2010 Cadillac CTS-V

Saturday, April 17, 2010
Super sport-sedans might just be perfect cars for gearheads and speed-freaks who juggle a family, or need a bit more space for friends, work, or whatever. Generally wolves in sheep clothing, BMW's M5, Mercedes-Benz's E-Class AMG, and Audi's RS6, tell little more externally than slightly different fascia and badges. These cars provoke your inner demons while allowing you to maintain a shiny, perfect "hidey-ho, good neighbor" façade. Don't worry, your secret's safe with me.
The German sedans mentioned above were the only worthwhile games in town; that was until 2004, when GM stepped up to the plate with its first contender, the CTS-V. Utilizing the 400-horsepower V8 harnessed under the hood of the top C5-generation Z06 Corvette, the CTS-V checked all of the performance boxes. Brembo brakes, 18x8.5-inch wheels, Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar tires, track tuned suspension, and it became the first Cadillac in almost 20 years to be equipped with a manual transmission. Despite checking all the right boxes, quality issues plagued the first generation CTS-V, and sales numbers paled in comparison to its German rivalsThank god that wasn't the end of the CTS-V story.
In 2009, Cadillac introduced an all-new CTS-V, and not only are all the right boxes checked, the checks are as large and dark as possible. Borrowing quite a bit from the new supercar eating Corvette ZR1, the CTS-V is poised to be the king of the super sport-sedan segment. Imagine my delight then, when a Radiant Silver 2010 example rolled into our stable.
Remember my "wolf in sheep's clothing" comment? Yea, the CTS-V is more like a wolf wearing a sheep's costume that's 2 sizes too small. The rippling hood bulge, air gobbling front fascia, and burly 19" alloys do little to hide the beast within this CTS. So much so, that the V badges on the doors and trunk almost look redundant. No hiding this from the neighbor kids, they'll either stare in amazement or run home crying wolf when you rumble home. More like "Hidey-ho, good neighbor...now get the &%*# out of my way".
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