2009 Cadillac CTS-V specs revealed

You've probably heard about Cadillac's headkickin', firebreathin' CTS-V by now, but what you probably haven't heard is just how fast this puppy can be.

Last month we broke the news that a CTS-V prototype broke the record for the fastest 4-door at the Nurburgring, but now we know just how it managed to clinch that title. You see, with a 0-98kph sprint time of 3.9 seconds and a quarter mile elapsed time of just 12 seconds, the CTS-V is blisteringly quick for something that you can also drive the entire family to church in. And yes, that also makes it faster than those other two "performance sedans", the BMW M5 and the Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG.

Power output from its supercharged 6.2-litre LSA V8 peaks at a hefty 415kW, while torque is a massive 747Nm. It's not all about the engine though, as the rest of the driveline has been beefed up to cope with all that power and the suspension features GM's Magnetic Ride Control adjustable damping system, which stiffens up suspension movements when the going gets twisty.

If all goes well, we may yet see the CTS-V here on Australian shores. GM is planning to bring the Cadillac brand here in the last quarter of this year, so we might, just might, be able to lay our hands on what is now the undisputed king of performance sedans.

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Press Release

2009 CTS-V Performance Reaches The Stratosphere

Certified at 556 horsepower, acceleration times are top among V-8 sedans

MILFORD, Mich. - As final testing of the limited-edition 2009 CTS-V nears completion, the results suggest that Cadillac's upcoming sports sedan is entering the stratosphere of the world's highest-performing cars. Cadillac announces the following performance specifications for all-new 2009 CTS-V:

CTS-V, with its supercharged 6.2-liter LSA engine, has achieved SAE-certified peak output of 556 horsepower (415 kW) at 6100 rpm and 551 lb.-ft. (747 Nm) of torque at 3800 rpm.

CTS-V accelerates from 0-60 mph in 3.9 seconds. CTS-V covers the quarter-mile in 12 seconds at 118 mph. These acceleration times are believed to be the fastest for any V-8-powered sedan currently in production.

More than just power, CTS-V also includes a comprehensive suite of technical and design enhancements, including Magnetic Ride Control and a new automatic transmission with paddle-shift control. Cadillac pioneered Magnetic Ride Control, the world's fastest-acting suspension, in 2004. The new CTS-V employs a new version of this technology, enabling it to achieve a remarkably wide bandwidth of capability that ranges from extreme high-performance agility to the smooth road manners of a prestigious luxury sedan.

CTS-V also manages power via an extremely robust driveline. The car's limited-slip differential is made of cast iron for extreme strength. Its limited-slip tuning enables excellent high-speed stability along with comfortable low-speed maneuverability. The prop shaft is heavy-duty and wheel hub bearings are stiffened and bolstered to manage the car's remarkable energy. Axle half-shafts are asymmetrical, a design that ensures smooth performance.

"CTS-V represents the full extension of our design, technology and performance capabilities," said Jim Taylor, Cadillac general manager. "The V-Series takes the award-winning CTS sport sedan and elevates it to a position within the club of the world's most exclusive and capable cars."

In testing May 8 at Germany's famed Nürburgring track, the new 2009 CTS-V completed a lap of the legendary Nordschleife in 7:59.32. This blistering time appears to be the fastest ever publicly documented for a production sedan on factory-spec street tires.

One of the realistic objectives of the Cadillac team is to make the CTS-V the world's fastest production sedan, as a part of the overall goal to make the V-Series Cadillac's ultimate expression of performance and technology. A video of the car's breakthrough Nürburgring performance is online in many locations, including Cadillac's home on the Internet (Cadillac.com/09ctsv), and at the blog documenting Cadillac performance development (http://Cadillac.gmblogs.com).