Cadillac CTS Air Suspension.

In its earlier years, Cadillac had little interest in making smaller cars. When market conditions finally convinced the company’s managers that the brand had to have them, the resulting products elicited little favorable reaction from consumers. The modern Cadillac CTS air suspension, however, is one entry-level Cadillac that has bucked that trend. With a cutting-edge design and extensive development work on Germany’s famed Nürburgring test track, the CTS coil spring sport sedan is aimed squarely at the class leaders in one of the industry’s most competitive segments. It’s also a bit larger than many of the cars that it competes against in terms of price and design philosophy. Cadillac had launched the front-drive Allante for the 1987 model year, to plenty of fanfare, as the company’s most expensive model. Body and interior design for Cadillac’s first 2-seat model was created by Pininfarina, in Italy, but the V8/automatic drivetrain was strictly American. Bodies were produced at a facility near Turin, Italy, then loaded onto special jet planes and flown to Detroit.

Once there, driveline and underbody components were installed. Allante was a full convertible, with integral folding soft top and detachable aluminum hardtop. Aluminum was used for the hood and trunk lid while the unit body/frame structure employed galvanized steel. The Allante’s wheelbase measured 8.4 inches shorter than an Eldorado’s, but the 2-seater shared its basic fully independent suspension. An all-disc power brake system with Bosch antilocking was standard. Initial Allantes had used a 4.1-liter V8 engine and 4-speed automatic transmission. By 1990, a 200-horsepower, 4.5-liter V8 was the motive source, also with automatic only.

There have been two generations of the Cadillac CTS. Despite some obvious shortcomings in terms of interior design and quality, the first CTS went on to be one of Cadillac’s most popular models as well as the only main domestic entry to truly compete against the top European and Japanese entry-level luxury cars. It’s worth a look as a used or pre-owned model. For the second-generation CTS, Cadillac made substantial improvements regarding to interior design and materials quality. It’s an excellent luxury sport sedan, and consumers interested in this type of car should give it serious consideration.

Articles For Blogs