Hot car, hot spot: Cadillac CTS adds WiFi system

Written by: Gary Giacomo	1:30 PM PST - 4/30/2009
Photography by:	|  Next Photo

With all of the bad news coming out of Detroit - talking heads nattering on about how American-based car companies have made a series of bad decisions and how they should just fold their tent - it pays to look beyond the superficial to see just what our American carmakers are churning out.

The naysayers notwithstanding, American badged car companies are making products that Americans want, and they have been for years. Certainly a pack mentality has driven a good number of consumers to Toyota and Honda showrooms (or those of BMW and Mercedes), but, for example, a trip to the local Cadillac dealership might bring a surprised look to car buyers who want something unique, stylish and as American as Apple pie.

Cadillac a division of General Motors Corp., has been a leading luxury auto brand since 1902. In recent years, Cadillac has engineered an historic renaissance led by dramatic new designs and global expansion. Key to that renaissance was the CTS, introduced in 2004 as a serious domestic challenger to European sport sedans.

I know what you might be thinking, “Cadillac - old stuffy country club Republican car”. Today's Caddies could not be further from that stereotype. In fact much of Cadillac's recent CTS advertising is aimed at 30 and 40 something career women - looking for style and power behind the wheel.

As a matter of fact even our new, hip president has a Caddie in his driveway. The image of an American president greeting crowds from a Cadillac limousine dates to President Woodrow Wilson and the early days of the automobile, and continues into a historic new era. The latest Cadillac Presidential Limousine is a completely new design, succeeding the DTS Presidential Limousine that debuted in 2004. The new car incorporates many of the dramatic design and technology features of new and highly acclaimed Cadillac vehicles in a purpose-built format tailored to specific and exacting specifications befitting presidential transport.

Inside and out, the Cadillac Presidential Limousine includes many of the brand's signature design elements. Assertive, modern and elegant, the front of the car includes the intricate, dual-textured grille made famous by Cadillac's most popular current models, the CTS sport sedan and Escalade.

Ah a Cadillac fit for a president would surely be nice, but let's take a look at a model - the CTS-V – that we mere mortals can buy. The 2009 CTS-V in addition to looking very good in your driveway can smoke the competition in the performance department.

The CTS-V's engine is a 6.2-liter, all-aluminum small block V8 fitted with a smaller-displacement version (1.9 liters vs. 2.3 liters) of the Corvette ZR1's four lobe, sixth-generation Eaton supercharger. It delivers a whopping 556 horsepower and 551 lb-ft of torque to either a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed automatic gearbox. The manual is coupled to a light, progressive dual-disc clutch similar to the ZR1's, and the automatic has steering-wheel-mounted paddles for the manual mode.

With either transmission the CTS-V will get to 60 mph in a scant 3.9 seconds, and cover the quarter mile in 12 seconds flat. The car's top speed is quoted at 175 mph for the automatic and about 193 mph with the manual gearbox.

On the outside the sharply defined lines and modern grill work make the CTS a show piece of American design - even if its parked at the local mall.

Oh and if you still think Cadillac is the brand for grampa consider this feature available this month. Cadillac Wi-Fi by Autonet Mobile comes to the CTS Sport Sedan, giving passengers full internet access in and around the car via their laptop or WiFi device. It delivers an easy-touse and seamless internet experience, with 3G mobile technology that maintains internet connections while the car is in motion. The system can support several devices at once, enabling one passenger to update a Facebook page, while another is gaming online or watching YouTube videos, for example. Pretty cool? You better believe it.