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2013 Cadillac CTS Pros, Cons, Prices
And How To Get The Best
Out-The-Door Deal
(See Also: "The Ultimate Cadillac CTS Negotiation Secret")
The CTS sedan was one of the cars having a significant impact on turning things around for Cadillac as they successfully refashioned a more edgy, youthful and fun-to-drive brand. And today, it still offers lots of appeal, including a distinctive and attractive interior with high-grade materials and plenty of high-tech features, while also offering capable handling and solid power from its larger 3.6-liter V6 engine.
That said, while that five-year-old CTS could take on the best of the planet's luxury sedans, it has largely stood pat since while many of its rivals have moved on with updates, improvements and redesigns which have raised the bar. The CTS is certainly competitive in this segment and remains a solid choice, particularly for a home-grown entry, but it has begun to lag some of its previous peers.
2013 Cadillac CTS
And it's always best to review both a vehicle's strong qualities as well as its weaker, potential problem areas before making a final buying decision. In addition, if someone then decides to proceed with a purchase, it's also best to have a rock-solid plan for getting the absolute lowest price possible, so we'll lead you to that information as well.
Before going into more detail below, the 2013 Cadillac CTS's overall positives can be summarized to include its capable and confident handling, roomy and refined interior and excellent crash test scores. On the downside, its overall negatives would include its agility lagging some of it rivals, a ride quality that may be too harsh for some and poor rear visibility.
Pros:
Capable and Confident Handling:
The CTS's steering is precise and well-weighted for easy maneuverability and it's strong grip through corners is impressive for a car of this size. Acceleration power is much more robust with the 3.6-liter engine, making it a good choice over the more sluggish 3.0-liter since both engines get virtually the same gas mileage (18 mpg city and 27 mpg on the highway).
Roomy and Refined Interior:
The 2013 CTS sports a spacious and roomy cabin with plenty of leg and headroom, both front it rear. The interior design is attractive and modern, while the overall luxury look and feel is accentuated with abundant soft-touch materials, high-quality genuine wood trim accents and plenty of high-tech conveniences. The optional navigation system is particularly noteworthy as it rises up from the top of the dashboard, and when retracting, leaves just a small section for the audio system's touchscreen display.
2013 Cadillac CTS interior
Excellent Crash Test Scores:
In government crash testing, the CTS was awarded a top rating of five out of five stars in overall, frontal and side-impact occupant protection categories.
Standard safety features for all 2013 Cadillac CTS models include stability control, traction control, antilock disc brakes, front-seat side airbags, front active head restraints, full-length side curtain airbags and OnStar (includes automatic crash notification, an emergency button, roadside assistance and remote door unlock).
Cons:
Not as Agile As Some Rivals:
While the CTS possesses quite competent road manners, nevertheless it's large size and hefty weight keep it from being as athletic as most of the top competitors in this segment. It's a good drive, just not as good as some of the others.
A Harsh Ride Quality:
This is not your grandfather's Cadillac with a soft and cushy-smooth driving experience. The CTS Performance models firm suspension tuning helps provide its sportier driving dynamics, but it also means the ride will be on the firmer side as well, perhaps too much so for some. And those thinking of opting for the optional sport-tuned suspension will find it is even stiffer with a resulting ride quality that many may find downright harsh.
Poor Rear Visibility:
The car's thick rear pillars make for an attractive design, but come at the expense of reduced window size. The result is poor rearward visibility when driving in reverse making for more challenging maneuvers when in tight spots. And for those who opt for it, there will be a strong reliance on the rearview camera in those situations.
Overall:
The 2013 Cadillac CTS is an attractive, well-made and feature-laden luxury sedan with competent handling credentials. There are also some strong competitors in this market with their own upsides and downsides that may grade out a little higher in recent years. Those possibly worthy of consideration would include the BMW 3-Series and the Lexus GS 350.
How To Get The Lowest Price:
Well, there's definitely a 'best way' when it comes to new car buying. If you want to get the best bottomline, out-the-door price you need to know exactly who to talk to at the dealership, how to make the contact and how to make this person eager to quickly drop prices as low as possible to get your sale.
Here's the details on exactly how to get the best price on a new Cadillac CTS.
