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Originally Posted by srt8/bmw

Cadillac did a lot more than just drop a high HP engine..this car was built -as a sedan-from the ground up to beat the M5 and C63 AMG, not only in a straight line, but at the "ring" and in every other way. And it does.

The CTS sedan was built to compete with the 5 series and E class Benz, and indeed the CTS-V was compared with the E63 and M5. Thus your expectation that the Coupe was made to go head to head against the M6. Problem is, the M6 sort of fell off everybody's radar and the price disparity is also huge - so they won't get compared.

Instead, pricing puts in square in the M3's bracket. There is also the matter of packaging - while the sedan was indeed 1 size larger than the 3 series inside, the coupe isn't, the packaging is pretty bad. So everyone looking at it immediately assumes it's a 3 series coupe competitor.

Also be aware that the CTS-V doesn't trounce the M3 on track. The Ring times are very close (M3 ZCP supposedly does 8 min flat) and other track times in the US are also close (with the Caddy being faster on some tracks and slower on others).

So performance wise, the only category where the Caddy trounces the M3 indisputably is acceleration - what else is new? The M3 has won comparisons in the past despite HP deficits...

It was won every comparison to those cars and the Jag, etc etc... This coupe is the same car with basically different sheet metal to make a coupe..so why now they want to compare to an M3 or RS5 is kind of strange- Maybe an M6??

Because the interior is cramped - the M3 has a better rear seat as well as ingress.

I would say there is no dispute it IS a world class sports car--and remember, in this shootout--they "choose"the M3. The V beat it in nearly all performance categories, and it is will beat it on the "ring" as well.

Since they didn't publish Ring times, let's wait and see (and see my comments above).

There only real knock against it was the Tranny--and they also called the M3 tranny "clunky"...

Clunky but lightning fast is better than super slow. But I've driven the DCT and it's not clunky by any stretch of the imagination.

there are several pro drivers that had substantially quicker times around Monticello in the V than in the M3 on the same day, during Caddy's challenge.

I've only seen times from the pros in the Caddy (not in the M3), and they beat some kid in an M3. All the other CTS-V times by regular Joe's were worse than the kid in the M3.

Kind of makes you wonder what the M3 times would have been with an unbiased pro at the wheel.