Cadillac CTS Saloon

ON THE ROAD

Performance
CTS buyers can choose from a pair of V6 petrol engines – a 208bhp 2.8 and a 307bhp 3.6. We've driven the latter, and it provides strong acceleration if you're prepared to rev it. Unfortunately, the standard automatic gearbox is unpredictable, changing down when it doesn't need to and refusing to change when it does. A 247bhp 2.9-litre diesel will join the line-up in mid-2009.

Ride & handling
The CTS will be offered with two suspension set-ups in the UK, and the 3.6 gets the firmer of the two. It provides good body control on twisty routes, but imperfections in the road surface are felt in the cabin. The car isn't as agile as it could be, either, because the steering is slow to respond. The 2.8 may be offered with four-wheel drive, but the 3.6 is rear-wheel drive only.

Refinement
The 3.6-litre V6 engine is smooth when cruising and sounds reasonably sporty if you rev it hard. However, the door mirrors generate a little bit of wind noise at motorway pace and there's quite a lot of road noise over coarse surfaces

OWNERSHIP

Buying & owning
There are only a handful of Cadillac dealers in the UK, so you may have to travel to find one, and this also makes servicing tricky. The CTS will undercut German rivals on price, but residual values are expected to be weak. The thirsty engines and high carbon dioxide emissions mean hefty running costs whether it's a private buy or company car.

Quality & reliability
The upper dash is trimmed in leather and most of the cabin materials look smart, although the hard silver plastic that decorates the centre console lets the side down a little. Cadillac is still something of an unknown quantity here, so reliability is hard to assess.

Safety & security
Safety kit is competitive, with all models getting twin front, side and curtain airbags, electronic brakeforce distribution and stability control. On the security front, the doors automatically lock once you're inside and an alarm and immobiliser are standard

IN THE CABIN

Behind the wheel
Two-way steering wheel adjustment and electric seats make it easy to get comfortable. However, the centre console is plastered with buttons, so it can be difficult to find the one you want at a glance. At least cars with satellite-navigation have a touch-screen to stop the problem getting any worse.

Space & practicality
There's plenty of space upfront but, given that the CTS is longer than a BMW 5 Series, rear space is disappointing. There's reasonable legroom, but headroom is tight, a bulky transmission tunnel makes life uncomfortable for a central passenger and the door aperture is an awkward shape. The 373-litre boot is only fractionally bigger than that in a Ford Focus, too.

Equipment
Two trims will be offered, with the 2.8 getting the entry spec and the 3.6 the higher one. Equipment levels haven’t been confirmed, but leather upholstery, dual-zone climate control and adaptive xenon headlights are likely to be standard across the range.