Road Test: 2004 Cadillac CTS-V vs. 2004 Jaguar S-Type R
Rivalries this pointed are surprisingly rare in the automotive world. There's BMW versus Mercedes-Benz, Ford versus Chevy, Honda versus Toyota, Britney versus Christina. Continental Europeans may care about Peugeot versus Renault, but that's about it. So it's no small thing that Motor Trend has discovered a new matchup: Cadillac versus Jaguar.
Over the years, our King of the Hill contests have pitted Eldorados and Escalades against Mark IVs and Navigators, but when you're perusing the marketplace for a 400-horse sport sedan, it's the Leaper's supercharged S-Type R that squares off neatly with the Wreath and Crest's Corvette-powered CTS-V.
It didn't take many miles behind the wheels to find similarities with the BMW M versus Mercedes AMG rivalry. We're revealing our most important conclusion early here, so pay attention: The CTS-V and S-Type R come closer than the last presidential election in terms of layout and performance, and yet they're distinctly different like the two cars they most want to be: the M5 and E55 AMG. You can figure which is which: The Cadillac CTS-V, like the M5, comes only with a six-speed manual gearbox, while the Jaguar S-Type R's six-speed, like the five-speed in the E55, is an automatic. To shift the six-speed automatic yourself, you must use Jaguar's clunky, long-in-the-tooth J-gate shifter. (Hint: It's not worth it.)
Snapshot
The Players
Cadillac's new Corvette-powered CTS-V--America's bargain-priced M5, starting at $49,995--takes on the super-smooth, 390-horsepower, $63,120 Jaguar S-Type R.The Game
Both of these midsize four-doors pack more punch than standard spec CTS and S-Type models, yet cost less than uebercommando sport sedans like the Audi RS 6 and Mercedes-Benz E55 AMG. Which is best? |
Both cars are relative bargains. Buy the Jaguar instead of the Mercedes, and you'll save $16,950, enough to get your teenager a new Honda Element. Buy the Cadillac instead of the BMW, and you'll save $23,200, enough to get your mom a new Buick Century. And that's assuming you can still find a 2003 M5 on your BMW dealer's lot--there is no 2004, and the M version of the new 5 Series is a year away.
Each marque attacked the midsize performance-sedan question with distinct, yet well-proven methods of achieving horsepower and torque. The Jaguar's supercharged 4.2-liter V-8 is a blown version of the current AJ-V8 engine series, rated at 390 horses at 6100 rpm and 399 pound-feet of torque at 3500 rpm. It certainly gets the job done, with a drama-free, yet 1960s musclecar-like 5.2-second 0-to-60 run and a 13.69-second quarter-mile time.