Forget for a moment that Cadillac’s ever-changing model naming strategy has moved its D-segment four-door’s C-segment designation

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up to E-segment size, dropped a new A-segment named sedan and coupe back into the D-segment, and for some reason previously gave its slightly larger than E-segment luxury sedan a 4×4-style X nomenclature, or for that matter that a completely updated naming scheme will at some future point see all Cadillac’s cars rebadged with CT nameplates followed by a single digit relative to size, plus all crossover utilities similarly redubbed XT with the same nod to suffix numerology (the Escalade will escape such rebranding), and instead of rubbing your eyes in bewilderment just consider the domestic brand’s rather impressive lineup.

The

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ATS has out-BMW’d the 3 Series for driving feel and handling, the SRX is doing its job of leading the brand’s sales despite the upcoming XT5 soon relieving it from duty, the Escalade is far and away the best-selling full-size truck-based luxury SUV, and the ELR might just be the best looking plug-in electric on the road while proving the opulent crested-wreath brand also has a green side. As for the CTS being reviewed here, it’s upping the styling, interior quality, features and performance threshold for the entire E-segment from the lowly turbo-four powered base CTS right up to the horsepower dominating CTS-V.

Sure

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Hofmann, a Cadillac that can do all that? Call me deluded if you want to, but don’t say a thing until you’ve spent time in the new CTS for yourself. I’ve been a mid-size BMW fan for decades, having owned a number of 5 Series models, and while as part of my job I test far too many new cars to bother buying anything new (it would just sit in the garage unused if I did), prior to having this gig I mixed things up by grabbing various leaseback Audi, Jaguar or Mercedes-Benz models for a few months or longer in between, just to add variety. On top of that I’ve spent weeks at a time behind the wheel of new A6s, 5s, Es, GSs, Q70s, XFs and the like, and let me tell you that none of these mid-size four-doors, this side of their six-figure mega-tuned super-sedan versions, impressed me as much as this CTS.

This

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is my second new-generation CTS tester, by the way, my first being a 2014 VSport that drove its rear wheels via a 420 horsepower twin-turbo V6 with 430 lb-ft of torque, which I most eloquently called “friggin’ fabulous!” in my review. This time around Cadillac gave me a toned-down variation on the 3.6-litre V6 theme that’s a great deal easier on the pocketbook albeit no less impressive for other reasons.

First off, let’s talk styling. I love what Cadillac has done with the new wider modernized grille plus the ATS-style wrap-over headlamp and vertically stacked driving light treatments. It’s a totally unique face in the marketplace, which looks at least as rich as the old CTS and arguably sportier, plus anyone can see it’s a Cadillac from a mile away, and while some of the details down each side are nice, especially

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the artistically drawn LED-enhanced mirror housings and stunning backlit brushed metal door handles, the CTS’ hind end is less distinctive.

It still incorporates the brand’s classic vertical taillight design, but I miss the razor sharpness of the old car’s lighting assemblies, not to mention the entire profile of the car is bulkier in the rear roofline and certainly less sporting. Of course that’s just one man’s take, but I was an ardent fan of the previous iteration and therefore, if I ever lay my own coin down for something with four wheels again, I’d recommend Cadillac’s salesperson lay the paperwork down on the hood where I can be reminded of its fabulous frontal styling, rather than the rear deck lid where I’ll more than likely push for a discount.

Or

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better yet, grab your best rollerball and join me inside, because that’s easily the CTS’ best vantage point. When I previously inferred that Cadillac was upstaging its German competitors, this is what I was talking about, its impressive interior hitting its premium rivals right in their collective solar plexus. I go on record as saying this is the nicest interior in the class. Why such praise? It comes down to how well this car is finished. The dash in my tester, for instance, was covered in a combination of contrast-stitched leatherette in regular and perforated sections, plus a suede-like material that wrapped down each side of the centre stack in a most fashionable way, and it didn’t stop there. The top portion of the lower console was covered in the same high-quality leatherette, including the glove box lid (you can’t get that in an Audi A6 while the Caddy’s is also

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electronically locking), while even the normally forgotten lower dash portion that surrounds the steering column was padded in soft-touch synthetic. Likewise the door panels, which are beautifully detailed in leatherette up top that’s stitched to suede surfaces just below, are padded in soft pliable surfaces all the way down the door.

My example looked over-the-top sensational in its metallic-edged carbon-fibre inlays that graced each of those door panels before spreading across the instrument panel, while piano black lacquered surfacing carried the glossy theme to the steering wheel plus down the centre stack and across the lower console. The

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buttons and toggles on the former fit tightly and were well damped, plus most of the switchgear on the latter panel were of the high-tech touch-sensitive type, hidden below the surface of the inky black surfacing for a sleek, sophisticated look and nicely grouped together within a trio of appropriately chevron shaped brushed metal accents. Atop the latter surface is a traditionally organized leather and metal shifter ahead of a group of buttons incorporating a toggle for driver selectable modes, but the sweet bit of luxe candy here is the contrast-stitched dual cupholder lid that electrically powers open and closed. A stunning panoramic sunroof gave light to all this grandeur, the ideal topping for such a unique and special sport-luxury sedan.

Along

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with the carbon fibre and suede interior enhancements, this particular CTS AWD was kitted out with many of the same features that I experienced in VSport I tested last year, including remote start, proximity-sensing keyless access with pushbutton ignition, electromechanical parking brake, multifunction leather-wrapped steering wheel with a powered tilt and telescopic column, head-up display, cruise control, voice recognition, Bluetooth, auto-dimming rearview and side mirrors, HomeLink garage door opener, 12-way powered front seats with manual thigh support extensions, two-way driver’s seat and side mirror memory, ultrasonic parking assist, dual-zone auto HVAC, CUE infotainment system with high-resolution colour eight-inch LCD touchscreen,

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OnStar 4G LTE internet access, navigation, rearview camera, 11-speaker Bose audio with satellite radio and much more. Even this model’s Phantom Grey metallic paint was the same as last year’s VSport, although this year’s tester sported a unique set of 18-inch polished aluminum seven-spoke alloys. All CTS models get the usual six standard airbags, tire pressure monitoring, traction and stability control, ABS-enhanced four-wheel discs with electronic brake-force distribution and brake assist, but it should be noted that the brake manufacturer is Brembo.

Supplying Brembos across the CTS line says a lot about how Cadillac wants its rear- and all-wheel drive mid-sizer to perform. The rest of the car’s mechanical systems follow suit, with traditional speed-sensitive rack and pinion steering providing

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good feedback, its front strut and rear multi-link suspension balancing out the expected comfort necessities with superb levels of agility and grip, and while its standard six-speed automatic is down a couple of cogs compared to most competitors, its optional as-tested eight-speed paddle-shift actuated autobox with Driver Shift Control more than makes up for it. The aforementioned 3.6-litre V6 puts out a very energetic 321 horsepower and 275 lb-ft of torque, which I found more than adequate for spirited performance while shifts were fabulously quick and wonderfully smooth, although once you’ve driven the twin-turbo version I mentioned last year you’ll probably be as spoiled as I’ve become. I’d better pass on the new 640-horsepower CTS-V with its supposed 200-mph top-speed, as it’ll ruin me forever.

Still,

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all things are relative and the CTS 3.6L AWD in question was plenty fun to drive, easily matching the Europeans or its Japanese rivals when it comes to straight-line performance, passing power, highway cruising and all-out handling, while its brakes were expectedly superb, showing very little fade after repeated aggressive application. On top of all this is the kind of ownership support we could only hope from competitive brands, a six-year or 110,000 km powertrain warranty and the usual four-year or 80,000 km comprehensive warranty.

I could go on and on talking about interior roominess, which is excellent, the smallish size of its trunk, albeit the usefulness of its rear pass-through, or any of the CTS’ additional attributes, or inform you that a 2015 CTS can be had for just $48,730

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plus $1,800 in freight and pre-delivery prep charges and tops out in VSport (no, not the CTS-V) trim at just $75,810, which is quite a bit less than the Germans for quite a bit more car, all of which may have you questioning loyalties to your chosen brands, but I don’t know how much good it will do. Most auto journalists feel like I do and have expressed their opinions, and this reality still hasn’t changed buying patterns one iota. In fact, no matter what we say about the new CTS, or for that matter the ATS, Cadillac’s numbers continue to erode.

In the US, the ATS and CTS sold a combined 70,662 units in 2013, the first full year of ATS sales, although these collective numbers dropped to 61,005 cars in 2014. Now, with this all-new CTS in full swing and the entirely new ATS Coupe adding yet more potential deliveries to the 2015 calendar year, it only makes sense that sales should be growing, but unless something dramatic happens Cadillac will continue to see its numbers slip with YTD results for these two key models a dismal 37,187 as of October’s end. If sales progress for the next two months at the same slow rate the ATS and CTS will be lucky to break 45,000 units total, a number the CTS eclipsed on its own during calendar year 2012. Canada’s ATS sales started off slower and therefore its more recent situation doesn’t look so glum, with a collective 4,253 ATS and CTS sales in calendar year 2013, 4,790 in 2014 and 3,442 so far this year, which should allow the two models to break 4,000 units by year’s end if the status quo continues. We need to go back to 2008 and then 2005 for 12-month periods that saw the lone CTS exceed 4,000 units annually, but I wouldn’t call the act of creating two unique models to fill the shoes of one, followed by a struggle to even match the former car’s annual sales anywhere near a success story. No, I’d call it a very expensive move backwards.

And I haven’t even mentioned the Cadillac XTS, mostly because I haven’t got a clue while it still exists now that the CTS is here. It’s a front- and all-wheel drive luxury model that’s similarly sized inside and priced almost identically to the CTS, and

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while it achieved decent numbers in the US last year at 24,335 units, and a passable tally here in Canada at 743 down the road, plus is almost on track to repeat this performance for calendar 2015, it mostly serves the stretched limo and funeral home livery segment of the market, which is important for them, but not helpful for promoting an image of youthful vitality. As for those who bought retail, you’ve got to ask if they wouldn’t have merely purchased the much nicer CTS if the XTS weren’t already sitting in the same showroom. The XTS will eventually die after its lifecycle ends (likely 2019), although it could just as easily be discontinued right now to avoid any further confusion in the marketplace. The new 2016 CT6 will start production in January, and it’s slightly larger than the XTS, so now Cadillac will have two models within the

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same category and one, the CTS, that’s not all that much smaller. Talk about the department of redundancy department.

That’s a decision for new Cadillac boss Johan De Nysschen, the man responsible for the latest CT and XT model naming excitement. Incidentally, he’s the same man credited with changing Infiniti’s old alphanumeric designations from Gs, Es, EXs, FXs, JXs, Ms, etcetera to Qs and QXs when heading that company, not to mention he came from Audi that went through similar nomenclature ordeals when various Foxes and Quantums became 4000s and 5000s and then 80s, 90s, 100s and V8s before arriving at their current arrangement of As, and now Qs.

Cadillac

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can’t expect that a simple reshuffling of names will miraculously cure its ills, but if it keeps building quality products like the CTS, and takes the necessary steps to bring the ATS up to this model’s level of refinement, in time it will find sales success. By producing a CTS interior that’s better than the standard bearers, Cadillac is finally doing what I’ve long called for. As this continues, and of course they continue to follow through with everything else done right, the crested-wreath brand will reestablish itself as the standard of luxury. It may take 20 years before they get there, but they’ll no doubt get there. GM simply has to keep building cars like the CTS and remain patient, as they won’t find sales success overnight.

In the meantime the rest of us can do our part by rewarding them when they get it right, and believe me when I tell you that the CTS, in its current state, is one of the best mid-size sport-luxury sedans available.

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