Finally, Some Good News: Clarkson Gives CTS-V Favourable Review

[spaz]

Jeremy Clarkson Reviews The Cadillac CTS-V

October 12, 2008

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/dri...cle4920262.ece


here's a little piece of the article

And that brings me, briefly, to the BMW M5. It’s a little bit complicated perhaps, with all its various settings, but provided you have the time to set it up properly, it goes, stops and steers with a panache and a zest that’s extremely rare among four-door saloons. Lovely, except it costs £65,890, and these days you could buy an island for less.

So now we arrive at the Cadillac CTS-V, which you can buy, in the UK, for about £47,000. That’s a saving of roughly £19,000. And that equates to approximately 3,800 gallons of fuel. You could drive an M5 as though it were made from bits of your children from now to the end of time and you’d never make up the difference.

So what, then, are the drawbacks to the Cadillac? Well, first of all, it’s a Cadillac, so everyone will think you are a Wilmslow pimp. And second, this hot version will be available with only left-hand drive.

Depreciation? Yes, a Cadillac will plummet as though it’s being fuelled by melted-down Bradford & Bingley executives. But the M5 is not exactly a 10-year government bond, is it?

So make no mistake: financially, the Cadillac smashes the M5, completely and utterly. And here’s the next part. Round the Nürburgring, it smashes it again. With an ordinary part-time racing driver at the wheel, an automatic version of the hottest ever Caddy went round in 7min 59sec — a record for any four-door saloon.

Part of the reason is its 6.2 litre supercharged V8, which develops a dizzying 556bhp. That’s 49 more than you get from an M5. The Cadillac is mind-bogglingly fast. The manual version I drove will hit 191mph. And it accelerates with a verve that truly leaves you breathless. It also makes an utterly irresistible growl. Like an AMG Mercedes but more refined. More muted.

And now you are expecting the “but”. But there isn’t one. Maybe the steering is a bit too light, but other than this it handles beautifully when you have the Ferrari-style magnetic dampers in “sport”, and rides soothingly when you switch the knob to “comfort”. This is unusual for an American car, which usually can do neither thing properly.

Even more surprising is the interior. Trimmed by the people who do the Bugatti Veyron, it is — and you won’t believe this — a nice place to be. The seats are by Recaro, the leather is hand-stitched and the graphics don’t appear to have come from Amstrad circa 1984. You would swear you were sitting in something European.

Of course, you’d expect the illusion to be gone when you look at the exterior. It isn’t. There are no badges written in the typeface used on northern wedding invitations. There’s no onyx. Maybe the chicken-wire radiator grille is a bit sudden, but then again, have you seen the front of a Bentley recently? No. I’m sorry but it’s a good-looking car, this.

As you may have gathered, then, I like it. I believe that ultimately an M5 would be more satisfying, a touch more crisp. But if you had an M5 you’d have to drive it carefully, to save fuel. With the Cadillac, you can blast through the recession at 191mph, knowing you made the savings when you bought it.

The Clarksometer

You'd be mad to buy anything else

[AndrewGS]

"You'd be mad to buy anything else"

[BigAls87Z28]

Outstanding, but if you watch his review of the last gen CTS-V, he likes the car he just hates the bonging and the interior.

[nadepalma]

SO, let me get this straight:

After months and months of hearing how gasoline would never be below $3 a gallon again and oil would destroy the US -- we see gas and crude prices plummet in the last two months.

Ford is considering selling their stake in Mazda -- would would seem to be a HUGE mistake. Unless Ford is in desperate need of money, which would be even WORSE news.

GM and Chrysler are looking to possibly Merge - and there will undoubtedly be brands cut, egos bruised, and all around pain in the process.

The Stock Exchange dropped over 2000 points in three weeks over the mess in the market -- and American seniors who were just about to retire discovered that they now HAVE to work a few more years.

AND Clarkson loves an American car with no "IFs ANDs or BUTs" -- AND its a Cadillac?

That's it - that last is certainly confirmation that the Apocolypse is nigh!!!

[Mikkoo]

Just proves that GM was serious about making a first class M5 killer.!!
Finally Clarkson see's the light, and realizes that Americans can make
great cars.

[BigAls87Z28]

Originally Posted by Mikkoo

Just proves that GM was serious about making a first class M5 killer.!!
Finally Clarkson see's the light, and realizes that Americans can make
great cars.

Ahaha...very awesone e-Clarkson. Its one of the best e-Clarkson impressions

in the world.

Sometimes you have to pause



in the middle of your post




to get your point across





in the world.



This truely is the end of the world. Whats next, 5 for 5 for Camaro?

[espo19047]

That is a bad headline. Many people in the US never heard of J. C. The few Americans who know who he is could care less what he thinks. Nobody needs j.c. to validate anything they drive.

[rsbaker]

It seems He11 itself has frozen over. The Brit actually likes the Yank tank! Truely Amazing! It is one fine automobile.

[Butz]

Wow!

What can I say! I'm surprised and thrilled!!

[EldoFan]

Hell hath frozen over??

[b4z]

Perhaps, it is..............the World....that has frozen over.

[Exploder]

That is a bad headline. Many people in the US never heard of J. C. The few Americans who know who he is could care less what he thinks. Nobody needs j.c. to validate anything they drive.

Unfortunately, SOME people do.

But yes, this is truly good news. I want EVERY GM vehicle to get a review like this from him (minus the long irrelevant first half).

[Frankster177]

As I always said.
When America made a good car he would like it.

Hopefully he will like the Camaro too.

[powervette]

I am still deaf when he reviews American cars. I don't care what he thinks. But I am eagerly waiting to see the Top Gear episode with three splenid cars I love. TopGear - poor jokes, great cinematography.

[marinerbc]

Well if Jeremy Clarkson likes it, then I HATE it.

Oh wait a second. Where is that little Caddy made again? Hmmm...