What’s Under the Hood

The 2008 Cadillac CTS is powerful enough to blow that blue hair right off Auntie Millie’s head. The bad news is that you’ll have to wait until the 2008 model year to get your hands on GM’s new 3.6-liter direct injection V6 engine and six-speed automatic transmission, delivering a projected 300 hp and 270 lb.-ft of torque. That’ll be enough to compete side-by-side with the Lexus IS 350 and the BMW 3 Series, so fly the Stars and Stripes and give a salute. Also included for the first time is a choice between rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive, but the best news of all may well be the upgrade in transmission: Starting with the 2008 model, all Cadillac CTS sedans get either a six-speed auto or a six-speed manual transmission.