2011 Cadillac CTS – A Top American-Made Luxury Sedan

First Look:

The 2011 Cadillac CTS exemplifies Cadillac’s effort to be more aggressive in the current auto market by introducing more dominant models. Cadillac has left its days of manufacturing distended land yachts, which use to hobble down the interstate region, behind and has introduced a considerably tidier and solid model in the form of Cadillac CTS. The car gets enhanced performance and edgy styling, which symbolizes company’s effort in the right direction.

The CTS lineup comes with a lot of new stuff, but that pertains mainly in the all-new coupe version and the extra-spicy CTS-V model. But the Cadillac CTS sedan model we are talking about here is almost unchanged model from the previous model year.

What’s New for 2011 Cadillac CTS?

The 2011 Cadillac CTS sedan doesn’t get any significant change form its previous model, but the good news is that it still is among the top choices for an American-made luxury sedan.

Body Styling and Features

The 2011 Cadillac CTS is a midsize luxury sedan with the seating space for five-passenger. The CTS is available in five trim levels: 3.0 base, 3.0 Performance, 3.0 Luxury, 3.6 Premium and 3.6 Performance.

The 3.0 base trim of Cadillac CTS comes loaded with 17-inch alloy wheels, remote keyless entry, automatic headlights, dual-zone automatic climate control, cruise control, a back center armrest having a pass-through, an eight-way power driver seat, premium vinyl “leatherette” upholstery, a tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, an eight-speaker CD stereo along with satellite radio and an auto-dimming rearview mirror.

The 3.0 Luxury trim gets heated front seats, 10-way power front seats, leather upholstery, driver memory functions, interior ambient lighting, a wood-and-leather steering wheel, a six-CD changer and Bluetooth in addition to all the aforementioned equipments.

The standard equipments for 3.0 Performance trim includes all the Luxury trim’s equipment and in addition to all of them there are 18-inch wheels, performance brakes, a limited-slip back differential, Foglights, upgraded FE2 sport-tuned suspension and adaptive HID headlamps.

The 3.6 Performance brings a 10-speaker surround-sound stereo having digital music storage and an iPod/USB audio interface and a brawny V6 engine.

There are plenty of optional equipments like the navigation system and a rearview camera, on all the trim levels except for the base.

Under The Hood

The 2011 Cadillac CTS offers two V6 engine options to its buyers. You either can get the base 3.0-liter V6 engine pumping maximum power of 270 hp and maximum torque of 223 lb-ft, or can get the 3.6-liter V6 engine capable of generating maximum power of 306 hp and maximum torque of 273 lb-ft. the estimated fuel economy for both the V6 engines is 22 mpg and 21 mpg respectively.

The 3.0 base and Luxury CTS models are mated with a six-speed manual transmission, which also is standard transmission here, though there is the option of a six-speed automatic. The automatic transmission is standard for all the models, but you also get the option of manual transmission with 3.6-liter engine. The standard drive option for CTS sedan is rear-wheel drive, but you can also get all-wheel drive on all models.

Verdict

The 2011 Cadillac CTS might not be as good as some of its import brand rivals, but still it is among the top choices for an American-made luxury sedan.

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