There is simply nothing better than a 4-door sedan with rear wheel drive, a manual
transmission and a big honking V8. Oh wait. It's also available IN A WAGON! Developed as the inauguration of GM's Performance division, this car redefined how America would compete with Ze German luxury performance cars. This was no old grandpa’s Caddy anymore, this was a sleek, fast and sporty burnout machine that will keep your butt nice and comfy.
Back in 2002, GM decided to spice things up with the newly formed HPVO, or High Performance Vehicle Operations. This group of specialized engineers were given the recently released Cadillac CTS. Now, up to this point, Cadillac's were known for being comfortable land yachts for denture users. But the performance division saw a lot of potential in the CTS...One of the perks of this car was that it was over 1000 lbs lighter than the Fleetwood, which was one of the first RWD Caddys made. The new Sigma platform of the CTS also had independent suspension, which was still kinda uncommon for American car manufacturers. It also had a manual option, which was the first time this was offered on a Cadillac in 14 years. But all HVPO had to do with the CTS platform was shoehorn a V8 push-rod engine under the hood, but they didn't stop there. They added bigger anti-roll bars, larger shocks, bigger brakes, some fat tires...Essentially, you would have thought this car was designed in Texas, because if they could make something bigger, they did. The CTS-V was an effort to challenge the European car market with manufacturers like BMW and Mercedes, so it needed refinement in its performance that American cars were not known for.
The CTS-V had a 5.7L LS6 engine out of the C5 Corvette which cranked out 400 hp and 395 lb-ft. This was enough to get the 3800 lbs car from 0-60 in 4.6 seconds and a top speed of 163 mph. Initial reception was skeptical due to failing a differential during testing and general build quality did not quite match the high standards set by Ze Germans, but it was definitely a good start. The first revision of the CTS-V came in 2006, where after vacationing in Texas again, they beefed up the diff and shoved in the new LS2 which was a 6.0L that had the same power output, but more torque available over a wider range.
The CTS-V then had its first major face lift in 2008, where the dampers were upgraded to MagneRide technology, which is some preetttyy fancy stuff, adjusting the ride every 1 milliseconds with the use of sensors and magnetorheological (sci-fi word) fluid. The engine was now the new LS9 featured in the ZR1 Corvette, which was a supercharged 6.2L pumping out 556 hp and 551 lb-ft. This 2nd generation now went 0-60 in 3.9 seconds, but due to the various handling upgrades was 20 secs faster than the first gen 1 CTS-V at the Nürburgring, at a time of 7:59. For being such a beefy boi, this car was SPORTY!
All these improvements’ pales in comparison to what really mattered. That's right, THE WAGON! GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz was asked about the possibility of a wagon body style for the CTS-V in 2009. He said, "Should sufficient demand materialize, there is no reason why we couldn't do a V-Series wagon, and I would be standing in line for one, just ahead of you." At this point every American dad who was stuck driving a damn minivan around sent Lutz a love letter with a blank check. Just over 2100 CTS-V wagons were made from 2011 to 2014, with only 514 of them having manuals. There were some complications though, the ZR1 Corvette, ZL1 Camaro and CTS-V had some bad press due to an issue where people found out that the ECU was cutting engine power due to the cooling capacity not being able to reliably handle all the thunder under the hood. This was addressed with the 3rd gen in 2016 that added more intercoolers and different grill designs to keep things cooler. At this point, GM also decided to give its favorite Caddy the full C7 Z06 Corvette treatment and bump up power to 640. It also got a sleeker look with some weight loss, but sadly the manual was no more.
In the used car market, you can expect to pay $10-15K for a clean Gen1, $45-50K for a premo wagon and about the same for a Gen3. You will find a middle ground with either the Gen2 coupe or sedan, particularly if its an automatic. Happy hunting.
Perks: LS performance/noise, top end luxury, wagon option AND manual AND RWD
Negatives: steeper price, a bit beefy, non-car people will think you are geriatric
This brings the history of the CTS-V to an end, with 2019 being the last year. But this is not the end for the V badge. The new CT5-V will take over, along with the exclusive CT6-V, which the latter has a twin turbo V8 engine designated as the "Blackwing". Nothing gets me hot and bothered like a good engine nickname...
Got a minute?
Checkout this video of what tuning company Hennessey has done to a CTS-V. Hint: It involves 4 digits.
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