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2017 Cadillac CTS-V Drivers' Notes | V is for velocity

The 2017 Cadillac CTS-V is as close to a four-door Corvette Z06 as you're ever likely to get. Underneath the carbon-fiber hood rests one hell of an engine, a 640-horsepower supercharged V8. It's only slightly less powerful than what you'll find in the Corvette. Thanks to GM's chassis wizards, the car's handling is an equal match for the powerful engine. This particular car packs in a number of options, including Recaro seats and the performance data recorder that allows owners to measure lap times and record video. The most expensive option is the $6,950 Carbon Black Package. This nets you a carbon fiber hood vent, front splitter, spoiler and rear diffuser. This car isn't cheap, but it does undercut the less powerful Audi RS7 and Mercedes-AMG E63 S. Associate Editor Joel Stocksdale: This is a seriously fun, if also flawed, car. And the biggest contributor to the fun is the big lump of V8 under the hood. The supercharged 6.2-liter makes 640 horsepower, but Cadillac could've left the number off and just called it "effortless." The gentlest pressure on the gas pedal will result in you picking up an extra 10 mph without ever noticing. And when you stomp on it, you get this huge and immediate surge of acceleration. It's truly giggle-inducing. Although the CTS-V is big and heavy, it handles the power well. It gives you enough info on what's happening so you feel in control, and the chassis is impressively composed. The only real weak points I can find on the CTS-V (besides the low gas mileage) are the interior controls. They are abysmal. The infotainment screen is pretty poor, with a clutter of information at the main screen, and difficult-to-find commands for getting to other menus. But worse than that are the climate and volume buttons. They're all touch-sensitive spots on the center stack. They're not very responsive, and the vibratory feedback it provides isn't noticeable while driving. It doesn't help that the feedback feels pretty inconsistent, too. For me, I think I could learn to live with the infotainment, simply because I love the way the rest of the car feels and drives. But, Cadillac, you need to get to updating this ASAP. Associate Editor Reese Counts: OK, Cadillac's infotainment system sucks. Let's get that out of the way. Touch capacitive interfaces don't work well in cars. This does have the old version of CUE, so I'm hoping the next-gen system will fix some of the interface issues. Like Joel, this wouldn't turn me off from buying the car.

2020 Cadillac CT4 spied completely undisguised for the first time

A few weeks ago, Cadillac gave us our first look at its new small luxury sports sedan in the form of the CT4-V. This was a bit unusual considering the company hadn't shown us the regular one yet, and the reveal is still off in the not-too-distant future. But we were lucky enough to catch a normal 2020 Cadillac CT4 parked at a local gas station completely and totally undisguised. Based on what we know about other recent Cadillacs and their trim and design, this CT4 is probably a Luxury or Premium Luxury trim, since it has plenty of bright chrome and red taillights instead of dark gray ones. The differences from the CT4-V are subtle. The mesh grilles of the V are swapped for a main grille studded with small Cadillac badge shapes and the lower grille has simple slats. The little air intakes by the lower sections of the running lights are smaller than the ones on the V. This car also lacks the V's side skirts and wider canards on the edges of the front bumper. There doesn't appear to be a rear spoiler either. While we've had a good look at the exterior of the CT4, we'll have to wait until the car's full reveal later this year to know what's under the skin. We do know that it will continue to use the Alpha platform shared with the CT5, Camaro and the old ATS and CTS. We suspect the base engine will be the same 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-4 from the CT5, which makes 237 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. Since the CT4-V uses a turbo 4-cylinder that makes 320 horsepower and 369 horsepower, there might not be a V6 option for the regular CT4. The CT5's twin-turbo 3.0-liter V6 makes more power and torque, so that's out, and the old ATS's naturally aspirated V6 made 335 horsepower and 285 pound-feet of torque, which would be uncomfortably close the CT4-V's specs. But we could see a V6 of some sort in an even more potent V iteration of the CT4 later.

Cadillac V-Performance Academy joins free driving school party

Just in case you needed another reason to want one of Cadillac's hottest performers, starting with the 2017 Cadillac CTS-V and ATS-V, the first owner of each vehicle can score a free two-day course at Spring Mountain Motor Resort with the V-Performance Academy. According to Spring Mountain's website, the V-Performance Academy "is designed for drivers of all experience levels and includes dynamic car control exercises, visual skill development, and proper cornering techniques," with "brief" classroom sessions sprinkled in. Driving programs like the V-Performance Academy are all the rage right now. In the last few weeks alone, both Fiat and Ford announced free one-day academies baked right into the price of cars like the 124 Abarth and Focus RS. As with the Ford and Fiat courses, Cadillac is providing the learner cars. But where those other courses call on vehicle owners to shell out for airfare, food, and in Fiat's case, lodging, Cadillac covers tuition – a $2,420 expense for non-owners – along with two nights in one of Spring Mountain's "luxury condominiums" and breakfast and lunch during both driving days. Students are still on the hook for airfare, although Caddy will shuttled attendees from Las Vegas McCarren to the track/resort, some 55 miles away. If you can't shell out for the flight to Las Vegas, a new CTS-V or ATS-V, or simply can't spare two days for a driving school, Cadillac is ramping up for another year of its one-day, traveling V-Performance Lab, which will run at Lime Rock Park in Connecticut and at Circuit of the Americas in Texas. Related Video: