(Un)natural Progression: E90 M3 -> Cadillac CTS-V Sedan

[Veritable]

Enough with the whining... the deal is done. It happened.

The goal was to be able to find a dealer with one that is willing to discount it enough / offer a good enough trade-in value on the M3 that the overall spend will be cheaper than me putting Recaros + KW V3s + Brembo GTs + ESS VT2-585 into the BMW.

Had to go to a dealer 1000km / 600mi away in Calgary, Alberta to make it happen, but happen it did.

Driving the M3 to Calgary to make the swap happen:











After a 13hrs drive and then spending a night in Downtown Calgary, woke up at 8AM then checked out of the hotel at around 9:30 for the 20km / 12mi drive to the dealership....



















A stop in Banff National Park on the way back home:











The whole trip, condensed into 1hr:

Made it home at 2AM, and the biggest question on my friends and family's minds is... will it fit? I had only 20cm / ~10in clearance with the M3 before....





...and it did! Just.

Finally, got rid of the dealership badge with a hairdryer, a length of dental floss and finished up with a tiny bit of gasoline on a rag:





Deal was good but not good enough for me to carry this around!

Finally, inspection done, registered / titled / plated:



It's a 2013 Cadillac CTS-V Sedan 6MT, Black Diamond Tri-coat | Satin Graphite wheels | red brake calipers | Performance Seats with metallic pedals | Suede package | Ultraview Sunroof | Midnight Sapele wood trim.

[Denk]

Not the same Caddy dad used to drive for sure. I respect the performance, my neighbor has a 2012. I like your old M3 a lot better though. It's a visual thing.

[krnnerdboy]

Man I do love the look of the red e90! But the performance advantage is undeniable!!!

[lorinzo]

Looks good.

[Crack85]

Lookin good Sir

[Nati Beastcat]

Originally Posted by Denk

Not the same Caddy dad used to drive for sure. I respect the performance, my neighbor has a 2012. I like your old M3 a lot better though. It's a visual thing.

Originally Posted by krnnerdboy

Man I do love the look of the red e90! But the performance advantage is undeniable!!!

both of these... looks of the M3 and the caddy power plant!!

[M3takesNYC]

Can't get over the look on the caddy (in a negative way) I wish Caddy would have done an XLR-esque departure and made their Cts V an entirely new shape that looked nothing like the typical caddy which although more modern, is unchanged from 50 years ago. A car with softer bends and more appealing to the eye, with 550 supercharged hp, would have been a smash hit

[Chriskm3]

Caddy looks very mean.

[swanson]

Congrats! Looks great and nice pics.

[FormulaMMM]

Driving impressions? Did you make the right choice?

[JulieDriving]

Hey, I know you've always wanted one. Now you've got it. Congrats!! I'm sure the road trip was good for memories too. She looks nice.

Hope your old M3 goes to a good home.

[TTG]

I don't think I can ever convince my self to buy a Cadillac regardless of the performance.

Looks like you got the car you wanted and Congrats.

[gthal]

I actually think the Caddy looks more aggressive than the E90 M3 and I'm sure the performance will be great! I'm sure you will enjoy it.

P.S. Please tell me you don't normally wearing racing gloves when you drive, right? It must have been cause the car was cold driving though the mountains!

[Darth One]

impressions compared to M3?

[krnnerdboy]

Originally Posted by gthal

I actually think the Caddy looks more aggressive than the E90 M3 and I'm sure the performance will be great! I'm sure you will enjoy it.

P.S. Please tell me you don't normally wearing racing gloves when you drive, right? It must have been cause the car was cold driving though the mountains!

Haha, I did on occasion in my boss302 bc of the alcantara steering wheel! I'm a clean steering wheel freak and I couldn't stand the thought of not being able to wipe it down everyday

[E90ab335i]

I'm gonna be honest, that CTS-V looks badass......

[Veritable]

Originally Posted by krnnerdboy

Haha, I did on occasion in my boss302 bc of the alcantara steering wheel! I'm a clean steering wheel freak and I couldn't stand the thought of not being able to wipe it down everyday

Yes! Didn't want to ruin the suede on the first day, especially since I was going to continuously spend 13hrs in the car.... I have the gloves, I brought them, and I used them.

Originally Posted by Darth One

impressions compared to M3?

Originally Posted by FormulaMMM

Driving impressions? Did you make the right choice?

Did the level 1 Car Control Clinic with the BMW Car Club of BC (of which I still am and will remain a member; regardless our club's driver training courses are usually enjoyed by non-BMW owners as we organize the most of these events in our local area) today. Here's the compilation video:

And 1 pic from my cellphone:


I will start with the bad, which have everything to do with quality and design decisions:

1. BMW likes to make the dash and consoles each with one solid piece of plastic, which is very boring but very solid. The CTS has more pieces of trim, which need more clips, which means more gaps and more chances to squeak.

2. The switchgears were more solid in the BMW. For example, the turn signal stalk (which you use a lot, obviously) "flicks" into position once you move it past the centering resistance in the CTS, while in the BMW you "move" them.

3. The steering wheel is just a regular CTS wheel with gloss black trim and wrapped in suede (which is even an added cost), while I much prefer BMW's bespoke small-diameter thick-rimmed M3 wheel.

4. Still on the steering, and the only "performance" complaint I have, the steering is too light from center. So, small adjustments when you're going straight, or the initial turn-in feels floaty.

5. Electronic parking brake is the Devil's own invention.

6. The big screen in the middle is just for Nav and Entertainment. All the rest of the stuffs you set up and tweak are done through the small screen in your instrument cluster... same as your BMW if there's no iDrive. I liked how with iDrive then everything is moved onto the screen. Took me a few hours to figure out where to pair my Bluetooth phone. In fact I would say it's as if the big screen is an aftermarket Nav / Entertainment unit, which is also not tied into the car's electronics.

7. is related to 6, no more BMW Office (I had a 2011.75 E90) which copies down your phone's phonebook and shows text messages (and e-mails for Blackberries and iPhones apparently). The CTS is just a Bluetooth headset with call display screen.

However, here are the good, and they have everything to do with the engine, chassis, dynamics and even perception.

1. I took the exact same route back with the CTS as I went there with the M3, and today's skidpad session confirms it: For my skill level, whatever I did in the M3 I can still do in the CTS-V. I cannot feel the 250kg difference in weight in transitions, and there's not any additional body roll that I can tell. Chalk that up to the Magne-Ride Shocks?

2. Continue with the steering, once you're a bit past center or going into the corner at a good speed, then the steering feel tightens up and becomes quite "BMW-like."

3. Another point for Magne-Ride and possibly the beefier tires, the ride quality is at least 50% better than both of my non-EDC M3s.

4. The acceleration from any RPM is... amazing, but I'm sure you guys all know that already. That probably helps the car shrug off the alleged weight penalty.

5. Despite the great gobs of torque this engine shoves out at any RPM, it does so in such an effortless laid-back manner that I have absolutely no doubt regarding the longevity of this drivetrain. The engine only revs out to 6200rpm and it's just not necessary to beat on it to get the job done; the transmission is straight out of the ZR-1 Corvette, where it handles another 100ft.lb. of torque; and from a stop, the rear suspension puts the power down a lot better than the M3 (and I'll confirm that at the dragstrip next month, the same place where my DCT M3 couldn't use Launch Control at any RPM).

6. The front Performance Seats are awesome, and in a related note the rear bench is also a much nicer and roomier place to be compared to the BMW.

7. is possibly my favorite. Since my town is full of kids driving BMWs in general and M3s in particular, whereas the CTS is owned by almost no-one, when going with the provincial government-owned insurance / licensing agency my insurance cost is now HALF compared to the BMW. Not seeing another V for another 6 months vs. seeing multiple E9x M3s daily is an added bonus.

So, if it was between a CTS vs. a 3-series, BMW for sure. When it's the CTS-V vs. an M3, though, even though dynamically they go about their businesses quite differently, the V is just as quick for me in the twisties while having so much more effortless power on tap. I'm happy with it.

[FormulaMMM]

Cool. Nice comparison.

[gthal]

Great review and it doesn't surprise me. Caddy is known for interior issues even though the interior looks very nice but the performance is undeniable. It also looks as mean as hell.

[shu5892001]

I would of kept the E90 but different strokes for different folks. As long as it makes you happy, that's all it matters.

congrats,

[pkimM3r]

Ctsv is nice but you should be comparing it to the m5. Thats like comparing an m5 to an ATSV.

[CPB]

CTS-V..........I'm a fan. Enjoy the new car!