2017 Cadillac CTS Review

The CTS comes with 17-inch alloy wheels, Brembo front brakes, heated exterior mirrors, automatic headlights, rear parking sensors, a rearview camera, remote/keyless ignition and entry, cruise control, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, dual-zone automatic climate control, a manual, leather-wrapped  tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel with paddle shifters, eight-way power front seats, driver seat/mirror memory settings, faux-leather upholstery, and fixed rear seats with a trunk pass-through.

Additional technology features include OnStar telematics, 4G data connectivity with Wi-Fi capability, wireless smartphone charging, Bluetooth phone and audio connectivity, the base Cadillac User Experience (CUE) infotainment system (without navigation), an 8-inch touchscreen interface, voice controls, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and a Bose 11-speaker surround-sound audio system with three USB ports, an auxiliary audio jack, and satellite and HD radio.

Options include a sunroof, navigation system and an upgraded Bose audio system. There's also a Seating Package that adds leather upholstery, auto-dimming driver-side mirror, heated and ventilated front seats, split-folding rear seatbacks, a power-adjustable, heated steering wheel, and LED interior ambient lighting.

Stepping up to the Luxury grade adds adaptive xenon headlights, a panoramic sunroof, a navigation system, the Bose sound system and the Driver Awareness package. The latter includes a number of driver and safety aids including automatic high beams, rain-sensing wipers, lane keeping assist, forward collision alert, a blind-spot monitor, lane-change alert, rear cross-traffic alert, lane departure warning, and Cadillac's Safety Alert seat, which vibrates to warn the driver of a possible collision with vehicles around the car.

Some options on Luxury trims include 18-inch wheels, the Rear Vision Camera, the Carbon Black package (bundles 18-inch alloy wheels, sport front seats, a black chrome grille, and a rear spoiler) and the V-Sport package (bundles 18-inch machined-alloy finish wheels, high-performance brakes and tires, and a sport-tuned suspension with adaptive shocks).

Premium Luxury comes with 18-inch wheels, adaptive suspension, a self-parking system (can autonomously park both parallel and perpendicular), three-zone automatic climate control, heated rear seats, rear camera mirror, a head-up display, a 360-degree bird's-eye view backup camera, a power rear sunshade (rear side-window shades are manual), and illuminated door handles and front doorsill plates.

There's an optional Driver Assist package for the Premium Luxury trim, which adds adaptive cruise control and a collision mitigation system with automatic braking. Other options include 20-way-adjustable front sport seats, alloy pedals and a 12.3-inch, high-definition digital gauge cluster (bundled in the Performance Seat and Cluster package).

The CTS V-Sport comes with a turbocharged six-cylinder engine and starts with the Luxury trim level's standard features (minus the sunroof, which is not available) and adds the self-parking system, 18-inch wheels with summer tires, upgraded brakes, a sport-tuned suspension, a sport-tuned steering system, a driver-selectable Track mode for high-performance driving, an electronic limited-slip rear differential and an upgraded cooling system.

The CTS V-Sport Luxury adds the sunroof plus the regular Premium Luxury's features that aren't already standard on the base V-Sport.

A 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine is the base engine for all CTS trims except the V-Sport. Rated at 268 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque, the four-cylinder pairs with an eight-speed automatic transmission that delivers power to the rear wheels. All-wheel drive is optional.

Drivers craving more power can upgrade to a 3.6-liter V6 rated at 335 hp and 285 lb-ft of torque, also hooked to an eight-speed transmission and a choice of rear- or all-wheel drive.

Topping the lineup is the V-Sport's turbocharged V6, cranking out 420 hp and 430 lb-ft of torque,  paired with an eight-speed automatic. The V-Sport is only available in rear-wheel drive.

The four-cylinder engine returns an EPA-estimated 25 mpg combined (22 city/30 highway) in rear-wheel-drive configuration. With all-wheel drive, those numbers are 24 mpg combined (21 city/29 highway).

The regular V6 is nearly as fuel-efficient as the four-cylinder, returning 24 mpg combined (20 city/30 highway) in rear-wheel drive and 22 mpg combined (19 city/27 highway) in all-wheel drive. The V-Sport's turbo six-cylinder returns 18 mpg combined (16 city/24 highway).

In our testing, a CTS V-Sport accelerated from zero to 60 mph in 4.9 seconds, a quick number for a high-performance midsize sedan.