LS1Tech Reviews: The 2014 Cadillac CTS Vsport Premium

By Derek Shiekhi - June 6, 2014

At my house, Christmas comes once a week. I receive media test vehicle presents on Wednesdays and discover what they contain over the course of a week. Recently, Cadillac delivered a gift wrapped in Red Obsession Tintcoat: the 2014 CTS Vsport Premium.

I found myself saying many of the things we’ve all said when opening a package with colorful paper and our names on it, whether I was taking a short trip to a coffee shop, driving in perfectly sunny weather to Austin’s Pennybacker Bridge or blasting down I-35 to San Antonio. Overall, my fuel economy hovered around 23 mpg.

There were times, such as when I was taking out the trash, in which I would linger outside just to look at Cadillac’s reborn midsize offering. (“Oh, thank you! It’s so beautiful.”) No receipt needed. These days, the “Science” in Art & Science must mean “alchemy.” Bob Boniface, Cadillac exterior design director, and his team succeeded in giving largely straight lines the sexiness of curves. Vertical LED lights drew my eyes to the crystalline diodes in the dramatically raked high-intensity discharge headlamp units above them, which flowed into the up-swept bodywork. Despite its sexy looks, the sheet metal dwarfed its 18-inch Ultrabright wheels in an unflattering way. The rear overhang was long and said “executive saloon” more than “sport sedan,” but it also translated to 13.7 cubic feet of deep-reaching trunk space.

On the other hand, the Pirelli PZero performance run-flats announced their focus on spirited driving – with a constant drone, especially at low speeds. Those combined with quick, responsive steering meant I found myself being dragged along with the CTS’s front rubber through grooved pavement.

Over smoother road surfaces, I was more than willing to go for the pleasant, composed ride that the Cadillac provided. Even the Magnetic Ride Control’s Track mode was not as punishing to my spine as I expected it to be. I spent most of my time in Touring and Sport. Both settings quickly accessed the addictive 3.6-liter, twin-turbo V6 through a well-tuned throttle pedal. It would be dishonest to call it overly sensitive. It wasn’t, but I only had to apply a slight amount of pressure to the right sport alloy plank to draw upon 420 horsepower and 430 pound-feet of torque. The engine didn’t pull so much as glide to incredible speeds. Even at highway velocities, it never seemed as if it could run out of breath. (“It’s the gift that keeps on giving.” Damn right. It gave me the chance to treat my family and friends to shockingly quick, effortless acceleration.)

The eight-speed ZF automatic transmission did nothing to make the power plant work any harder, swapping gears smoothly and swiftly whether on its own or through the two magnesium paddle shifters behind the thick, leather-wrapped steering wheel. Either way, the cabin was filled (courtesy of integrated electronic sound enhancement) with the raucous bark of the V6 as it bit off ratios. (People on the street got the chance to hear an angry growl when I started it up.)

My review vehicle’s cockpit was also swathed in the optional $1,650 Jet Black and Morello Red package. I’ve always found that pairing of colors to be garish. (“Oh…it’s so…uh…bold.”) However, I did respect the use of mixed media, ranging from perforated leather to real carbon fiber to metallic trim. The backseat area offered a power sunshade (seen in the following clip) and an adequate amount of legroom, but it left more outboard shoulder space to be desired.

Cadillac went to great lengths to give occupants a luxurious, effortless experience. The cup holder lid was power-retractable, as was the UltraView sunroof’s fabric cover. I appreciated the engineers’ ambition, but it was lost on me. Such niceties were completely unnecessary. I don’t mind manually sliding a panel back to put a coffee cup in its place. Additionally, I had to use a touch button to the right of the eight-inch CUE (Cadillac User Experience) touchscreen just to open the glove box. Turning on the hazard lights required me to leave my pointer finger on the red triangle for what felt like two or three seconds. (“Gee, Cadillac, you really shouldn’t have.”) Check out the videos below to see some of the irritating features in action.

Speaking of CUE, I had no problem syncing it with my Android phone. I did encounter a bit of lag when using the navigation system, though. Luckily, I was able to see my route in two more places: in the middle of the speedometer or in the Head-Up Display. If I wanted to see how closely I was adhering to the speed limit without taking my eyes off the road, I was able to set the HUD to show a digitally produced and automatically updated version of the familiar black and white road sign.

Should you want to leave a 2014 CTS Vsport Premium with a big bow on it in your driveway for your yourself or a loved one, you’ll be starting out at an MSRP of $69,070. The total cost of my tester, with options, was $72,640.

After seven days, Cadillac decided to take back the beautiful creation in the galleries at the bottom of this page and re-gift it to another automotive writer. I was delighted to have had it in my possession. The automaker seemed to have had several of my tastes pegged, but not all of them. In some areas, it tried a little too hard.