2016 Cadillac CTS-V
No matter where your car company hails from, if you build a sport sedan, you’ll ultimately get compared to the companies that have done it the best, for the longest time: The Germans! BMW, Mercedes, and VW/Audi. Whether that’s fair or not, is a topic for another day. Because right now, we’ve got a home grown contender to put through its paces, the Cadillac CTS-V!
American carmakers have been trying to catch up, and one-up the German sport sedan concept for over half a century. Numerous times critics, including us, thought they got close. But, it took the 21st century Cadillac brand to really close the gap, with the 2016 CTS-V aiming to fill it for good.
The CTS-V is the original V “for Velocity” of course, but just about everything that makes it go fast now, comes from the Chevrolet Corvette; making this essentially a four-door Corvette with a nicer interior.
That kinship start naturally enough under the hood with the Z06’s glorious 6.2-liter chunk of supercharged aluminum with pushrods, producing 640-horsepower and 630 lb-ft. of torque. The M5 and E63 AMG don’t even come close.
This thing is clearly not some mild-mannered pretender. Just hearing it rumble at startup will put fear into you; floor it and its “oh my gosh” awesome power!
It is still built on the ATS platform, but significant structural bracing had to take place; and like some of us around here, has stiffer joints all around. Oh yeah, it’s race car rigid.
Just as in some front-wheel-drive transaxles that feature unequal half-shafts to prevent torque steer; a similar arrangement in the CTS-V’s rear, works to quell axle hopping on hard acceleration. The results are, according to the factory, a blistering 3.7-seconds to 60.
There are Brembo brakes obviously; and topping it off, GM stuffed as much rubber into the wheel wells as possible; 265/35/19 Michelin Pilot Super Sports in front, 295/30/19s in back.
We’ve said it many times before about V-Series cars; you really need to get them on a race track for full affect. Tooling to the winery on the weekend or even slicing up your local back roads in this CTS-V does not reveal the true story of how competent it is.
So we jumped at the change to try it out a Road America! Yep, this Caddy is one awesome track machine. Between Performance Traction Management and the power distributing electronic limited-slip differential, you have no trouble getting all 640 horses to the pavement with little concern about being out of control.
More power than the Germans, and better use of it than hotrods like Hellcats and Shelby’s. And that very linear power delivery also works well with the 8-speed automatic transmission that comes with all CTS-Vs.
There’s plenty of mid-range muscle coming out of turns; with minimal weight transfer thanks to Magnetic Ride Control, even with a hefty 4,145-lbs. to manage. Brakes are all day long durable.
Driven hard it seems to move around on you a little, but it seems to catch itself and never get out of shape. You know there’s electronic intervention happening, but you still feel in total control.
There’s a more aggressive look to go along with all of that performance. Virtually every body panel is unique and purposefully designed to maximize downforce, minimize lift, or enhance cooling.
The air-extracting hood is made of carbon fiber as are the front splitter, rear diffuser, and spoiler if you opt for the carbon fiber package.
As for the interior, thankfully it does not appear like it was done on a shoestring budget; just an enhanced performance feel thanks to sueded materials, performance seats, Head Up display, and of course the Corvettes’ Performance Data Recorder.
And perhaps most important of all, it doesn’t feel any less Cadillac when you’re driving sanely.
Government Fuel Economy Ratings are 14-City, 21-Highway, and 17-Combined. So there is a gas guzzler tax.
Base price is $85,990. And if that’s too much, don’t forget that this big V has a little brother ATS-V which packs almost as much performance for $61,460.
Now, we know that many sport sedan aficionados will never be convinced that a four-door designed anywhere but Germany is worth a second look. But, if you have an open mind, then you’ll see where we’re coming from when we say that hands down, the 2016 Cadillac CTS-V beats all comers in the traditional European sport sedan category in every way! And we’re just ecstatic to be along for the ride.
Specifications
- Engine: 6.2 liter
- Horsepower: 640
- Torque: 630 lb-ft.
- 0-60 mph: 3.7 seconds
- EPA: 14 mpg city / 21 mpg highway
2024 Hyundai Palisade Calligraphy Night Edition
Hyundai Turns To The Dark Side To Create A Special Palisade
Hyundai turned the page on their lineup when they launched the three-row Palisade crossover utility 4 years ago. Still the same Hyundai value we loved, but with more luxury, and more room for growing families. Now for their next big hit, it looks like Hyundai is working on their night moves.
If you’ve been following the auto industry, you’ve probably noticed a darkness setting in. No, we’re not talking about EV mandates, we’re talking about the increasing number of manufacturers invoking darkness or using some reference to the color black to create special editions of their vehicles or note their highest trim level. Well, that’s what we have here with the 2024 Hyundai Palisade Calligraphy Night Edition, a way to take the range-topping Calligraphy trim to an even higher level of exclusivity.
Available in either Abyss Black or this Hyper White, the Night Edition applies a dark chrome treatment to the grille, rear bumper, and door moldings. There’s also glossy black trim for both the front and rear fascias, as well as the roof rails, while door handles are now body color. Finishing it off are 20-inch “black liquid” wheels and unique finishes for all logos including the HTRAC badge that signifies all-wheel drive, which is standard here in the Calligraphy Night Edition, optional on most lesser Palisades.
All-wheel drives get additional Snow and Tow driving modes, as well as the ability to lock in a 50/50 torque split. All Palisades share the same V6 engine, a naturally aspirated 3.8-liter unit which produces 291 horsepower and 262 lb-ft of torque. Nothing changes there, but it’s more than enough to move this big utility down the road with ease and pull 5,000 lbs. of trailer, aided by the standard eight-speed automatic transmission. In addition to steering wheel mounted paddle shifters, minimal buttons for controlling the transmission share space on a rising center console which also houses the touch sensitive climate controls. On top of the dash sits a 12.3-inch touchscreen with navigation standard on all Palisades. A separate 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster resides in front of the driver on Limited trim and above.
As for the rest of the interior, Night Editions adds a unique blackout theme with some added dark aluminum trim and devilish 630 watts of Harmon Kardon premium audio. There are also some exclusive premium micro-suede materials on the seats, though most of our staff felt they didn’t seem quite as luxurious as the Nappa leather seats in the regular Calligraphy. Second row captain’s chairs here of course, plus a power folding third row that holds three Palisades come as both seven or right seaters with up to 16 cupholders! There’s also adequate room for adults in that third row, though seating comfort drastically improves moving forward. Cargo capacity remains a strong point for the Palisade, with 18.0 cubic-feet available behind the third row, 45.8 behind the second, and a max of 86.4 with all seatbacks folded.
At Mason Dixon Dragway, the Night Edition delivered a moderate dose of power, enough to battle a little wheel spin off the line leading to a steady jog to 60 of 7.6 seconds; about a half second slower than the last Palisade we tested. Gear changes happened smoothly, causing minor power flow pauses throughout the quarter-mile, completed in 15.8 seconds at a respectable 90 mph.
This big unibody bruiser is suspended with MacPherson struts up front and a multi-link independent setup in back. They provided a surprisingly nimble platform for shuffling through our handling course. There was a reasonable amount of feedback through the steering wheel, helping us stay on top of the slight understeer that we encountered. There was very soft pedal action in our panic braking runs, along with a reasonable amount of nosedive, but 102-foot stops from 60 rate great!
All Palisades come with a healthy complement of active safety features like Lane Keeping Assist and Highway Driving Assist, while Calligraphies add a more advanced Parking Collision Avoidance Assist system. With all-wheel drive, Government Fuel Economy Ratings are 19 City, 24 Highway, and 21 Combined.
Even with the Night Edition establishing a new high mark, it’s still priced less than many large three-row utilities at $55,245. That’s $3,500 over the standard Calligraphy, and about $17,000 more than the base SE Palisade.
So, when it comes to this 2024 Hyundai Palisade Calligraphy Night Edition, there’s no need to be afraid of the dark. The only thing lurking in the shadows here is more tremendous value, something that Hyundai has been bringing to light for years and years.
Specifications
As Tested
- Engine: 3.8-liter V6
- Transmission: 8-speed automatic
- Horsepower: 291
- Torque: 262 lb-ft
- 0-60 mph: 7.6 seconds
- 1/4 Mile: 15.8 seconds at 90 mph
- Braking, 60-0 (avg): 102 feet
- EPA: 19 City | 24 Highway | 21 Combined