Cadillac CTS Coupe
Cadillac has unveiled the 2011 CTS Coupe, the latest and most dramatic of the brand’s series of new designs to reach production. Arriving in Cadillac showrooms in August 2010, the CTS Coupe is a new luxury sports coupe designed to become the centerpiece of the brand’s revised lineup.
“CTS Coupe is the new focal point of Cadillac, expressing both our design and technical capabilities,” said Don Butler, Vice President – Cadillac Marketing. “It is intended to appeal to a new generation of car enthusiasts.”
The Coupe joins the CTS Sport Sedan, the 556-horsepower (415 kW) CTS-V and new CTS Sport Wagon as the foundation of Cadillac’s lineup. A high-performance V-Series edition of the Coupe will also be released in 2010.
The CTS Coupe’s design carries over virtually unchanged from the concept car that was introduced at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit in 2008.
The Coupe is a classic 2+2 layout bolstered with advanced technology, such as a rear-view camera system and a performance-oriented suspension system coupled to rear-wheel or all-wheel drive.
The CTS Coupe emerged as a proposal inside Cadillac’s dedicated design studio, where designers develop and evolve the brand’s Art and Science design philosophy. It is powered by a 3.6L direct injected V-6 rated at 304 horsepower (227 kW). The high-performance CTS-V Coupe receives the same, 556-horsepower (415 kW) 6.2L supercharged V-8 found in the landmark CTS-V Sport Sedan.
“Cadillac has always been an emotional brand – it’s about delivering art regardless of body style,” said Max Wolff, director of exterior design for Cadillac. “With the CTS Coupe, it was about taking something very strong – the CTS Sport Sedan – and extending its potential.”
The coupe has the same wheelbase as the CTS Sport Sedan, but an overall height that is approximately two inches (51 mm) lower and an overall length that is two inches (51 mm) shorter.
Although it draws from its sport sedan sister, the CTS Coupe shares only the instrument panel, console, headlamps, front fenders and grille. Key design features include:
- Classic hardtop styling, with no conventional B-pillar
- Touch-pad operation for the doors removes the need for conventional door handles, creating a technical, clean profile
- A windshield laid at a faster angle (62.3 degrees) and a long, nearly horizontal backglass area combine to create a dramatic profile
- Sculpted lower front fascia with unique brake-cooling vents
- Rear fascia with mesh lower grilles
- Center-outlet exhaust with twin dihedral-shaped tips that pass through the rear fascia
- Signature vertical lighting, highlighted with LED light pipes
- Rear spoiler integrated into the signature center high-mounted stop lamp
- Sculpted roof-mounted antenna for OnStar and XM Satellite Radio.
At first glance, the shape of CTS Coupe is refreshingly simple, yet amplified with intricately carved details. Distinctive and original Cadillac signature cues combine with hand-sculpted forms, artfully articulating the capability of the chassis. For example, the rear fenders were purposefully developed by hand in Cadillac design studios to visually acknowledge the RWD powertrain. The gestured profile, coupled with Cadillac’s vertical taillamps and pronounced centerline crease, aim to achieve the most visually confident coupe in the segment.
Driving experience
The CTS Coupe extends Cadillac’s emerging performance credentials, with its standard direct injected 3.6L V-6 and a six-speed manual, featuring a revised clutch and dual-mass flywheel that offers better clutch pedal feel and improved engine isolation. A six-speed automatic transmission with Driver Shift Control (and available steering wheel mounted shift buttons) is optional. The Coupe’s final drive ratio is 3.73:1, up from the 3.42:1 ratio of other CTS body styles, providing more responsive acceleration.
The 3.6L DI engine is rated at 304 horsepower (227 kW) and offers EPA-estimated fuel economy of 27 mpg on the highway. It also runs on less expensive regular unleaded gasoline. Direct injection technology delivers fuel more precisely to increase the efficiency of combustion, enabling more power while maintaining fuel economy and lowering emissions – including a 25-percent drop in cold-start hydrocarbon emissions.
The powertrain’s performance is channeled through a chassis that delivers sports car performance without punishment. The hardware includes an independent short/long arm (SLA) front suspension system, with hydraulic control arm front bushings; and a multi-link rear suspension mounted on a fully isolated subframe. Also included are four-wheel disc performance brakes, premium steering and limited-slip differential.
Befitting its luxury sports coupe status, the Coupe has a number of adjustments in the chassis enabling crisper driving performance. The car’s wider track gives it a more planted feel and slightly better cornering. The Coupe has a smaller 29mm front stabilizer bar (2 mm less than the Sedan,) while the rear bar is increased from 20mm to 24.5mm. Damping force is firmer at all four corners, helping the Coupe reach 0.88g peak lateral acceleration in standard form, and more than 0.90 for the V-Series edition.
Two suspension-tuning levels are available: a Performance Package with 18-inch wheels and all-season tires (available in both RWD and AWD,) and the Summer Tire Performance Package, with 19-inch tires and wheels and a higher level of road holding capability. StabiliTrak, the advanced electronic chassis control system, is standard.
Comfort and technology
The CTS Coupe’s interior emphasizes technical precision with elegant, hand-crafted details. The hand-assembled center console leads seamlessly into the center stack, providing a sportier “cockpit” feel for the driver and passenger without compromising space.
The interior includes hand-sewn accents covering the door, center storage console and instrument panel trim. Available heated and ventilated seats incorporate “thin-seat” technology for maximum occupant comfort and enhanced rear-seat leg, knee and foot room. Fourteen-way adjustable Recaro sport seats are optional, as is a heated wood steering wheel.
The Coupe also offers a host of customer driven technologies, including:
- Integrated iPod/MP3 capability
- 40-gig hard drive, including the ability to store music and pause-and-replay live radio
- Pop-up navigation system
- Adaptive forward lighting system
- Bluetooth connectivity
- Standard Keyless Access and Smart Remote Start
- vision camera system
- Bose 5.1 Cabin Surround™ audio system.
- Safety features
CTS Coupe is designed to enhance Cadillac’s reputation for providing safe occupant environments in luxury vehicles. Details include:
- Dual-stage driver front air bag
- Segment-first dual depth front passenger air bag
- and front passenger side seat-mounted pelvic/thorax side air bags
- -rail side curtain air bags that cover front and rear seating rows
- Front safety belt pretensioners
- Tire pressure monitoring system
- Body structure with strategically placed high-strength steel.
As with other Cadillac models, the 2011 CTS Coupe and V-Series come with OnStar 9.0, which now offers Flexible Speech Recognition, , as well as signature OnStar services such as Automatic Crash Response and Turn-by-Turn Navigation. Flexible Speech Recognition extends the user-friendliness of the system, enabling it to respond to thousands of phrases and sentences, rather than a menu of exact words. It also now has far better recognition of thick regional dialects within the languages it serves (French, English, Spanish and Mandarin.)
CTS-V Coupe details
The 2011 CTS-V Coupe combines the new CTS Coupe’s dramatic design with the 556-horsepower (415-kW) supercharged V-8 engine from the CTS-V sedan. The result is a luxury sports coupe aimed at driving enthusiasts. Its suite of technical and performance elements include Magnetic Ride Control, racing-bred Brembo brakes and an available automatic transmission with paddle-shift control.
Unique design features include a grille that doubles car’s air intake volume, an important enabler for its high-performance capabilities. It is also visually identified by a raised center section of the hood that provides clearance for the supercharger, as well as specific front and rear fascias. Like the CTS Coupe, its exhaust is centered inside the rear fascia, but with unique twin outlets. The car rolls on 19-inch cast aluminum wheels, available in either painted or polished finishes, and Michelin Pilot Sport 2 performance tires.
The CTS-V Coupe’s rear track is nearly an inch wider than the CTS-V Sport Sedan, adding to the car’s aggressive stance and enabling an extra measure of handling capability. Inside, the 2+2 cabin combines performance and luxury. A new Saffron interior trim color is offered, with contrasting microfiber seat inserts and stitching on the upper trim areas.
Power for the V-Series Coupe comes from Cadillac’s LSA 6.2L supercharged V-8 engine, rated at 556 horsepower (415 kW) and 551 lb.-ft. of torque (747 Nm). It is the most powerful engine offered in Cadillac’s history and propels the CTS-V Coupe from 0-60 mph in 3.9 seconds.
The LSA engine features an intercooled Eaton supercharger system, premium aluminum-alloy cylinder heads and numerous details designed to ensure it makes its power as quietly and smoothly as possible. The supercharger, for example, has a unique, four-lobe rotor design that enhances quietness while also optimizing the performance parameters of the engine.
A pair of six-speed transmissions is offered in the CTS-V Coupe: a Tremec TR6060 six-speed manual with a dual-disc clutch and a Hydra-Matic 6L90 six-speed automatic with paddle-shift control. Performance Algorithm Shifting is part of the 6L90’s programming and provides a performance-oriented shift pattern during sustained high-performance driving. As with many Cadillac models, the driver needs only to slide the shifter into the manual “gate” to put the transmission into that more aggressive mode. The paddle shift control requires no shift lever movement. Steering wheel thumb controls allow immediate and quick tap up/tap down gear selection.
Magnetic Ride Control
The V-Series reaches elite levels of road-holding performance, but also maintains the poise of a luxury car in “regular” driving conditions. The technical enabler of that dual-mode driving character is Cadillac’s landmark Magnetic Ride Control. It is standard on the CTS-V Coupe and is the world’s fastest-reacting suspension technology. It uses shocks controlled by advanced magneto-rheological technology, rather than mechanical valves, to greatly accelerate response time and precision.
Electronic sensors at all four wheels literally “read the road” every millisecond, making constant adjustments to damping to create virtually instantaneous and extremely precise control of body motions. The Magnetic Ride shocks also enable a broader range of damping control to optimize the ride and handling for all driving conditions. In the CTS-V Coupe, an extra measure of control is offered, with two selectable modes (Tour and Sport), enabling the driver to tailor the suspension for grand touring or more spirited performance driving.
Braking and tire systems
CTS-V includes sophisticated braking and tire systems, in partnership with two companies renowned for high-performance technology: Brembo and Michelin. Brembo brakes are at all four corners and include powerful, six-piston calipers in the front and four-piston calipers in the rear.
Slotted and vented rotors enable strong initial braking force while optimizing heat resistance and eliminating fade. The brake rotors from Brembo employ a “dual-cast” technology that combines cast iron and aluminum, resulting in excellent performance and weight reduction. CTS-V also includes an electric parking brake, enabling more legroom for the driver, key for high-performance driving.
Michelin partnered with Cadillac engineers to develop its acclaimed Pilot Sport PS2 summer tire for CTS-V and its exclusive 19-inch alloy wheels. The tires support high levels of grip in track conditions, while also affording good performance on the road.
Interior amenities
Recaro performance driving seats are optional in the CTS-V Coupe and provide excellent support for spirited driving. These 14-way adjustable performance seats include pneumatic bolster controls in the seat cushions and backrests.
The CTS-V Coupe also includes an exclusive new Saffron color option for the interior, providing a contrasting color accent carried on the seat inserts, as well as the stitching, which highlights the craftsmanship of the instrument panel, center console, door trim and seats.
The steering wheel, seat inserts and shifter are covered in microfiber, providing the luxurious character of suede without suede’s inherent drawbacks of difficult care and moisture sensitivity. These accents are standard, elegant to the touch and help support high-performance driving.
