The 2009 Cadillac CTS-V is raw power.  Drastically stronger than the previous model years, the 2009 CTS-V takes the Corvette ZR-1′s 6.2-liter engine and pops it under the hood of this sedan.  Oh yeah, but it can hold five people and is on the affordable side of the hefty ZR-1 price tag.

Here is a nice track test video from RoadFly:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uiPKcCKolj0&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999]

Performance-wise, the CTS-V finds itself in the company of the Mercedes E63 AMG and BMW M5, both quick sedans which run around $85,000, but it is a significantly better deal.  The CTS-V will be priced in the mid-60K range even when loaded out on options.

And don’t let the lower price tag fool you.  The CTS-V will go 0-60 mph in 3.9 seconds, has 100 more horsepower than the Mercedes E63 AMG and outran the BMW M5 at The Ring.  Cadillac added nice touches to the CTS-V’s steering wheel and shifter, giving them a comfortable suede-like feel.  The car has Brembo brakes to keep it reigned in, given its 191 mph top speed.

Calling it “unforgettable”, Car and Driver named the CTS-V to its top ten cars this year, and I know why.  I had the opportunity to get behind the wheel of one at a Cadillac dealer in Chicago about a month ago.  My experience could be summed up by the following two sentences:  Wow.  WOW.

I wish I could go into a long description about what it was like to drive it.  Unfortunately, I enjoyed myself so much, and the drive went by so quickly, I didn’t really catalog much in the way of specifics.  Anyway I wouldn’t do it justice with the written word.  My best advice is to test drive one for yourself at a Cadillac dealer in Chicago.  Certainly, nothing was glaringly wrong or I would have noticed.  Yes, that’s what I noticed–that nothing with this car was wrong, including me being behind its wheel.  (That was incredibly right.)  I’ve been in other high-performance autos, but this one really stands out.  Maybe it is because the CTS-V is so unassuming, but it’s probably because it’s so amazing.  To say that every car I’ve driven since then seems on the clunky side is no exaggeration, and I’ve driven a couple of V-8s since.  They can’t seem to keep them in stock, but the next time I’m out at a Cadillac dealer in Chicago I’ll be asking to drive one.

I love the CTS, and I’ve blogged about the CTS Sport Wagon before.  But the a chance to drive the CTS-V is the car guy’s equivalent of a date with Jennifer Aniston.  It’s just as beautiful, after all, and is better in several ways:  it has nothing to do with Brad Pitt, it’s attainable, and it could actually make David Schwimmer look cool.

If the CTS sedan didn’t convince you that Cadillac is anything but slow and bulky, the CTS-V should leave no doubt that Cadillac is a top maker of performance automobiles.

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Cadillac has gone hybrid in a big way with the Escalade Hybrid.  I make it a point to test drive and review any hybrid vehicle on the road because I want to encourage people to look at hybrids as a serious option, and I want to encourage auto makers to continue to invest in hybrid technology.  So I went to a Cadillac dealer in Chicago, Patrick Cadillac, to take a spin in the Escalade Hybrid.

The first thing that is obvious is that this vehicle is an Escalade.  Nothing you can see will tell you otherwise (except for a lot of badges and logos that say “Hybrid).  It possesses the same luxurious design and swanky attitude as the regular Escalade, but with major differences under the hood that make the vehicle a real winner when it comes to going green.

The Cadillac Escalade Hybrid shows an overall 33% improvement in fuel economy.  And it is amazingly city-friendly, managing to best the city fuel efficiency of the MINI Cooper S.  The city fuel efficiency of this hybrid is nearly 70% better than than its non-hybrid brother.  That’s a major, major difference helped quite a bit by the Escalade hybrid’s ability to run on electric-only power at speeds up to 25 mph.  It’s great news for drivers who spend a lot of time stuck in traffic or navigating stop-and-go city streets.

On to the road.  As soon as I pulled out of the Chicago Cadillac dealership, I was impressed with the responsiveness as I accelerated into traffic.  Sure, the hybrid version loses some of the giddy-up the traditional Escalade features, but with hybrids, acceleration isn’t really the point.

And other than the slight drop-off in acceleration , I can’t tell the difference between the way the hybrid drives and the way the regular Cadillac Escalade drives.  On the inside the major difference is the navigation-integrated fuel-efficiency information display that tells the driver how optimally the engine is performing at any given time.  This is something that is both fun and important, as a driver will enjoy watching gallons of fuel being saved before her eyes and be able to adjust driving style to increase fuel efficiency.

As I pulled back into the Chicago Cadillac dealership, I made sure to look at my mpg for my nearly 30-minute test drive.  I managed 20 mpg, and I probably could have done better if I had not horsed around at a couple of stop lights to see how fast I could take off.

Here is a good, quick video review from Cars.com’s Mike Hanley:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vHh_tbPReI&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999]

If you’re looking to purchase a Chicago Cadillac Escalade but are concerned about fuel economy, you’ll want to take a close look at opting for the Escalade Hybrid.  You’ll enjoy it every bit as much as a regular Escalade but save big money on gas, and most importantly, greatly reduce your impact on the environment.

Once upon a time there was a most wondrous electric concept vehicle that captured the imaginations of everyone in the charming car forest known as the Detroit Auto Show.  Heads were indeed turned, and all the townspeople smashed their hands together in a most thunder-like applause as the regally sporty car rolled along the carpeted forest floor toward its magical spinning pedestal.  All members of the appreciative throng looked on with twinkles in their eyes, eyes that made the minds of all present wrap around the enchanted promise of stylishly reducing mean, harmful carbon emissions.  Their minds now could picture the wonderful nexus of science and art, of a Cadillac design commitment to that very idea.

And we all lived happily ever after.  Well, if I got to drive one of these, I certainly would.  This car is darn foxy.  Cadillac has done amazing things with design recently.  I’ve been extraordinarily impressed by the Cadillac SRX and CTS designs this year, but the Converj is by far my favorite Cadillac, and probably my favorite car — ever.

So what makes the Converj more special than the hybrids we know today?  Well, unlike today’s hybrids, which use electric power to assist the internal combustion engine, the Converj uses the combustion engine only as a generator to recharge the battery pack.  Hence, the electric motor is always driving the wheels, no matter the speed.  That’s because the Converj uses Voltec architecture, the very same that will be used in the Chevy Volt.  That system includes a T-shaped lithium-ion battery pack underneath the car, an electric motor as the main propulsion source, and a 1.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder internal combustion engine that (gasp) isn’t even connected to the drive wheels.  The Converj can travel 40 miles on electricity alone, and several hundred miles using its small gasoline generator.

The battery takes a mere three hours to recharge at 240 volts.  Obviously, the idea here is that commuters will plug the vehicle in overnight, giving the car enough electric power for a typical commute without burning any gas.

I think the Converj falls into the Field of Dreams category.  If you build it, Cadillac, people will come.   How could they not?  I can assure you that as soon as a Converj makes it to a Chicago Cadillac dealership, I’ll be there gawking.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RZjbYgHnkY&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999]

The car is green in other nifty ways as well.  The Converj’s roof incorporates solar panels into its all-glass design that help replenish power drained by the car’s electronics. Low-profile cameras are installed in place of traditional outside mirrors to reduce drag.  Also, the car makes use of renewable materials such as wool-blend carpeting, a silk headliner, and suede manufactured from post-industrial content.

This is a really exciting car for the environment and for drivers.  The Prius has never appealed to me, and some of the new hybrids look a bit too strange for my taste.  But I feel like Cadillac has finally made an eco-friendly car I can get behind.  And hopefully get behind the wheel of.

I believe this car, which promises to be the Cadillac of electric vehicles, will be popular across the range of car buyers as soon as it hits dealerships.  And now if you would please imagine me sounding like James Earl Jones for the next sentence:

Oh… people will come, Ray.  People will most definitely come.

The all-new 2010 Cadillac SRX

I really fell in love with the design of the Cadillac Provoq concept when I blogged about it recently.  I wondered why the company had not applied the very design-forward body to a vehicle currently on the market.  Now my questions are answered.  The 2010 Cadillac SRX Crossover takes on almost all of the design of the Provoq concept. This really qualifies as a total overhaul of the SRX model.  The main design difference between the SRX and the Provoq is the grille, which is more traditional in concept and in line with recent Cadillac design language than the Provoq grille that was designed to open and close according to cooling needs.

I find the design very robust in looks while keeping the look of a tight, organized profile.  In the end, this gives a new look to car shoppers in the crossover segment.  The lines moving along the sides of the body help the visual concept and lead the eye in a natural way to the angular front of the vehicle.  This makes the SRX look very quick and appealing to me.

2010 Cadillac SRX interior

The inside of this vehicle is clean and sleek.  It sports great angles and a look very much the same as the Provoq’s interior.  The SRX will have a pop-up navigation like the one the Cadillac CTS received and an electronic parking brake activated by a switch on the console.  The brake switch adds a nice amount of room in the footwell for added driving comfort, especially during those long trips that require frequent leg adjusting.  As someone with long legs, I appreciate the gesture.

I can definitely see myself in this updated version of the SRX.  It has a much cooler stance and a more-directed artistic ambiance.  Cadillac is going for an artistry in this model that embodies “layers of texture,” which they exemplified by making the Cadillac crest logo on the grille three dimensional.  The layer effect overall gives the SRX that coveted illusion of jumping out from road.

The three-dimensional redesigned Cadillac shield logo

The 2010 Cadillac SRX will provide a choice of two V6 engines. The new base engine is a 3.0L version with direct injection, which comes in at 260 horsepower. Buyers looking for greater muscle will opt for the 2.8L V6 with a turbocharger, granting 300 horsepower.

Patrick Cadillac will have a 2010 Cadillac SRX Chicago inventory this summer, when  I will inevitibly beg them to let me drive one.