Suspension and Steering
While much attention was given to the design and tuning of the CTS' suspension, the car is still the longest, widest, and heaviest of the three. We agree that the CTS' upper/lower-control arm front and multilink rear suspension represents a new benchmark within the Cadillac portfolio. Be that as it may, the CTS doesn't approach the supple nature nor outright control of the BMW or the Infiniti. It appears that comfort was sacrificed in the name of moderately high limits for a rather large car.
Despite utilizing isolating bushings and aluminum hardware to reduce unsprung weight, the CTS still manages to be stiff-legged and harsh when it encounters abrupt contours or rough surfaces. Likewise, in the highly transitional slalom test, the slowest steering (3.4 turns lock-to-lock) and 16-in. all-season tires put it in third place with a 61.3-mph run. An available Sport package that upgrades tires, suspension, and steering response could improve the car's limit handling, but we suspect it'd also make the CTS ride even more harshly. Yes, this is the closest a Cadillac has come to riding and handling like a BMW, but, sadly, it still falls short.
It's always amazed us what BMW has been able to do with strut-type front suspension. Granted, it's applied to a RWD car, but the engineers have made the 330i behave elegantly at moderate paces and be highly communicative at the limit. This time, however, they've hobbled the system with heavy, less-grippy run-flat tires. An otherwise identical 330i with better rubber we tested last year out-slalomed this car by more than 2 mph--that's a lot. These optional Goodyears embody great technology, and we appreciate the peace of mind the EMT tires afford, but they just don't belong on a BMW sport sedan.
If it's true that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, BMW ought to be blushing. While the G35's suspension isn't exactly like that of the 330i, similarities are there. With a large upper arm and a split lower arm (two links, like BMW), the G35 has the same crispness we like in the BMW, as well as posh around-town manners. However, the G35's steering is even quicker than the BMW's, with just 2.7 turns lock to lock versus 3.0 for the 330i. That could make for a nervous chassis, but the rear multilink suspension is as good as the front (with excellent tires), and it all works together beautifully. In a test where just a couple mph can be telling, the G35 boldly runs a 65.9-mph speed through the cones, beating even a 330i Sport, and especially our non-Sport example, by 1.7 and 4 mph respectively. Guess who just outgunned a BMW 330i?
...
>>next page