|
|
|
09-13-2008, 01:01 PM | #1 |
Brigadier General
295
Rep 3,350
Posts |
CTS-V Beats the M5 at Nurburgring - under 8 minutes.
CTS-V is both faster and more
nimble than its BMW counterpart BY DAVID BOOTHWESTCHESTER, N.Y. - Imagine BMW's chagrin. Not only does its flagship supersports sedan, the all-conquering M5, get trounced, but the car doing said trouncing is from — Gasp! Shock! Horror! — North America and not one of its traditional Ger- man competitors. Worse yet, the car stomping all over its previous hegemony wears a Cadillac— yes, a Cadillac — badge. Oh, the shame. Cadillac's all-new, monstrously motored CTS-V is both quicker and faster than the once-dominant M5. Powered by a new 6.2-litre, supercharged V8 only recently lib- erated from the fire-breathing Corvette ZR1, the CTS-V boasts. 556 horsepower, 551 pound-feet of torque and can accelerate to 96 kilometres an hour in just 3.9 sec- onds. American brands have always been able to get massive amounts of horsepower from their super- sized-displacement engines, so perhaps we can forgive the Bim- mer its deficiency in straightline speed. But the M5 remains the master of the twisted line, the curvy road, the winding race track -T- right? Oops, wrong again. As it turns out, the CTS-V now holds the production sedan record for the fastest lap around the Nurburgribg, thr 22.7-kilo- metre race traick in BMW's homeland, Gemiany that is the gold standard for determining the fastest cars in the world. The CTS-V took seven minutes and 59 seconds to negotiate the Nur- burgring's 172 corners; the M5 took eight minutes and 13 sec- onds. But that's hardly the worst of it. Adding further insult to injury is the fact that Cadillac’s record lap was set in a CTX-V with an automatic transmission. Both manual and automatic seem equally suited to the race track until I tested both the manual and automatic-equipped CTS-Vs around the 22 corners of the Monticello Motor Club's new race track back to back. Despite my skepticism, I equally had to admit that Cadillac has so thoroughly engineered its new six-speed automatic transmission that it is equally competent to its six-speed manual and easier to drive to boot. The Caddy doesn't trounce the M5 in positively every way. Steering feel still favours the Bimmer. The CTS-V can't be tossed into corners with quite the abandon of the M5. However, in all other measures of handling, the muscle-bound CTS is all but as good as the Bimner. So, the cars, apart from the CTS-Vs performance advantage, are roughly equal — until the ultimate price reckoning, of course. The Cadiliac will be priced about the same as BMW's new VS-powered M3, which means there will be a significant amount of change back from $80,000. The M5 retails for $113,300. Put in perspective, for the same price as an MS, a prospective Cadillac owner could buy a CTS- V plus a JCW Mini for the kid or a 128 Cabriolet for the spouse and still have money left over for a family dinner out on the town. Canwest News Service |
09-13-2008, 01:06 PM | #2 |
Major General
377
Rep 5,730
Posts
Drives: BMW i3 rex
Join Date: May 2006
Location: SoCal
iTrader: (44)
Garage List 2018 I01 i3s | CURRENT [0.00]
2018 G01 X3 | CURRENT [0.00] 2017 I01 i3 | SOLD [0.00] 2017 F48 X1 | SOLD ... [0.00] 2016 I01 i3 | SOLD [0.00] 2017 F22 M240 | SOLD [8.00] 2016 F25 X3 diesel ... [0.00] 2006 E60 550 | SOLD [6.00] 2011 E90 335 | SOLD [8.66] 2012 E82 135 | SOLD [5.50] 2011 E82 1M | SOLD [7.94] 2007 E85 Z4M| SOLD [4.50] 2003 E53 X5 4.6is S ... [9.00] 2008 E92 328 | SOLD [0.00] 2008 E82 135 | SOLD [0.00] 2008 E90 335 | SOLD [0.00] 2003 E46 M3 | SOLD [7.50] 2006 E90 330 | SOLD [10.00] 2003 E46 330ZHP | SOLD [0.00] |
great news for caddy lovers but i seriously doubt the cts-v appeals to the BMW crowds...
|
Appreciate
0
|
09-13-2008, 03:55 PM | #3 |
Second Lieutenant
37
Rep 257
Posts |
I could be wrong, but I would be surprised if any cadillac (including this one), or M5 for that matter, would be the weapon of choice for anyone who is into thrashing their car around the track on a regular basis. To me this article just points out the levels of silliness that the ongoing horsepower wars have reached.
__________________
"To add speed, add lightness." Colin Chapman
|
Appreciate
0
|
09-13-2008, 05:10 PM | #4 |
Captain
110
Rep 994
Posts
Drives: M2, 135i, Xclass
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Melbourne, Australia
|
That Cadillac is ugly.
|
Appreciate
0
|
09-14-2008, 06:44 AM | #7 | |
Unindicted co-conspirator
66
Rep 1,734
Posts
Drives: to work, mostly.
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania / Detroit, Michigan
|
Quote:
|
|
Appreciate
0
|
09-15-2008, 09:44 AM | #9 |
Private First Class
1
Rep 122
Posts |
The point of the CTS-V and M5 are not to be track monsters but to be VERY capable daily drivers for executives who enjoy a back road jaunt or canyon run now and then. Most of the buyers of these cars typically have a "Sunday-car" for thrashing on the track or other means of automotive entertainment. What is surprising is the fact that GM has been able to create this type of car for $23,000 less than the BMW. Granted some will complain of the build quality but Cadillac has learned and is becoming much better and I believe they are a world class luxury sports sedan competitor.
|
Appreciate
0
|
09-17-2008, 01:38 AM | #10 | |
My ride: bimmergirl84
22
Rep 302
Posts |
Quote:
|
|
Appreciate
0
|
09-18-2008, 09:41 PM | #11 | |
Lieutenant
34
Rep 504
Posts |
Quote:
what this article is really saying is that in a few years BMW is going to one up them, and caddy vice versa. until we run out of gasoline that is.... |
|
Appreciate
0
|
Post Reply |
Bookmarks |
|
|