'16 Cadillac CTS-V

'16 Cadillac CTS-V tackles legendary Road America course in Elkhart Lake, WI (see related story: WardsAuto editor Tom Murphy discovered riding shotgun in the sport coupe.

In the CTS-V, the LT4 lulls you into a false sense of security. Cruising on the highway, it’s easy to mistake 85 mph (137 km/h) for 65 mph (105 km/h). Sure, the airtight cabin locks out freeway noise, but the engine is so agreeable and effortless to drive it is hard to believe 640 ponies lurk beneath the hood and a top speed of 200 mph (322 km/h) would be just seconds away.

Then you mash the accelerator and the Hydra-Matic 8-speed transmission ratchets down a couple of gears and the supercharger unleashes its soprano whine against a booming, baritone exhaust, pinning you into the optional Recaro high-performance seats. It would be frightening if it weren’t so exhilarating.

Unique, Refreshing Interior

The interior of the CTS-V is breathtaking, too. Cadillac, in its reborn state, has the luxury to take risks German premium brands reined in by their Teutonic design legacies would not dare. The CTS-V’s supple, stitched leather, exposed wood grains, carbon fiber and piano black combine for a high-tech, high-performance luxury feel unlike anything in the segment.

A quick note on the CUE infotainment system in the CTS-V: It is sort of a next-generation execution of the controversial touchscreen interface. It retains the same look but has been amped up for faster responsiveness and more features.

Punching in our navigation destination to Road America is a snap and now the system has an icon on the map to exit guidance, whereas before it required users to page back. The system also boasts 1.5 million points of interest, compared with about 1,500 before. There’s also Apple CarPlay compatibility with Android Auto coming later in the model year.

For those folks who just cannot live without knobs on their center stack, product managers here say one or two could be coming with the next-generation CUE.

With a base price of roughly $85,000, the CTS-V undercuts the BMW M5 and Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG by a couple grand, giving the car a fighting chance against the historically more-heralded Germans. But it still may be too much for some purists to swallow and in the end the only thing keeping this Cadillac’s wings on the ground.

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'16 Cadillac CTS-V Specifications

">’16 Cadillac CTS-V Express Jet for Street, Track).