New York Auto Show: 2014 Cadillac CTS

3,616 pounds? For the sake of reference, the current Malibu LTZ 2.0T weighs 3660 lbs.

I honestly cannot find any objective problems with the car just yet. Cut weight from the previous car, will share platforms to save GM some cash, firmly distanced away from the ATS, highly class-competitive powertrain offerings... I'm still not 100% on the rear design, but that's not objective. That's just me.

Bring on the reviews!

Also, in b4 SMK complains about it still not being a Mercedes.

I think Cadillac hit it out of the park with this car.

So far based on what I have read and seen in pictures I like this car from all sides. I do not like how they keep getting lower and lower to the ground as that really makes it harder for us tall guys to get in and out without doing deep squats all day long.

I love the variety of interiors.

My Beef, All the NANNY Devices they are incorporating into the auto's. This I feel is still WRONG!

Why WRONG you ask, simple. if you do not like to drive, take the freakin bus, taxi or have someone else drive who will pay attention. Having a auto that will try to sense and force you to accept when it brakes, etc I see causing more accidents than preventing. Computers can still not respond as fast as the human brain and I want the auto to do what I want, not what some GOV is telling it to do.

If there is no way to turn off these stupid NANNY devices, then my ability to buy newer auto's will come to an end.

New auto quality is at it's best ever, but then also is the complete discard it when someone hits you. All this aluminum will tend to cause these cars to be sent to the shredder and I think we will find less and less older auto's on the roads in the future.

I agree with Dodgefan, I do think that Caddy has hit this one out of the ballpark. I hope this is a trend that will continue with all new auto introductions from them.

All I can say is holy crap is this thing awesome. I think they really nailed what they need to be going after. Easily competitive with Mercedes E-Class and BMW 5-Series.

Back on top.

no stick? ............. 8 speed only with RWD? both fails in an otherwise spectacular package.......

3600 pound weight is quite exceptional, although to be fair, if the Epsilon were as rigorously engineered gram per gram as the Alpha chassis, they would be able to trim the weight of that down to about 3300 or so.......

The weight is really good, although I'd like to see what a V6 with equipment on it weighs too. Overall I think it is very good, I don't like the headlights or a bland rear end, or the center stack with the Volt-like buttons but all Cadillacs have it now. It is good that they have 8 interior colors.

The 8-speed should be on every engine, but maybe next year. They need a diesel too.

Interesting that it is 4.2 inches longer and only 1.2 inch longer wheelbase, it should be the reverse. The new CTS is Hyundai Genesis length, that is pretty big, if it has Genesis level interior room it will have more than the XTS.

XTS is shaping up to be the fleet queen.

I'll wait for the numbers, but the XTS feels larger inside front to back, width is where it may lose ground.

The CTS is amazing in the flesh. I don't see the rear as bland but as a nod to 1967.

To be fair, Drew, most of us view the rear as bland because we all saw the front first. It's in our heads.

^ An excellent point.

However, the rear treatments on MOST cars are rather bland. mercedees, BMW, audi; Snorefests, all series.
Yes, I am thinking of the tailfin era, where both ends had the hardware to delight & entertain. Not that I expect tailfins (real tailfins) to return... but a return to a similar effort of styling would be nice. I'm just not sure there's much that can be done.

I'll wait for the numbers, but the XTS feels larger inside front to back, width is where it may lose ground. The CTS is amazing in the flesh. I don't see the rear as bland but as a nod to 1967.

Judging by the live pics of the red car @ Jalopnik I agree completely. That rear end is much more detailed and intricate than the Jalop-leaks indicated, I knew it had to be. Bear in mind that the back end of the leaked car was silver, which hides these kinds of things. I'm overall even more impressed with the styling in the live pics. That front end looks like the front end of a transcontinental locomotive compared to the daintier faces of the BMW and Audi and the rear end has much more imagination and detailng than the E-.

I think they could have done a bit more with the rear end. Specifically the taillights. I liked how the ELR's extended into the quarter panel and formed the car's primary character line.

With that said I just saw real world photos of a red on on the show floor, and as usual, GM's $h!ty press photos don't do the car justice.

I'll wait for the numbers, but the XTS feels larger inside front to back, width is where it may lose ground. The CTS is amazing in the flesh. I don't see the rear as bland but as a nod to 1967.

That's because the XTS has Epsilon's disease (lack of girth).

Should be interesting the girth difference between the narrow ATS and the CTS (semi-platform mates)

The CTS's interior dimensions as far as head, shoulder, leg room are with in an inch of the XTS, XTS wins most of the categories. The big difference is the XTS has 5 inches more rear seat leg room, I am surprised it is that much since the CTS has a longer wheelbase.

Overall this new car looks way better than the current, I liked the first CTS, the 2nd gen looked fat and bulky, this one has sleek proportions back. It will be interesting to see how it sells and what happens to XTS sales.

It will be interesting to see how it sells and what happens to XTS sales.

By your own emphatic definition, it is impossible for the CTS & XTS to appeal to the same consumer, as one is FWD & the other RWD (when either is not AWD).

The CTS's interior dimensions as far as head, shoulder, leg room are with in an inch of the XTS, XTS wins most of the categories. The big difference is the XTS has 5 inches more rear seat leg room, I am surprised it is that much since the CTS has a longer wheelbase.

Overall this new car looks way better than the current, I liked the first CTS, the 2nd gen looked fat and bulky, this one has sleek proportions back. It will be interesting to see how it sells and what happens to XTS sales.

For comparison's sake, Infiniti G37 has a longer wheelbase than the Nissan Maxima, but the latter is much roomier inside, especially in the back. Longer RWD wheelbases often show their length in the engine compartment rather than in the cabin (hence, proportionately longer hoods and shorter front overhangs).

Cadillac has one helluva lineup now, in short order.

It's a great looking machine, with authority that Cadillac should have.

Why are we even speaking of the XTS here? The XTS is here for a reason and to do a job that is different from this car. Same for the coming LTS.

The CTS is a bonified home run and the only negative I expect is that some will complain that there may not be more room in the back seat or some nit pick like this.

The Key here is the weight as they made a slightly larger car and cut weight. Killing weight is something that will add performance in ways a more powerful engine can not and will not do on its own. This bodes well for coming Alpha Products like the Camaro and possible Buick More power adds so much to handling and braking that this car will be shocking in its performance even outside the V series.

Now as long as they address the little details like shifters and have the fixed Cue system this car should be the one to have. I just hope they took to heart the little things that held them up just a bit on the ATS. They nearly got that perfect but just lacked a couple small detail.

By the complaints from the BMW and Benz crowed I suspect they are concerned. You never heard them critic a Cadillac in so much detail and in mostly subjective areas as in the last day.

This car also shows unless Lincoln has something different soon in a platform they will have lost even more ground. I feel they may be left to Buick to thrash out for sales here in America.

The best thing is that Cadillac now has a car sized and prices like a 3-series and a car sized and priced like a 5-series, although the CTS is sized more like a Jag XF. They have needed this for years and the CTS trying to split the gap wasn't working.

I don't know if making it bigger was the right move (but maybe it will be) the new CTS is about STS size, and will likely be priced like the STS. The STS-DTS duo didn't work, that is why they are both gone, Cadillac is recreating that in a way here, but this car is executed better than the STS.

Lexus is who needs to worry, that GS is terrible, and the Infiniti M looks like a gawdy Maxima. The Germans will be fine.

I have zero complaints other than I can't buy one right now. I love this car and will do whatever it takes to get one ASAP.

Here is a Wall Street Journal article:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324789504578382260127618472.html?mod=WSJ_hp_EditorsPicks

It is a bit critical but it does point out how Cadillac faces the same problems they did when the 03 CTS came out, this car seems more up to the task of going against the Germans, where the last 2 generations didn't make a dent in their armor, in fact Audi's market share has more than doubled since the 2004.

The 2014 Cadillac CTS:

This car is 195.5 inches long
It is 72.2 inches wide.
The gas tank is 19 gallons.
the trunk is only 13.7 cubic feet.
the wheelbase is 114.6 inches long


The XTS is too close in size to this car. XTS is not much wider or longer. It has a shorter wheelbase.

The XTS is 202 inches long
The XTS wheelbase is: 111.7 inches
The XTS 72.9 inches wide
The fuel tank on XTS is: 19 gallons and 20 gallons on AWD
The XTS trunk is 18 cubic feet


This compares to:

1985 downsized Cadillac Deville:

The Deville length was 195.0 inches long
The wheelbase was 110.8 inches long
It was 71.7 inches wide
The fuel tank was: 18 gallons
The trunk was: 15.7-15.8 cubic feet


The only dislike of the CTS is the headlights. That is all. The car should have a quad headlight design.
The trunk should be one to three cubic feet bigger.

Wow! GM did a really nice job with this. The rear end is the only shaky thing to me and I'm sure that will grow on me. I can't wait to see the performance numbers for the TT3.6 version! I only wish they could have gotten that powertrain into the current car before the end of it's life, especially in the wagon. My current dream car is the CTS-V wagon but a TT3.6 wagon wouldn't be too far behind! I think I am one of the few that prefers a sport wagon over an SUV.

Wow! GM did a really nice job with this. The rear end is the only shaky thing to me and I'm sure that will grow on me. I can't wait to see the performance numbers for the TT3.6 version! I only wish they could have gotten that powertrain into the current car before the end of it's life, especially in the wagon. My current dream car is the CTS-V wagon but a TT3.6 wagon wouldn't be too far behind! I think I am one of the few that prefers a sport wagon over an SUV.

The wagon is the only CTS that interests me.

Why do people compare this to the XTS? They are apples to oranges in the type of car that they are. They have two different missions but yet people want to compare them?

The Wagon I suspect is gone at least till they consider going back to Europe. As nice as the last one was they just could not sell them as there are so few around.

I only hope they got the interior right on size for this segment. The ATS is just about too small in the rear but it gets a pass by most in the media because they got everything else so right. If it were any smaller it would have gotten Malibu'd.

Here's this hot new Cadillac in the real world, in motion on the road.

sweet

All I can say is wow. I thought the 2nd Gen. CTS's were cool looking, this is very, very nice...It looks so awesome....wow - Love the side view showing a bit of the front end...too cool

I call close to a homerun on this car. My only complaints after reading the info and looking at the pics are that 8sp should be available in all drivetrains and that the rear end could be more ELR concept and less XTS in looks.

Now all Cadillac needs is to move the SRX to Alpha and develop a proper 7-Series and S-Class fighter

Those CTS Video's Rock and I love the growl of the V6 Turbo. I am excited to see it in person.

I call close to a homerun on this car. My only complaints after reading the info and looking at the pics are that 8sp should be available in all drivetrains and that the rear end could be more ELR concept and less XTS in looks.

Now all Cadillac needs is to move the SRX to Alpha and develop a proper 7-Series and S-Class fighter

Let me quote myself to add another bit of complaining... No manuals to be seen anywhere... The V Sport should definitely have one available.

I call close to a homerun on this car. My only complaints after reading the info and looking at the pics are that 8sp should be available in all drivetrains and that the rear end could be more ELR concept and less XTS in looks.

Now all Cadillac needs is to move the SRX to Alpha and develop a proper 7-Series and S-Class fighter

Let me quote myself to add another bit of complaining... No manuals to be seen anywhere... The V Sport should definitely have one available.

But can the R&D cost be justified for such a small market and the fact that manuals cannot seem to survive high performance engines. In this case I am talking the traditional manual, I can see a manualmatic style being V capable, but unless I am missing something even at drag races now the manual is a thing of the past and cannot keep up with the power of a modern engine.

One thing I like about this new CTS is... the low, hovering, heavy front bumper. It certainly adds presence. Makes me think of this, and many other great Cadillacs.

But can the R&D cost be justified for such a small market and the fact that manuals cannot seem to survive high performance engines. In this case I am talking the traditional manual, I can see a manualmatic style being V capable, but unless I am missing something even at drag races now the manual is a thing of the past and cannot keep up with the power of a modern engine.

The cost/benefit is the million dollar question, of course. I agree a robotized manual like a DSG-type transmission would most likely be the way to go, as it could be shared with the Corvette and the Camaro to get closer to optimal scale economies / cost dilution...

DSG = ick

I just saw a photo that really put this car into perspective. You will be surprise how low and sleek the car will appeal. The GM and Show photos do not represent it well.

I just saw a photo that really put this car into perspective. You will be surprise how low and sleek the car will appeal. The GM and Show photos do not represent it well.

I was very pleased with some of the photos on Autoblog. I guess they're official pictures (so, by GM's ususal standards, not the best in leveraging the presentation of the car's looks), but my earlier concerns about how the front and rear match against each other are mostly gone. I think GM has delivered a quite strong 1-2 punch with the ATS and CTS

The GM photos make the car look fine but like many GM cars they do not give the full impact or impression. I think many who love the car now will love it even more when they see it.

The GM photos make the car look fine but like many GM cars they do not give the full impact or impression. I think many who love the car now will love it even more when they see it.

Given Cadillac's lack of investment and commitment to Europe, I hope to see the new CTS next time I go to the US (or, if I'm lucky, maybe on one of my trips to Sweden).

The GM photos make the car look fine but like many GM cars they do not give the full impact or impression. I think many who love the car now will love it even more when they see it.

Given Cadillac's lack of investment and commitment to Europe, I hope to see the new CTS next time I go to the US (or, if I'm lucky, maybe on one of my trips to Sweden).

With GM's track record, it would be interesting to have a thread for people to post their plan on how GM should bring their product line to Europe. I think people outside of the box might actually have a better chance on selling the luxury line (cadillac) and mid lux line (Buick) to Europe.

The GM photos make the car look fine but like many GM cars they do not give the full impact or impression. I think many who love the car now will love it even more when they see it.

Given Cadillac's lack of investment and commitment to Europe, I hope to see the new CTS next time I go to the US (or, if I'm lucky, maybe on one of my trips to Sweden).

With GM's track record, it would be interesting to have a thread for people to post their plan on how GM should bring their product line to Europe. I think people outside of the box might actually have a better chance on selling the luxury line (cadillac) and mid lux line (Buick) to Europe.

Buick is here as Opel: I expect that the core products for those two will be exactly the same in the next iterations. The trick for Opel to bridge the gap to VW (the brand, not the group) pricing is for Opel to continue to offer near-flawless product like the Astra and Insignia for the next 2 or 3 prodcut cycles and beyond. That helps Chevrolet also.

Cadillac needs time and dedication; it needs a proper dealer network (I think that pairing Cadillac with existing Chevrolet and Opel dealers could be interesting as long as the showroom floors are separate - Cadillac needs exclusive showrooms); and while all that is being put in motion Cadillac needs diesels for its existing lineup (a 4-cyl and a 6-cyl) and just as important it needs a car in the A8/7-Series/S-Class segment destined not to sell or be the most profitable of flagships, but to make a bold statement: kind of like it being the Escalade of sedans. I think the Ciel is the perfect basis for that flagship car, as the Ciel cues in the CTS worked out quite well.

I agree, that putting cadillac in the same dealerships is a good idea as long as their Show Room is seperate from the others and focused on a true luxury level.

DSG = ick

Why?

DSG = ick

Why?

Too modern, I think.

OK so given my frustration with the ATS...what's the CD player situation for the CTS? Again, I don't care how much they want to charge as an option, but I simply won't tolerate a single-disc unit taking up already-tight glovebox space, located on the far side of the car, inaccessible to the driver. Glimmer of hope, please?

OK so given my frustration with the ATS...what's the CD player situation for the CTS? Again, I don't care how much they want to charge as an option, but I simply won't tolerate a single-disc unit taking up already-tight glovebox space, located on the far side of the car, inaccessible to the driver. Glimmer of hope, please?

They will probably have a single disc slot in the trunk.

CD player?

Why don't you ask for a Cosset player too. LOL! CD's are on the fast track out and while many even myself still have them everything is going blue tooth and will play from you phone or MP3 player. Even Chevy did away with the multi disc in 09 as I have the last year of the 6 disc. Even then I have my discs burned with MP3 files to nearly 800 songs in my player.
To be honest I am loving the blue tooth and Pandora in the new GMC.

Hell I even stream the audio from my Dish Network sling device through my phone and Intellilink and I can listen to anything on my satellite TV.

DSG = ick

Why?

Because from a purist stand point it is blasphemy. Some are having a hard time adjusting to the new decade. They will really hate the next ten years.