2009 Cadillac CTS-V

The greatest achievement of the new CTS-V is its transformation from an exhilarating brute into a legitimate, polished luxury sedan.

Aside from big wheels and a chrome grille with enough chain link to wrap a penitentiary, you’d never guess this Cadillac was Ferrari-fast, a 556-horsepower Motown missile that reaches 60 m.p.h. from a stop in about 4 seconds and boasts a top speed of 191 miles an hour.

With a supercharged Corvette V-8 under the hood, the Cadillac likes to skip the boring chapters of its speedometer and race to the triple-digit climax.

The cabin offers terrific touch-screen controls, a stitched leather dash and a pleasing layout. G.M.’s groundbreaking magnetic suspension delivers

a surprisingly tolerable ride for real world use.

Cadillac CTS-V

BASE PRICE $60,700

ENGINE 6.2-liter supercharged V-8

HORSEPOWER / TORQUE 556 / 551 lb. ft.

0-60 ACCELERATION 4.3 seconds

70-0 BRAKING 166 feet

CURB WEIGHT 4,200 pounds

E.P.A. FUEL ECONOMY 13 / 19 m.p.g.

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