IT'S LIKE SITTING IN A TOP-END MERCEDES

+ Click to Enlarge LIKE AN M5 IN A MEDIEVAL VISOR: The Cadillac CTS-V makes no pretence of streamlining - it punches its way through the air with 6.2 litres of American muscle.

November 19, 2009
By James Martin

Can you judge a country by the car its leaders choose?

If so, Britain's Jaguar XJ - the Cabinet's traditional choice, a luxury sedan that's so good at least one member has two. Jaguar's a good fit for England: it combines traditional values with high technology, projects quiet power, was bought by Americans in 1989 and is now owned by an Indian billionaire.

I can't think of anything more appropriate. A German-owned Mini would feel wrong (albeit a lot of fun) and I somehow can't see Gordon Brown screeching sideways out of Downing Street in an Aston Martin DBS...

The French have it easier. They still own their own car industry, so little Monsieur Sarkozy goes round in an armour-plated Citroen C6. Angela Merkel gets a Volkswagen Phaeton - good choice.

The Swedish PM has a Volvo S80 and Silvio Berlusconi gets an official Maserati Quattroporte - probably the cheapest car he owns. But the king of the motorcades, the one the world's eyes are on, is the American presidential limo.

Since about 1918, presidents have swopped back and forth between Cadillacs and Lincolns. It was an armoured Lincoln that carried JFK to Dealey Plaza in November 1963 - armoured in the wrong places, sadly.

Recently they seem to have settled on Caddies, with Obama taking delivery this January of a custom-built, $300 000 (R2.25-million), bulletproof limo known as Cadillac One - although I prefer the Secret Service's nickname for it, The Beast.

It's mostly bits and bobs from a Cadillac DTS limousine mixed with elements of the giant Escalade but the 200mm-thick armour, oxygen supply, shotguns, teargas cannon, fire-fighting system and bags of the president's blood add so much weight that they use the chassis from a GMC lorry.

As a status symbol, it takes some beating.

Why am I talking about this? Well, sitting on my drive is a car that looks as out of place in this quiet Hampshire village as Obama would if he popped round for a plate of chips and a go on my PlayStation.

It's the new Cadillac CTS-V that's three times the price of a normal CTS sedan. If The Beast shows off Cadillac's heavyweight credentials, this is the other end of the scale: taut, responsive and unbelievably fast.

First, let's get the negatives out of the way. It's left-hand drive only (which means it won't be coming to South Africa), looks ugly - like a BMW M5 wearing a knight's visor - and, like all Cadillacs, its resale value will drop faster than its fuel gauge.

As for the positives, it's £9000 (R113 000) cheaper than the aforesaid M5 and can get round the Nordschleife quicker. It's rear-wheel drive with a top speed of 305km/h and it can get from 0-100km/h in 3.9sec, equal to an Audi R8 or a Ferrari 430.

Believe me, this is a hell of a car for less than R750 000!

UNEXPECTED SOUND

All those are just stats, though. It's what's on the inside that counts (I'm deliberately ignoring the outside). Sheets of plastic have been replaced by an "obsidian" fascia, leather seats and nice suede detailing - even the steering wheel and gear knob are suede.

You get heatable, ventilated front seats, a touch-screen satnav that plays TV and a Bose surround-sound system. It's like sitting in a top-end Mercedes and that I wasn't expecting.

Even the sound is unexpected. There's a supercharged 6.2-litre V8, which should make the classic raw shout of an American muscle car - but instead, when you fire her up you get a low, dignified 'wuffle'.

It's only when you get out on the road that, like Bruce Willis in 'Die Hard', the CTS-V takes off its suit to reveal the sweaty vest and weaponry underneath.

This is a big car, but it goes like stink, trimming the hedges on both sides of the narrow country lanes that lead away from my house. A face-full of foliage was a small price to pay as I started to reel out its 412kW. Forget those worries about depreciation - I'd gladly pay by the minute for the feeling you get when you press your right foot down.

I pulled out to overtake and it felt like the horizon was being fired at me by a particle accelerator. What's more, it corners properly, using a limited-slip differential and cutting-edge magnetic-ride technology I've only seen before on the Ferrari California and Audi R8.

TEAR YOUR FACE OFF

I had the automatic, which is £3000 (R37 500) more and won't reach 305km/h (it's limited to 280 but does have "Performance Algorithm Shifting", which reads how aggressively you're driving and quickens the gear changes).

You may get the feeling by now that I like this car. Wrong: I love it - not just because it's fantastic to drive, but because it finally solves the age-old problem with American auto companies: they made cars that were nice to sit in and cars that could tear your face off, but never a car that could do both.

The only reason I'm not calling this the world's best for the price is that the Nissan GT-R is now sitting on my driveway, £5000 (R63 000) cheaper and absolutely phenomenal.

But the Cadillac gets in your blood. You know how I know? It cost me £130 (R1600) in petrol in three days but I was having so much fun I didn't even care. Now that's saying something from a Yorkshireman. Ask one of us what car the prime minister should be given and we'd say: "What's wrong wi' t' bus?" - Daily Mail

TECH SPEC

UK Price: £59 000 (R740 000).
Engine: 6.2-litre supercharged V8.
Power: 415kW.
Torque: 747Nm at 3800rpm.
Top speed: 280km/h (regulated).
Transmission: Six-speed automatic, rear-wheel drive.
Fuel consumption: 14.litres/10km.
CO2 emissions: 350g/km.

Standard equipment:
19" alloys, Magnetic Ride Control suspension, limited-slip differential, Brembo brakes, antilock brakes with electronic brake pressure distribution, traction control, 14-way adjustable Recaro sports front seats with heating and ventilation, leather and suede interior, voice-activated ten-speaker Bose surround-sound audio with iPod integration, 200mm touchscreen, 3D hard-disc satnav with TV tuner and CD/DVD player, dual-zone auto aircon, bi-xenon high-intensity, adaptive headlights, heatable power-adjustable folding mirrors, automatic wipers, rear parking sensors, cruise control

Optional:
19" ten-spoked, polished aluminium rims, choice of seven paint finishes.