Luxury car-maker Cadillac introduced their CTS-V to the world almost two decades ago in 2004, and since then, the car continued to find adoration the world over. Built to go head-to-head with BMW's M division and Mercedes' AMG, the Cadillac CTS-V sported a massive V8 engine with a manual transmission. It is perhaps these specs that cultivated a religious following for the car, making it one of the best American luxury sedans ever. Three generations later, it was in 2019 that Cadillac pulled the plug on the car, replacing it in the new decade with the highly-lauded Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing.
The Cadillac CTS-V Coupe certainly raised the bar for American luxury performance cars, offering an experience that was unique and managed to rival established luxury competitors as well. Three years after its production run ceased, the CTS-V is all the more alluring to buy, and there are plenty of reasons why any enthusiast or gearhead should consider bringing one home from the pre-owned market.
Inarguably one of the most exciting American sedans to have ever hit the market, the Cadillac CTS-V Coupe is, by all means, a modern classic, and gearheads all over the world miss the car, us included. A daily driver that could gap supercars on the interstate, the CTS-V Coupe was a true supercar slayer of its time, and here are reasons why gearheads should consider the American sports-luxury sedan.
10 The Cadillac CTS-V Coupe Was Surprisingly Light
The Cadillac CTS-V Coupe housed an absolutely massive engine, but what one might find surprising is how it actually managed to remain low in weight when compared to vehicles the same size. At just over 4,000 lbs, the CTS-V Coupe's weight enhanced its handling, providing a nimble response on the road.
In fact, the car was almost 4000 lbs lighter than a comparable, more updated, and certainly more modern vehicle like the 2018 Mercedes AMG E63 S, which is just one of the many reasons gearheads love the CTS-V Coupe the way they do. Even though the coupe came around later, and was based on the second-generation sedan CTS-V, it proved to be a great body type and vehicle which played to Cadillac's strengths.
9 Massive Horsepower On The Cadillac CTS-V Coupe
Cadillac's CTS-V lineup, from the very beginning, received its engines from Corvette, which is enough to let one know they had massive power. The first generation CTS-V ran on a 5.7-liter V8, making 400 horsepower and 395 lb-ft of torque. Subsequently, in the second generation when the CTS-V Coupe came around, power figures went up as the outgoing Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 lent its engine to the vehicle.
Making 556 horsepower and 551 lb-ft of torque, the CTS-V Coupe definitely housed a massive amount of power, which is what led to the car's sleeper credentials. Towards the end of its production run, the vehicle was using the Z06 Corvette's power unit, and churning out a monstrous 640 horsepower from a 6.2-liter supercharged V8 engine.
8 The CTS-V's Monstrous Sounding Engine
The Cadillac CTS-V got its great engines from Chevy's Corvettes, and while those engines sounded great in their respective Chevy cars, they almost sounded even better in the CTS-V lineup. In fact, towards the end, during the final generation, the CTS-V employed a unique 'engine sound management system', which only made the sound of the V8 better.
What the engine sound management system did was make the car speakers echo with the rough growls and grunts of the CTS-V's racing version when you put the regular CTS-V Coupe or Sedan in the dedicated race mode. Plus, there is no denying that it was the decision to keep the engines naturally aspirated, and mated to a manual transmission that made the CTS-V engine sound so good.
7 The Cadillac CTS-V Coupe's Amazing Driving Experience
In order to lock heads with German rivals in the game, Cadillac ensured that the CTS-V would offer a driving experience not just equal, but in many ways better. This came through less intrusive driver aids and retaining a manual transmission throughout the car's lifecycle, which made purists and gearheads revere the car all the more for its focus on sheer driving pleasure.
The CTS-V Coupe always excelled on the performance front. While having massive straight-line power, the car also performed superbly well on the track. Plus, a 0 to 60 time of just over 4 seconds made the vehicle capable of gapping even the best cars a segment above. With a top speed over the 200 mph mark, the Cadillac CTS-V Coupe remains one of the best and fastest cars that one can buy even today. Even in the braking department, the CTS-V excelled, thanks to its Brembo braking system which never let the driver's confidence go down a single bit no matter how much they pushed the car.
6 Its Rarity Only Adds To Its Appeal
The Cadillac CTS-V Coupe is a rare car, and over the course of its 6-year production run from 2010 to 2015, the CTS-S V Coupe only had around 8,500 production units made. These numbers, paired with the car's performance and driving credentials, add to the car's current value since it then becomes a rare sleeper car that any gearhead would appreciate and desire to have in their driveway.
In fact, the rarity of the CTS-V Coupe is put into perspective when one realizes that the total number of these vehicles ever made is a third of how many Corollas Toyota makes in a single month. Truly a special car to own, the CTS-V Coupe is one that anyone would love to own, including us.
5 The Interiors Still Hold Up
For all its sporting credentials, the CTS-V Coupe houses a Cadillac badge on its hood after all, which means that the designers prioritized luxury, quality, and comfort as much as they did power and performance. After all, the car had to be able to spar with its German rivals on all fronts, and both luxury and performance are what the Germans are known for. Materials such as Alcantara and hand-sewn elements with decorative upholstery also became the hallmarks of the CTS-V lineup, and the vehicle certainly benefited for it.
Cabin space remained plentiful in the CTS-V Coupe, and Cadillac used high-quality materials in the second generation of the CTS-V, which is when the Coupe came out as well. People had complained about the first-generation CTS-V Sedan feeling a little cheap on the inside, and from the second generation onwards, Cadillac ensured that the complaint wouldn't ever crop up again. Despite ending production in 2015, the CTS-V Coupe still feels great on the inside and delivers against more modern competition.
4 Gearheads Will Love The CTS-V Coupe's Aftermarket Parts
To this day, the CTS-V lineup is popular for the availability of aftermarket parts for modification. Be it the exterior, the performance of the car, or even the suspension, tuners and modders will find themselves spoiled for choice. Top manufacturers like Borla and Magnaflow offer a variety of options depending on how you'd want to personalize your CTS-V Coupe.
In fact, Boost District even has an LSA Supercharger kit which could take the car's already massive power and put it in a whole race class above. While the entire CTS-V lineup is quite capable on the track, it could be made even more so through the slew of modification options available on the market.
3 Cadillac's V8-Powered Beast Is Relatively Affordable
There aren't a lot of options for someone looking for a V8-powered car on a manual transmission, let alone one that makes close to 400 horsepower. Furthermore, the Cadillac CTS-V Coupe is also a luxury car, which makes the car relevant and comfortable for longer. While the average going rate of a CTS-V 2-door coupe is around the $35,000 mark, this isn't all that atrocious, considering one gets massive power, great interior comforts, and daily drivability all in one package.
Furthermore, the naturally-aspirated V8 engine means that with the inevitable farewell of the internal combustion engine, the value of the CTS-V lineup, especially the coupe, would only increase with the years as purists would love to get their hands on one. Plus, one must also keep in mind just how fast the car remains even by 2022 standards. Not only is the CTS-V Coupe a good car, but it also proves to be a good investment today.
2 The CTS-V Coupe Remains A Reliable Car
One could be forgiven for not readily associating a powerhouse like the CTS-V car with reliability, but the lineup did stand the test of time, a testament to how serious the designers over at Cadillac were about building a great car. This is also because of how well-built an engine the LS6 unit was, and it still has plenty of parts on the market which makes owning a CTS-V a breeze.
Furthermore, the CTS-V Coupe, when compared to modern cars of similar power, luxury, and performance, would prove to be simpler to work on, and if you don't wish to tamper around with the car, any mechanic worth their salt would find the car a breeze to work on.
1 The CTS-V Coupe's Looks Still Turn Heads
One thing that is for certain when talking about the Cadillac CTS-V Coupe is that there is nothing else like it. Turning heads and impressing onlookers would not be difficult in the CTS-V Coupe, and despite the latest model of the car being seven years old, the design still speaks for itself. Considering the timeless design that uses the body language as the newer CT5, the uninitiated would have a hard time figuring out when the CTS-V Coupe was manufactured.
Having aged this gracefully, there is no doubt that the CTS-V Coupe would only get better with time, not unlike a classic Eldorado or Fleetwood. After all, this is a rare car that anyone would love to have in their garage, and with the electric world slowly but surely strengthening its grip over the automobile market, the natural V-8 that runs with a stick is sure to become even more desirable for enthusiasts over time.