2012 Cadillac V-Series Overview Change Vehicle

This 2012 Cadillac CTS-V review explains changes for the model year, provides a summary of the 2012 CTS-V, and includes Cadillac CTS-V safety, reliability, and fuel economy ratings.

Imagine a Chevy Corvette ZR1 equipped with seating for up to five people, luxurious accommodations, a greater degree of comfort and refinement, and 2+2 coupe, four-door sedan, or station wagon body styles. That’s the 2012 Cadillac CTS-V, aimed right at the heart of the luxury performance market typically dominated by Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz.

Cadillac leaves well enough alone when it comes to the 2012 CTS-V lineup. Rain-sensing wipers are now standard, and three new colors debut: Mocha Steel Metallic (Sedan and Wagon only), Opulent Blue Metallic, and Black Diamond Tricoat.

The Cadillac CTS-V is sold in coupe, sedan, and station wagon body styles, each stuffed with high-performance hardware and loaded with almost every feature Cadillac offers for the CTS lineup. The only options are a six-speed automatic transmission, heated and ventilated Recaro performance seats, suede steering wheel and shifter trim, sport alloy foot pedals, a power sunroof (tilt-open on Coupe and UltraView on Sedan and Wagon), Midnight Sapele wood cabin trim, polished or Satin Graphite wheels, yellow brake calipers, and a luggage rack for the Wagon.

Just one engine is available in the Cadillac CTS-V. Its a supercharged 6.2-liter V8, a detuned version of the Corvette ZR1’s powerplant that makes a healthy 556 horsepower at 6,100 rpm and 551 pound-feet of torque at 3,800 rpm. As would be expected, premium fuel is required, and the CTS-V guzzles it at the rate of 14 mpg in the city and 19 mpg on the highway with the standard six-speed manual gearbox. Get the optional six-speed automatic, and you’ll be rewarded with fuel economy ratings of 12-city/18-highway.

The Cadillac CTS-V is about more than just a massive engine. A dual-disc manual gearbox is standard, and the optional automatic features paddle shifters and Performance Algorithm Shifting for aggressive driving in fully automatic mode. Power flows to a performance rear axle equipped with a limited-slip differential and alternately-sized half-shafts to help eliminate wheel hop when accelerating hard.

When it comes to turn, a Magnetic Ride Control suspension with Tour and Sport settings is ready to reduce body roll, helping the 255/40 front and P285/35 rear Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 summer performance tires grip the road with tenacity. They’re mounted to lightweight forged aluminum 19-inch wheels, and stand at the ready to assist the four-wheel vented-disc brakes, clamped by six-piston front and four-piston rear Brembo calipers painted bright yellow, in bringing the CTS-V to a halt.

As sophisticated as the Cadillac CTS-V’s performance hardware might be, this is not a technologically sophisticated machine when it comes to safety equipment. Aside from six airbags, those massive Brembo brakes, traction and stability control, and OnStar telematics with a free year of Automatic Crash Notification, Emergency Services, and Crisis Assist service, the safety technology landscape is rather barren. A reversing camera and rear park assist sensors are standard, as are rain-sensing wipers and an Adaptive Forward Lighting System that swivels the HID headlights to help see around dark corners.

Otherwise, the CTS-V lacks what are becoming increasingly available safety technologies, especially on luxury models. Of course, looking at the situation from a “glass half full” perspective, maybe it’s a benefit to Cadillac that the CTS-V isn’t laden with a bunch of electronic gizmos telling you how to drive.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has not performed crash tests on any CTS models, and we’re skeptical about applying the NHTSA’s 4-Star rollover resistance rating to a car as sticky as the CTS-V. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has evaluated the CTS Sedan and called it a Top Safety Pick in 2011. (Official 2012 ratings were not released as this review was written.)

Reliability predictions span from below average from Consumer Reports to much better than average from J.D. Power and Associates. However, these forecasts are no doubt based on the history of the mainstream CTS with a V6 engine, and likely do not apply to the CTS-V.

In any event, the CTS-V is covered by Cadillac Shield, a comprehensive warranty, roadside assistance, and maintenance program that’s included with every CTS. The basic warranty is four years or 50,000 miles, and that includes free maintenance for selected scheduled services. The powertrain is covered for five years or 100,000 miles, and includes free roadside assistance for five years.

The CTS-V’s supercharged 6.2-liter V8 is the most powerful engine in Cadillac’s history. It helped the Cadillac CTS-V to become the first production sedan to circle Germany’s famed Nurburgring racetrack in less than eight minutes, running on street tires.

Acceleration to 60 mph takes 3.9 seconds with the CTS-V Coupe and CTS-V Sedan. The CTS-V Wagon is a click slower at four seconds flat.

The Cadillac CTS-V is no lightweight. The lowest curb weight among the various models is 4,209 for the coupe with a manual gearbox. The CTS-V Wagon with the automatic tips the scales at 4,431 pounds.

If you seek the best possible balance in a CTS-V, get the coupe or the station wagon, which distribute weight 51-percent to the front and 49-percent to the rear. The CTS-V Sedan’s weight distribution is a less favorable 54/46.

Carrying cargo is not the CTS-V’s strong point – unless you’re talking about the station wagon. The coupe’s trunk measures just 10.5 cubic-feet, the sedan can tackle 13.6 cubes of cargo, and the wagon offers up to 53.4 cu-ft with the rear seats folded down.

No matter which 2012 Cadillac CTS-V you choose, the starting price is $65,390. An Audi S4 Sedan begins at $48,175, a BMW M3 Coupe starts at $61,075 (the M3 Sedan is cancelled for 2012), and a Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG opens at $61,505*.

The Cadillac CTS-V is built in Lansing, Michigan.

* All prices include destination charge and gas-guzzler tax, if any.

The 2012 Cadillac CTS-V is a brash, miraculous feat of American ingenuity, engineering, and performance, and brightly reflects the unrelenting passion of the people at General Motors. It, like no other Cadillac can, signifies GM’s world-class competitiveness and serves as a rolling global billboard for this wreath-and-crest luxury division. But as good as it is, it could be better. While we look forward to future V-Series iterations of Cadillac models, for now, we’re thrilled the CTS-V even exists. And in station wagon format, no less.

By Christian Wardlaw