2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe: Dramatic or Drama Queen?

Good looking cars are few and far between these days. With development costs nearing astronomical levels and an economy that hasn’t quite leveled off completely, each new car represents a massive gamble on the part of the manufacturer. Vehicles like Nissan’s Cube, a controversially styled but lovable box on wheels can serve as a totem for a brand’s image; corralling any given market and opening their eyes to a manufacturer that they may not have previously considered. But it’s a fine line between success and the other alternative; just ask Porsche. Although they managed to turn the Cayenne into a raving success against all odds, the awkwardly shaped Panamera simply hasn’t been able to do the same.
Long story short, although the car buying public certainly cares about things like performance and build quality, even the best laid plans can be led astray by the wrong sweep of a designer’s pen. And few designers’ pens have been more sweeping in their changes than those at Cadillac.

Taking a brand that’d gone from enjoying its status as the standard of the world to the world’s standby, few design ethos have been as well publicized as Cadillac’s move to their current “Art and Science” approach. And no other car in the Cadillac lineup quite captures that design ethos like the CTS coupe. Once a dreamy concept car relegated to the land of fantasy, the production model has emerged for 2011 model year looking surprisingly similar to its showcar predecessor. The high-tech styling touches like recessed and hidden door handles and a central exhaust survive unscathed, as does the overall abbreviated shape of the car. The wildly flared fenders are a necessity since both the coupe and sedan posses the same 113.4 inch wheelbase, and give the car a very dynamic look that is refreshed with each differing angle. Interestingly, even though the car may look quite a bit smaller than the CTS sedan, the coupe is actually over an inch wider and just 2.8 inches shorter overall.

Which is strange, because by the proportions of the interior, you’d think the car was damn near halved. The big doors open wide enough to provide easy access to the front seats, but rear seat passengers will struggle to clamber between the seatback and door pillar. Of course, the contortions required to earn entry to the rear seat might be a good thing, since Cirque de Soleil veterans will be just about the only people capable of getting comfortable back there. For normal people, the seats are simply too small and the massive sweeping b-pillars that lend the car it’s dramatic proportions end up forming automotive stalactites in the incredibly cave-like interior.

And sadly, conditions aren’t noticeably improved out front. At just over 6’ tall, I don’t consider myself overly tall, but stuffing my frame into the CTS coupe was an exercise in frustration. Oh sure, there’s plenty of elbow and leg room in the well-appointed cabin, but the headroom is abominable. If you’re any taller, you simply won’t fit between the seat cushion and the sunroof, and if you’re much shorter, you’ll still find your hat selection limited. Although certainly not a deal-breaker for many would-be buyers (as I was informed by more than a few inquisitive neighbours), it does detract from the driving experience just a wee bit. I smacked my head around a few times bouncing between the sunroof and roof trim, and the high seating position and low roof conspire to create awkward and strange sight lines.

But thankfully, there is a light at the end of the CTS coupe’s strange and cavernous tunnel: the performance. Although equipped with the basic 3.6L V6 and automatic gearbox, the car has a great powerband buoyed by its willingness to rev and flat torque delivery. But it’s the car’s sharp handling and great balance that really stands out. The steering is quick and nimble, and provides absolutely excellent feedback, thanks undoubtedly to one of the most aggressive alignments you’re liable to find on a factory car. Evidenced by the scrubbing front tires while in reverse, in can make the car a bit of a handful in inclement conditions and on rough pavement, but works fantastically at speed. Communicating both the front and rear tires’ intentions long before they make them known in more dramatic fashion, the car is an absolute joy to drive fast. With a neutral attitude, the car can carve corners quite tidily just as easily as it can toss the rear end to the curb of the nearest corner, and it does both with the same level of composure.

So, what is this latest iteration of CTS; risk or reward? Well, it’s a bit of both. Here, you have one of the most dynamically pleasing luxury coupes on the market saddled with an interior that is, for lack of a better word, compromised in the name of exterior styling. But, if history has taught us anything, it’s that people will endure pretty much anything to look good. Be it the Lucas electrics burdening countless gorgeous British sports cars to various articles of women’s clothing, a little discomfort is almost synonymous with style nowadays, and the CTS coupe is no different. After all, no one wants to spend their entire life in sweatpants and sneakers now, do they?