New Cars 2012: Cadillac CTS-V

A couple years ago, I profiled the CTS-V; back then, only the sedan was available, and it was only available in a few colors. Now, this legendary performance vehicle can be had in two other bodystyles-- an sexy coupe, and a kickass wagon. Still available in either stickshift or automatic form, this trio represents a nice transition for Cadillac that will be further upheld over the new few years with the addition of the ATS and XTS luxury performance sedans.
Saddled with a 556 horse supercharged 6.2 LSA, these cars are monsters all across the rev range. Hitting sixty from a standstill in under four seconds, and continuing to build up speed until 190ish MPH, these are quite possibly the fastest thing GM makes this side of the Corvette-- and for good reason. The LSA in these beasts also powered the flagship Corvette ZR-1 too, although in that application it makes 638 horses versus a "lame" 556.
So, after glancing at the performance, you want one, yes? Well that's all fine and dandy, because the color palette has grown, too. Instead of the first year red, black, gunmetal, silver, and white, there's also an army green, and a deep cerulean metallic as well. This ensures the owner that not everyone who owns a CTS-V will have the same color.
Then there's the whole cost thing. Honestly, for a performance car, the cost really isn't that bad. The whole lineup starts at $64,515 and price climbs to $74,295 for a wagon. It sounds expensive, yes, but compared to the competition, it's a dang bargain. The Mercedes E63 lineup starts at nearly $100,000 and you get less horsepower and torque from a bigger car; even the Lexus IS-F is about $70,000.. and it packs over a hundred horses less-- and there's no wagon. So, as far as performance cars go, I think I know where my money would go if I wanted a fast wagon. With the money I saved, I could also take my CTS-V to Lingenfelter or Hennessey to gain even more power; an 800 horse wagon sounds awesome to me-- how does it sound to you? Make mine all black with black wheels like the Black Diamond Edition, and I'm good to go.