Word: cts
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...your nightstick, officer. It's the 2003 CTS, which will go down in history as the car that started Cadillac on its march back to quality. If you were ever a fan (as in, the '59 Eldorado) it's finally time to blow away the nightmares of GM's experiments with "small" or "sporty" Cadillacs, like the Cimarron or the ridiculous Catera, which is really an Opel (a company which, by the way, just announced a historic $608 million loss...
...CTS is a new breed entirely. Rolled out to great acclaim at the Detroit Auto Show last week, this luxury sportmobile may not exactly be elegant. But not since I drove the limited production BMW Z8 roadster last summer have I been behind the wheel of a car that prompted so many oohs and ahs, and not a few Wows - including one from yours truly when I punched it on the FDR drive just minutes later...
...CTS is edgy and forceful, but it has its own 21st century grace. At General Motors, they call this chiseled blend of trapezoids "art and science." Not everyone will agree with the "art" part. But if beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, this car at least demands that you take more than one look, which is incredibly refreshing in an era when we've all grown accustomed to cars and SUVs that look like nothing much except each other. Inside the cabin, the approach is more subtle, but still very futuristic, with a console angled slightly toward...
...General Motors touts the CTS as a BMW fighter, and for once, they may be able to sustain the claim. Its 3.2 liter V6 engine is tied to one of the smoothest, tightest automatic 5 speed transmissions around (secret: it's the same transmission offered on the Bimmer 5-series) and the suspension is tuned like a cherished Stradivarius. This baby hums. Best of all: the CTS starts at a mere $29,990 - nicely competitive with its top competitors, the Lexus ES300, the Audi A4 and the BMW 3-series. And the only reason a cop would saunter over...
...CTS matters for other reasons, though. It's the first in what General Motors says will be a parade of like-minded, provocative Cadillacs. Another stab in the same direction comes from a company that two years ago was given up for dead: Nissan. The 2002 Nissan Altima, which won top honors at the Detroit Auto Show last week as the North American car of the year, is a screamer, with 240hp and a body design which, like the CTS's, makes you look twice. The Altima's interior is a little on the plasticky side, and for some reason...