The forthcoming Caddy CTS-V should make a few German uber-tuners sit up and take notice. ("Ja, those crazy Americans!") According to GM powertrain engineers and product guys, the CTS-V will holster a detuned version of the Corvette ZR1's engine. While cast pistons will ensure the new Caddy won't out-horse the new Chevy (Heaven forbid), the V will use the same mondo-supercharger motorvating the ZR1. Both cars will also boast a "competitive driving mode" whereby drivers can tell the electronic nannies to chill. (Good luck with that.) While the CTS-V gets the latest Magnaride suspension system, it won't handle like the ZR1 (duh!). But with launch control activated, Mr. Magnaride will enable weight transfer to the rear, just like an old-school muscle car. To keep the driver behind the wheel during all these gymnastics, the V gets Recaro seats– which aren't heated and cooled like the regular chairs. One more thing: CTS-V production will only be limited by market demand, of which there should be more than a little.
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Hopefully the magnetic ride’s launch control will help quell the wheel hopping antics of the last CTS-V. With 150 HP more than the old V, wheel hop could be a real problem this time around.
Wheel hop is a big function of suspension and drivetrain setup…maybe I’m thinking of another car, but didn’t the new CTS-V get unequal sized rear half-shafts to diminish wheel hop?
I imagine it’ll be better launching and have more power than the old one.
Thatis one motherload of a blower. It has more displacement than my 06 Civic SI.
Oh, how I long for torque when I read things like this…
Joe
Is it just me or does that picture make the car look a lot like a Ford Fusion? They share similar front end visual cues. Especially the lights.
@Joe O,
You are thinking about the new ZR1 Corvette, which has a bigger right halfshaft in response to many Z06 drivers (myself included) breaking the shaft under hard launches.
Stiffer rear control arm bushings, etc were the bandaid fix for wheel hop in the old CTS-V. Adjustable shocks are a common aftermarket fix, but an oem setup like the trick Magneride shocks that can literally change fluid viscosity from syrup to concrete should really do wonders.
It’s not just you, kericf.
The “chainmail grille” does not look as good as the regular grille, and definitely likens the V to a fusion.
It also makes it look fatter.
I really liked that chainmail treatment on the previous V, but I’m not convinced at all this time.
Should be a great performer and absolutely dangerous re-tuned with that blower and its 6,000lb curb weight (or whatever it is). I really hate the front end styling though. Looks like a diy ebay body kit on the regular CTS, IMHO.
6,000lbs? I sure hope not.
The CTS-V is a good example of what we’re capable of.
We’re all working off the same, single photograph but I have to agree; the CTS-V looks like a riced-up Lexus.
“While cast pistons will ensure the new Caddy won’t out-horse the new Chevy…”
Could you elaborate on this? The sentence reads like you are saying cast pistons equals less horse power. Forged pistons wouldn’t give the car more power, but rather allow it to be tuned more aggressively. In what ways is it detuned? Less boost? Lower compression ratio? Less timing?
Cast pistons on this kind of engine might worry me a bit.
jfsvo: cast pistons have less horsepower potential, that’s it. Please don’t worry!
There is absolutely nothing wrong with the CTS-V’s engine design if you keep the stock supercharger pulley and stick with upgrades like exhaust headers and a dyno tune. The ZR1, however, has forged slugs that will easily accept a smaller pulley, tune, WhippleCharger, etc.
In what ways is it detuned? Less boost? Lower compression ratio? Less timing?
The CTS-V has the same engine (block, heads, injectors, supercharger) with different intercooler plumbing (more real estate under the hood). I didn’t ask about the pulley diameter between the ZR1 and CTS, sorry.
Expect exhaust tuning and computer calibrations to make up the lion’s share of power loss between the two.
Check out the photos of the CTS-V at MotorTrend. They are much more flattering than this one.
This should be a superb vehicle, period.
Curb weight is ~4200 lbs. The same as my 94 Roadmaster!! Holy crap!!