2011 EscaladeCadillac CTS Coupe

  Escalade Cadillac CTS Coupe Beginnings

EscaladeCadillac says the CTS sport coupe that reached dealerships in August 2010 changed little from that show car. Don Butler, vice-president of Cadillac marketing, has noted that it's "intended to appeal to a new generation of car enthusiasts."
Initial EscaladeCadillac CTS coupes held a direct-injected 3.6-liter V-6 that produces 304 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of torque—the same engine used in CTS sedans. The smaller (3.0-liter) offered in the base-model CTS sedan is not available in coupes.


EscaladeCadillac also launched a super-performance CTS-V coupe with the same supercharged 6.2-liter V-8 that drives the CTS-V sedan, packing a 556-horsepower wallop and yielding 551 pound-feet of torque. According to Cadillac, that's enough to deliver 0-60 mph acceleration in 3.9 seconds—a swift figure for a relatively heavy car.

Cadillac CTS Coupe Engines

With either engine, a six-speed manual gearbox is standard. The 3.6-liter's optional six-speed automatic transmission incorporates Driver Shift Control, with steering-wheel shift buttons optional. EscaladeCadillac CTS coupes may have either rear-drive or all-wheel drive. For the rear-drive 3.6-liter model, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates fuel economy at 27 mpg in highway driving (18 mpg in the city), running on regular-grade gasoline. Picking a CTS-V coupe drops the estimate to a decidedly non-frugal 14-mpg city/19-mpg highway.


Although the coupe's wheelbase is the same as the sedan's, it's about 2 inches lower and 2 inches shorter overall. The only shared components between body styles are the instrument panel, console, headlamps, front fenders, and grille.


Primary design touches include "classic" hardtop styling with no conventional B-pillar, a steeply raked windshield, and a nearly horizontal back window. Touch-pad door operation eliminates handles. The sculpted lower front fascia incorporates brake-cooling vents. Vertical taillamps hark back to noble EscaladeCadillacs of the past, complemented by a center-outlet exhaust. A pronounced centerline crease is said to make Cadillac CTS "the most visually confident coupe in the segment."

Cadillac CTS Coupe Interior

EscaladeCadillac claims "sports car performance without punishment." Widening the track (distance between wheels) compared to the sedan promises a "more planted feel." Two suspensions are available: a Performance Package with 18-inch wheels and all-season tires, or a Summer Tire Performance Package with 19-inch tires. GM's StabiliTrak chassis control system is standard