating and programmable steering-wheel-mounted controls.
Comments or suggestions about this review? Send an e-mail to: editor@autobytel.com
Autobytel Inc. operates the popular automotive websites Autobytel.com, Autoweb.com, Carsmart.com, and Autosite.com.
xxx
The big brown UPS truck is a frequent visitor to my street. I can hear its distinct rumble and sounds of the driver shifting long before he reaches me. Often, I'm out of my desk chair before the truck rolls to a stop. Tad, the regular driver, usually greets me with a smile and a bounce in his step. After all these years of multiple visits a week, we have gotten to know each other a bit. Tad is a car guy of sorts, a reader of automotive enthusiast magazines and part of a family with a passion for classic muscle cars. And, despite the fact that he sees a different test-drive car parked out front nearly every week, he rarely comments on the vehicles I'm driving. The week that I had the 2003 Cadillac CTS was an exception.
Tad made three deliveries that week and each time he made a comment about the car. It turns out that he and his fellow UPS drivers had been ogling the CTS in auto magazines during the lunch break.
To be honest, when the CTS first arrived for its test, I wasn't so sure about it. The sharp angles and geometric shapes that comprised the exterior design seemed harsh and a bit too futuristic to me. Cadillac called the design "risk-taking." Akin to rock climbing without safety gear, I thought. I could see how "bold and edgy" worked on large SUVs, but on mid-size performance sedans I wasn't so sure. Tad and his buddies, however, loved the dramatic design and forced me to look at it from a different perspective. Apparently, it really is hip to be square.
The design of the 2003 Cadillac CTS, the replacement to the Catera, still echoes the traditional Cadillac design themes, despite its overall appearance. The tall and thin headlights and taillights are a styling cue from the '60s, while the egg-crate grille first appeared on Cadillacs in the '30s. The hard lines and short overhangs give the CTS an aggressive stance to be sure, but I was disappointed to find that the wide C-pillar and sharp angle of the rear window decreases rearward visibility.
While Tad really liked the styling, what really got his juices flowing was what was underneath the sheet metal. With an all-new rear-wheel drive platform, the CTS is powered by a 3.2-liter V-6. A re-engineered version of the former 3.0-liter V-6, the new 3.2-liter now produces 220 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 218 lb-ft of torque at 3,400 rpm. Features such as aluminum cylinder heads and drive-by-wire throttle improve emissions. The V-6 is mated to either a five-speed Getrag manual or five-speed Hydra-Matic automatic transmission with sport, winter and economy modes.
To ensure the CTS was a strong competitor to its European peers, GM engineers spent three years in testing, including at Germany's Nurburging, one of the world's most challenging race tracks, tweaking the car until it met every team member's expectations. On the road, the 2003 Cadillac CTS proves itself as a strong competitor to the European performance sedans---a pleasant surprise considering Cadillac's recent reputation for producing sleeper cars suitable for senior citizens.
While the GM engineers were busy refining the CTS' performance characteristics, the design team was putting an equal amount of thought into the interior characteristics. Interior lights, for example, were recessed to reduce glare and make it easier for the driver to concentrate on the road. Courtesy lights were designed to cast light evenly throughout the passenger cabin. Reading lights have been transformed into highly focused beams of light so passengers using them do not feel as if they are in a spotlight.
The 2003 Cadillac CTS features a high-tech looking instrument panel and center stack with minimal use of wood in areas such as the door pulls, shifter knob and steering wheel. The steering wheel is a three-spoke design and features steering-wheel-mounted controls that can be programmed to operate the driver's choice of features. Leather seating surfaces with an eight-way power driver's seat, climate control, OnStar, high-intensity discharge headlights, StabiliTrak stability enhancement system and a 200-watt audio system with AM/FM radio and CD are all standard equipment. The CTS is built at General Motor's facility in Lansing, Michigan.
---Story by Tara Baukus Mello
© 2002, Tara Baukus Mello, All Rights Reserved. |
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