CADDY SHOCK (some text hidden) --NONE--

BY ANDY ENRIGHT

Introductionword count: 98

You've got to hand it to Cadillac. They keep trying to break the British market, and we keep ignoring them. Even Robbie Williams gave up and came home from LA with his tail between his legs after failing to crack America, but it seems that Cadillac have a bit more staying power than the chap famously described by Liam Gallagher as a fat dancer from Stoke. Although sales have been virtually inconsequential, there are occasions when an unappealing new buy becomes a wholly justifiable used purchase. Could the Cadillac CTS be just such a car? Here's the lowdown.

Modelsword count: 13

(4 dr saloon, 3dr coupe, 5dr estate 2.8, 3.6 petrol [Sport Luxury, V])

Historyword count: 232

The CTS is a badge that's been going a while. It was first introduced Stateside in 2002, the badge standing for Catera Touring Sedan. Prior to the CTS Cadillac styling had been rather glitzy, grandiose and, to most European palates, hilariously gauche. The CTS was different. It was the first model to feature the oddly-named “Art and Science” design language, penned by Wayne Cherry and Kip Wasenko. All sharp angles, bold creases and planar surfaces, the CTS looked fantastic, more Hugo Boss than Boss Hogg. The second generation car we look at here debuted in 2008. Wider and longer than the first generation model, the styling direction wasn't watered down at all. If anything, it grew more radical-looking. Launched in the UK at the tail end of the year, we got a choice of 2.8 or 3.6-litre saloons in a sole somewhat oxymoronic-sounding Sport Luxury trim level. Refreshingly, the steering wheel was on the right-hand side of the car. This was soon joined by the CTS Sport Wagon estate and , at the start of 2009, the blistering CTS-V, a 564PS supersaloon with a near sixty grand price tag. The CTS Coupe joined the range, and CTS-V versions were offered in coupe and wagon guises to be sold alongside the saloon. The 2.8-litre engine was replaced by a 3.0-litre for 2010 and an all-new CTS was announced for the 2104 model year.

What You Getword count: 202

This second-generation CTS is a clear evolution of its razor-edged predecessor and the design has aged very well, the car still looking more like an escapee from a motor show than a common or garden executive hack. If anything, the styling is even more extreme than before, the wheels being teased further towards the corners of the vehicle to improve agility and passenger accommodation with the wheel arches gently flaring over them to suggest a toned muscularity. As Audi has demonstrated, a big, bold grille does wonders for raising the profile of your wares and the CTS doesn't shy away from advertising who built it. Inside it's a bit of a revelation. Yes, there are some scratchier finishes than you'd expect to chance upon in an Ingolstadt product but it's attractively styled and has much more of a personality than the reheated Saab innards that its little brother, the BLS, serves up. The entire dash top is covered in stitched leather and the V-shaped centre console, deeply cowled instruments and ostentatiously chunky steering wheel give the CTS genuine showroom presence. The refreshing thing about it is that it is clearly an American car but has been bullied into offering European style quality.

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