By Mark Elias
Monday, Jun 21st, 2010 @ 12:02 am

A few years back, Cadillac introduced the second-generation CTS sedan to seemingly unanimous rave reviews. Along the way there was even a North American International Car of the Year award. For 2011, General Motors hopes lightning will strike again: This time with two fewer doors and a subtly sexier shape. Enter the CTS Coupe.

Designed as the tip of the sword for the new GM’s halo division, it is a Cadillac that is longer, shorter, faster, sharper, totally different, yet nearly the same as other Cadillacs.

Looks are deceiving…and alluring
Originally seen as a concept car in Detroit back in 2008, this classic two-plus-two shares the same wheelbase dimensions as the CTS four-door, enabling larger doors with a wider spread for rear seat access. Overall length is two-inches shorter than the sedan, while its overall height is two-inches lower.

The new windshield is laid at a faster angle of 62.3-degrees, while the rear glass is nearly flat, making this one of the most dramatically styled Cadillacs since the day GM Design Godfather Harley Earl drew taller-than-tall fins on the 1959 Eldorado. The CTS Coupe shares the front fenders, grille, headlamps, console and instrument panel with the Sport Sedan.

On the battlefield
The CTS Coupe enters the playing field with the game already underway.

But that’s okay. On the other side are players from Audi (A5), Infiniti (G37) and BMW (335i). Additionally, the guys from Mercedes show up with their more upmarket E-Class coupe.

America versus the world. Part 14. Maybe more. Who’s keeping count?

The design is a breakthrough despite its obvious connection to the sedan. Borrowing cues from the Cien concept car, and radically creased sheetmetal, it clearly follows Cadillac’s motto of the convergence of art and science. Otherwise, we’d say it’s tech that has been seen on the previously introduced CTS iterations, just repackaged in a newer, sexier skin.

Looking more Transformer-like than its corporate cousin, the Bumble-Bee Camaro movie car, the CTS Coupe gets all Optimus Prime from the grille rearward. Sharp angles shape a technical appearance that is aggressive and artful at the same time. Aero-sculpted sides and rear lower fins help to channel air under the car, while the swept back rear window aligns the rear deck and leads to the light bar/spoiler and the vertically wrapped taillights.

Around the large-ish sides and extra wide doors, there is a surprising absence of bling in favor of clean, flat surfaces and hidden door handles with electric touch-sensing buttons. Using electronic switchsets similar to those in the Corvette, it results in a slick, seamless appearance that aids in the car’s fast looks – even while standing still.

The CTS Coupe now rounds out the triumvirate also comprised of the CTS Sports Sedan and the CTS Sports Wagon. Eventually the group will be rounded out to include V-models for every type of CTS currently available – yes, even the wagon.

Cabin fever
If you liked the interior of the CTS Sport Sedan, you will love the interior of the new CTS Coupe. Borrowing heavily from the sistership CTS Sports Sedan, the dashboard, and new center console are identical to those found in the four-door. Legible gauges easily display pertinent info, and the hidden navi-screen pops up from its perch on the top of the center stack to give directions or to hide everything but the audio information in a discreet fashion.

A leather and wood-wrapped steering wheel features all the redundancies on the front, while the rear side hides two gearshift buttons. Working in concert with the shift lever on the center console, they can also be tapped whenever needed without having to throw the shifter into the Manual shift gate. After a few seconds, the vehicle electronics will cause the transmission to revert to fully automatic mode where they can be tapped once again if the need arises. They work very well, buy we would have appreciated a larger, more pronounced paddle-shift lever-style arrangement instead of the buttons.

Seats were very grippy with the side bolsters that kept us in place during the twisty mountain roads in Napa, California. The adjustable lumbar bladder offered custom settings to fit any type of back, but we thought that the top of the seatback cushion was just a bit over-stuffed. The back seat was easily accessible and would be comfortable for shorter, around town trips – the way most coupe back seats are used. We don’t know how long we could tolerate it on a cross-country jaunt, though. Buy the sedan or wagon.

Enjoy the ride
The CTS Coupe is exclusively powered by the 3.6-liter direct-injection V6, mounted longitudinally as in the other CTS models, as well as in the new Camaro. Producing 304 horsepower and 273 lb-ft of torque, it is mated to a GM Hydra-Matic 6L50 six-speed automatic slusher with torque converter clutch. A six-speed manual transmission by Aisin will also be available. Although no row-it-yourself gearboxes were available during our test drive, they both share a final drive ratio of 3.73.

The CTS Coupe will also be available with an all-wheel-drive option in the fall – a move to help it compete with its rivals.

As it is, the Coupe rides on a suspension made up of short/long arms in front with monotube shocks and an indie multi-link with monotube shocks in the rear. Hollow stabilizer bars at both ends help to finish up the ride. StabiliTrak lends vehicle stability, while four-channel, four-wheel disc brakes help to throw the anchor out back when needed.

The variable assisted rack and pinion steering system tended toward understeer while on the excessively twisted back roads of Napa County, California. As most owners driving the Coupe will not be participating in track day events, we think they will be more than satisfied with the feel that is transmitted back to the driver following his or her input. Despite its curb weight of 3,909 pounds and a 53/47 weight distribution with the automatic transmission, we found the CTS to be a stellar performer, which rewarded every driving input.

Firmed up more so than the Sport Sedan, it made short work of road imperfections and kept us always feeling confident in our moves, especially when pushing harder through the turns than we would have been able to do in lesser cars.

Why you would buy it:
Because the other competitors in the segment appear played out.

Why you wouldn’t:
Because the Cadillac CTS Coupe is probably too much car for you, and instead you want your Fleetwood Brougham back. This isn’t the Cadillac of yore, let alone the Cadillac of last week.

Leftlane’s bottom line:
We’ve always said “two’s company, three’s a party.â€

With this third edition to the Cadillac CTS lineup, the General is proving once again that they are serious about building great cars. To say this CTS Coupe is the best Cadillac we have ever driven bears it out.

2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe base price, $38,990. (AWD $1,900 more).

Words and photos by Mark Elias.

  

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