The braking system on the CTS, consisting of four large-diameter discs, a power booster, and ABS hardware and software, was also developed on the Nurburgring circuit. The average driver on an average drive will never know it, but the braking system on this car is capable of an incredibly high number of full-force stops just short of ABS activation without any sign of brake fade, no hint of hot, smelly linings, or uneven pulling from side to side.
The 3.2-liter V6 engine is an enlarged version of the 3.0-liter V6 that powered the German Opel-based Catera. However, the engine has been fully revised to improve driveability, power and emissions, and is represents a vast improvement. It is the world's only 54-degree V6 engine design (most are either 60 or 90 degrees). The CTS V6 is smooth and quiet, and responsive in traffic. However, with only 220 horsepower on tap, not reachable until 6000 rpm, and 218 foot-pounds of torque available at best, it will not thrill any driver who has had previous experience in a German or Japanese V6 of the same displacement. The CTS is not slow by any means, but neither is it quick. Driving this engine in a manual-transmission model, we found we had to downshift not once but twice to keep the engine in the powerband, and in the automatic, we either kicked the transmission down by hand or foot quite a lot when driving in the mountains of southern California. (The slick new 5L40-E automatic transmission is also used by BMW in the 5 Series and X5 sport utility). Cadillac says more power is a high priority for future models. Next Page