Road Test: 2000 Cadillac Catera
One item that remains in limbo for 2000 is the rumored five-speed manual transmission, which failed to materialize due to emissions, manufacturing, and cost considerations. However, Cadillac still holds out the possibility for a do-it-yourself shifter in the reasonably near future.
Also lurking in the things-to-come-soon department is a killer 284-horse supercharged Catera. Cadillac showed this screamer, built by German tuner Steinmetz, at the Chicago Auto Show earlier this year. Our first encounter with one of these brutes was an eye opener, to be sure. Though not quite not as sweetly balanced as a BMW M3, even in raw prototype form, the mile-gobbling Steinmetz variant delivered wonderfully sharp steering, crisp handling, and short, powerful stops from 130-mph indicated speeds. It could appear as a 2001 model, or at worst, as a 2002.
THE CATERA TO COME
Cadillac has never denied that the German-built Catera was only a placeholder for a car that would eventually be made in the States. That all-new vehicle-probably sans the Catera badge-will arrive for the 2002 model year. Expect a lighter, faster rear-drive model based on a highly flexible version of the General's latest "G" platform. Cadillac is said to be preparing a premium V-6 of at least 240 horses to motivate this sedan. There are even rumors that a version of the Northstar V-8 might eventually find its way underhood. Inside sources indicate the exterior will closely resemble that of the Evoq concept car with its sharp edges, body spline lines, and chiseled, planar surfaces.-J.K.