Cadillac sedan upholds standard of American luxury

This review first appeared in the July 2023 edition of the Cruisin' News, "Oregon, Nevada and California's classic auto news & marketplace."

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Sacramento, California -- Cadillac has long been recognized as a brand that carries the banner for American luxury and craftsmanship.

But for me, it goes a little deeper than that.

Growing up in Dayton, Ohio -- a General Motors town in numerous ways -- I sometimes visited the Cadillac dealership, which was really much more than a dealership.  It had all the ambience of a world-class hotel.

There, behind giant windows, gleaming Cadillac autos stood on spotless, polished floors, where salesmen in finely tailored suits walked, ready to talk up the charms of the luxury models that were, in those days, far beyond the reach of our household budget.

Simply put, Cadillac represented the American-made passenger car in full.

Happily, a recent week in the 2023 Cadillac CT5 V-Series found me behind the wheel of a car that upholds the lofty Cadillac standard of excellence.

The sedan had smooth, long roof and hood lines that not only looked aerodynamic, but made the CT5 appear bigger than its advertised numbers.  Appearances aside, interior space was generous, enough to transport a full boat of sizable adults without complaints.

Attractive, angular sculpting on the front end added a sporty look to the rear-drive luxury liner.

Settling into the cockpit was taking a seat in the lap of luxury.  Rich, perfectly fitted surfaces were a comfort and contained a wealth of easy-to-use comfort/convenience features. I was particularly impressed with the 10-inch diagonal digital display, which did not require a one-hour read of the owner's manual to master.

Power was supplied by a 3-liter, twin-turbo V-6 rated at 360 horsepower and managed through a 10-speed automatic transmission.  This package produced enthusiastic response off the line.  Accelerations from zero were so brisk and clean that it felt like I was driving a light midsize car with a V-8.

On the fly, the tested sedan was instantly responsive, with a just-firm-enough feel in the steering wheel to make me feel secure in all conditions.

For such a feisty power plant, fuel mileage was pretty fair at 18 miles per gallon in the city and 27 mpg on the highway.

Opening up the CT5 V-Series on an open stretch of road, surrounded by leather surfaces and eye-catching, jet-black accents, I found myself back in Dayton, Ohio, experiencing the kind of driving pleasure that a child could only dream of back in the 1960s.

It felt good.  No, make that fantastic.

And yet, with all the tester had, the bottom line on the sticker came in at $58,905 ... or about $10,000 to $15,000 less than what similarly equipped sedans are going for now.

Beyond dollars, it's good to know that the Cadillac brand carries on with style and swagger.