Like the Corvette Z06 but don't want to deal with the crazy stormtrooper looks of America's most badass sports car? How about putting that all in a chic body shell with doors and luxury and stuff? That's the 2016 Cadillac CTS-V and it is delicious.
We've already seen the 2016 Cadillac CTS-V doing burnouts and driving fast and just being all around badass on video, but the million dollar question is if it looks great in person.
Yes. Yes it does.
It's quietly muscular, with a new mesh grille that makes it look lower and wider, bigger wheels, different side vents, and a tacked on lip spoiler that I really don't much care for but also don't hate with a fervent passion.
I really like it. In fact, the treatment kind of reminds me of the E39 M5, in that it's a performance car that is subtly different than the standard version. Yes, there's something different about it, but the uninitiated will just see a CTS that looks better, but they won't know why.
Under the hood is a slightly detuned version of the Corvette Z06's LT4 supercharged V8, which means it has 640 horsepower and 630 pound feet of torque. It can hit 200 MPH and gets to 60 in just 3.7 seconds.
That's fast.
It has big Brembos, but they do not appear to be carbon ceramics. Just wait for the mid cycle refresh for them to appear as an option. I bet it happens. Just watch. It also has the latest generation of magnetic ride control, which should equal silky smoothness one moment, rock hard punishment at the next.
It'll be interesting to see how the CTS-V stacks up against the M5 and E63 AMG. That'll be a video comparison that about 600 people will do soon. Just you wait and see.
For now, though, ogle the American burnout goodness of the latest V.
Photo Credits: Ian Merritt