CADILLAC CTS SALOON REVIEW

My car

Having read the What Car? review I felt the need to add my own impressions from a 'taster test drive' at the British International Motor Show 2008 at Excel. I can honestly say that I feel that the CTS is an impressive machine. The 3.6 litre V6 engine feels very powerful, yet smooth and the ride quality seems very good too (possibly a match for the Jaguar XF, although I'd need to drive it over a longer distance to know that for sure). Handling seems safe and predictable, and could well be fun. It also doesn't feel as big a car as you might think, either.

The running costs clearly would be a big issue, especially with the current price of petrol, but when the diesel arrives next year, it will make the CTS a much more reasonable choice. Nonetheless, I don't think the fuel economy is disasterous for a car like this with a powerful V6 engine.

The interior is also very impressive, and the sat nav system in particular is very good. It has full postcode search, which very few inbuilt systems seem to have. It also pops up at the press of a button, and yet seems well made and solid. Everything easily falls to hand inside, and the seats seem very comfortable.

The CTS is a very good car, and I would be interested to see what its like to drive on a proper drive on a mixture of A and B roads.