2005 Cadillac CTS

For the past million years Cadillac has been making chrome covered barges for little old ladies in Florida. These bumbling monsters with their fake carriage tops, gold trimmed wheels and button-tufted leather have roamed the streets of Ft. Lauderdale for decades. Right turn signals blinking the whole way. After realizing that their customer base was dying off, Cadillac decided that they needed to make a sport sedan to remain relevant.

Now, to Cadillac, the word "Sport" had always meant blackwall tires and a painted grill. So the thought of an actual sporty Cadillac was hard to grasp. GM was trying to think outside the box, so logically, went to Europe to try and understand that whole handling thing. That was a good idea since trying to pilot a traditional Cadillac through a curve often induced sea-sickness and vomiting.

Starting with a new rear-drive platform, engineers took the car to the Nurburg Ring in Germany to tune the handling. What resulted was a Cadillac that could actually be considered somewhat sporty. Kudos Cadillac.

Now they spent a considerable amount of money developing the CTS. V6 models had more than enough power for most drivers, and the CTS-V can honestly be considered as competition for BMW and Audi (thanks to the Corvette's 400+ horsepower V8). But for all the driving prowess that was engineered into this car, it's absolutely astounding to see such a cheap interior in a car of this caliber. The dash squeaks and creaks like a second-hand Daewoo and the materials feel like they came straight from the recycling bin. Overall, the quality of the CTS is laughable. Granted, this was Cadillac's first attempt at a sport sedan. Even though they managed to nail the Sport part, the Sedan part didn't quite measure up.

The CTS is really a bargain bin sport sedan that gives you loads of sport for little money. Here's what you can get;

A DOHC 2.8L V6 making 210-hp. A 3.2L V6 which is good for 220-hp. A 3.6L V6 that makes 255-hp (recommended). A 5.7L V8 (CTS-V) and 400 screaming horses. Either a 6-sp manual or 5-sp auto are the transmission choices.

There's sport and wheel packages available, along with a bunch of electronic toys that amount to nothing more than cheap buttons and things that go bong! The CTS really is a good drivers car, if you can stand all the American-ness. . YEAR TO YEAR CHANGES FOR THE CADILLAC CTS: 2004: The 3.6L V6 was introduced and the suspension was revised. 3.6L's were only available with the five-speed automatic transmission, but the then new 3.2-liter V6 was only available with manual shift. Available with either engine was a Sport Package that included 17-inch wheels, an antiskid system, speed-variable steering assist, upgraded brakes, and a rear load-leveling suspension. Midyear saw the introduction of the hot CTS-V with its 400-hp Corvette V8. 2005: The 2.8-liter V6 debuted and a six-speed manual transmission was standard for either V6. Leather was optional for the CTS 2.8 and standard on 3.6 and CTS-V models. Xenon headlamps and an antiskid system were standard on the CTS-V and optional for V6 versions. Satellite radio and a sunroof were available on all models. 2006: The available Sport Package now added a limited-slip differential, antiskid system, xenon headlights, sport suspension, and 17-inch wheels to V6 cars. A revised Wheel Performance Package added speed-variable steering assist, updated brakes, sport suspension, load-leveling suspension, and 18-inch wheels to the 3.6 model. Also added this year was the Wheel Sport Appearance Package, which gave the 3.6 CTS-V-style trim elements. 2007: None. . COMMON PROBLEMS FOR THE CADILLAC CTS: Automatic transmission leak - The transmission may not shift or go in gear due to fluid loss caused by the output flange nut coming loose (2003-2004) - $300 Catalytic Converter Brackets - The brackets may break causing a rattle from the engine compartment (2003-2004) - $120