It’s widely known that the denizens of this shop prefer manual transmissions to automatics. Even though the advent of dual-clutch automated manuals has begun to erode this tribal preference, it’s still hard to beat the sense of car-and-driver involvement that goes with a crisp-shifting manual gearbox.
The Tremec TR6060 six-speed manual offered on the Cadillac CTS-V is an excellent case in point—precise engagements, reasonably short throws, a sweet clutch, and gear ratios well-matched to the supercharged and intercooled 6.2-liter V-8. Actually, it isn’t difficult to match transmission gearing to an engine that generates 556 hp and 551 lb-ft of torque, but never mind. Given the seductive credentials of the Tremec manual, we make no apologies for taking so long to test the CTS-V automatic. On the other hand, having experienced the self-shifting six-speed auto—a no-cost option, one that wasn’t offered with the first-generation CTS-V—we do regret having waited.
Full Speed Ahead
You already know that for all its substantial mass—this test car weighed in at a hefty 4268 pounds—the performance king of all Caddies is capable of serious haste. In our first road test, we pedaled a manual CTS-V to 60 mph in 4.3 seconds, to 100 in 9.7, through the quarter-mile in 12.6 at 116 mph, and on to a top speed of 191 mph. Heady numbers. But the automatic CTS-V trumps almost all of them: 0–60 in 3.9, 100 in 8.7, and the quarter in 12.2 at 119. Top speed with the automatic, achieved in fifth gear, is redline-limited to 178 mph, but it’s hard to think of many situations where this could prove frustrating.
The Caddy’s zero-to numbers compare favorably with the slightly smaller but similarly priced BMW M3 and Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG. For further perspective, a BMW M5, which is basically the same size as theV, hit those same marks in 4.2, 9.4, and 12.5 at 118 mph, respectively. And with a base price little more than $60,000, the CTS-V starts nearly 30 grand below the M5—and Mercedes’ E63 AMG, too. Call us crazy, but we think it’s hard to ignore a dollar disparity of that magnitude, good times or bad. Especially when the Caddy’s back-road footwork is just as fancy as that of its Euro rivals’, with the bonus of respectable ride quality.
0 comments:
Post a Comment