If you had the money....
#25
Fun thread. In all honesty if I won a few $million tomorrow, I would completely restore my GSR, trade the wife's civic for the newest, lowest mileage RSX type S I could find, and fully restore an 80's K5 blazer for my winter ride, since Ive ALWAYS wanted one since I knew what a truck was.
#27
Actually better
Cadillac? Are You Serious?
Finally, it was the Cadillac's turn. Could it put it all together, or would the CTS-V prove to be a paper tiger?
As with the M5, the CTS-V's first hot lap was timed with the suspension in its firmest setting, but subsequent quicker laps were turned in the softer mode. And though the six-speed automatic has a manual mode, we found both up- and downshifts too slow to arrive and too upsetting to the chassis when they did. As former GM test-driver John Heinricy has advocated, the car's best performance came in automatic mode.
The CTS-V felt almost as if it was loafing around the track. (Not because we felt comfortable — to the contrary, the driver seat was about as supportive as a beach chair.) The supercharged V8 never sounded like it was working hard, the suspension was so good at soaking up bumps that the track felt smoother, and the transmission did all the thinking so we only had to gas-brake-turn, gas-brake-turn, and so on.
And because the maximum-strength CTS has the brakes to match its power, the Caddy flew through the speed trap at a crushing 107.5 mph and stopped on a dime for the approaching corner. Initially we weren't persuaded we had cut a very quick lap, but the downloaded data proved that the Cadillac had recorded a best of 1:29.24, some 0.29 second quicker than the Mercedes and 1.1 seconds quicker than the BMW.
Finally, it was the Cadillac's turn. Could it put it all together, or would the CTS-V prove to be a paper tiger?
As with the M5, the CTS-V's first hot lap was timed with the suspension in its firmest setting, but subsequent quicker laps were turned in the softer mode. And though the six-speed automatic has a manual mode, we found both up- and downshifts too slow to arrive and too upsetting to the chassis when they did. As former GM test-driver John Heinricy has advocated, the car's best performance came in automatic mode.
The CTS-V felt almost as if it was loafing around the track. (Not because we felt comfortable — to the contrary, the driver seat was about as supportive as a beach chair.) The supercharged V8 never sounded like it was working hard, the suspension was so good at soaking up bumps that the track felt smoother, and the transmission did all the thinking so we only had to gas-brake-turn, gas-brake-turn, and so on.
And because the maximum-strength CTS has the brakes to match its power, the Caddy flew through the speed trap at a crushing 107.5 mph and stopped on a dime for the approaching corner. Initially we weren't persuaded we had cut a very quick lap, but the downloaded data proved that the Cadillac had recorded a best of 1:29.24, some 0.29 second quicker than the Mercedes and 1.1 seconds quicker than the BMW.
#28
I stand corrected. I'd still take the m5 (actually, I'd take an m3, but that's just me) over the cadillac. The cts-v looks a little too much like an m1a1 abrams to me. That, and as amazing as factory-blown cars are, it just tells me that the manufacturer didn't feel like engineering a better N/A engine, so they just threw a supercharger on it and called it good. I'm sure that's not actually the case, but it's what I get out of it
#29
A better n/a engine? It has the same engine as the ZR-1 in it with a slightly smaller blower. LS7? do you not think that is an amazing feat of developement? Ti. pushrods/valves/springs, hand built, and making 505hp while still able to obtain 26 to 28mpg on the highway. I'm sorry but GM makes the absolute best engines out of the big three as far as V8's go. They also have a fantastic example of a really nice V6(direct injection 3.6's in the base CTS and upcoming camaro with 305hp and 280tq)
Ford has to throw a supercharger on anything to make power with it and Dodge's biggest baddest production V8 falls 80hp short of the N/A LS7.
Ford has to throw a supercharger on anything to make power with it and Dodge's biggest baddest production V8 falls 80hp short of the N/A LS7.
#30
I didn't say it wasn't a good engine, I just said I don't like factory-blown/boosted cars (and yes, that includes terminator cobras)