CTS Coupe is the first luxury sports coupe from an American automaker for which I would make room on a list that includes the likes of the Audi A5, BMW 335i Coupe and Mercedes E350 Coupe -- European brands all. Stylistically, the Cadillac puts its German rivals on the shelf, its Art and Science design as sharp as a Ginsu knife, unchanged from the concept car that dropped more than a few jaws when it debuted at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit in 2008.
And the CTS Coupe is not a matter of "all show, no go," either -- Cadillac has given it some heat for the street. Sure, the uber gear heads will plunk their cash down on the high-performance CTS-V version and its 556-horsepower supercharged V8. But the base model and its direct-injected 304-hp 3.6-litre V6 and six-speed manumatic is not exactly anemic. Testing of the rear-drive model (all-wheel drive is also available) at the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada's annual TestFest late last year recorded a zero-to-100-kilometres-an-hour-time of 7.3 seconds, with an 80-to-
120-km/h acceleration run of 5.5 seconds -- competitive times for a car that weighs a stout 1,773 kilograms. It's far from peaky, too; the power flows in a fairly linear fashion. As for fuel economy, my test average of 12.9 litres per 100 km of driving felt a tad on the thirsty side, which was somewhat assuaged by the fact the V6 drinks regular unleaded and not the premium stuff. The only somewhat disappointing aspect of the powertrain is the lack of a truly growly exhaust note more in keeping with the Coupe's sporting demeanour.
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