2008 Cadillac CTS. Best car to come from Detroit in a long time

Hi! Ed here, the traveling fraud investigator. This week my travels took me to Florida for a yearly conference. The kind folks at Avis lent me a 2008 Cadillac CTS and here are my thoughts. Firstly, the CTS since its debut as a carrier of baddies in the second Matrix movie has been a striking looking car. The facelift given to it in its second iteration did wonders for it. In person the car looks beefy and the harsh angular-ness of its

predecessor is lessened. The interior is very nice. All of the surfaces were leather or nice plastic, no cheap extruded stuff to be seen. The buttons felt solid when pushed and the ergonomics were good. The central tunnel cut in on my legroom, but it was a comfortable driving position. It carried five adults and their luggage 140 miles from Orlando airport to Cocoa Beach and back on less than $25 in gas.

The ride was quiet with a little wind noise and a nice American rumbling under the hood. The suspension was set up for average driving, middle of the road with maybe a notch to the firm side. The steering was very tight with little play in the wheel and nice feedback. The power was good and was much more plentiful after I dropped everyone off and emptied the trunk. So should you buy one? Yes you should. It is not a super performance machine like a 3-series or an ultra-luxury ride like a C-class, but it is a little of both, which is very American – a melting pot. You want to go on a long drive and soak up the miles, it’ll do that. It will also get you to and from the grocery store with gusto. It’s cheaper to buy, maintain, and fill up (only requires 87 octane) and more importantly you’ll look like a badass, or your 72 year old uncle Sid from Boca Raton.