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The 2019 Cadillac CTS has returned as Cadillac's mid-size sedan, offering upscale style, luxury, and performance to compete with the best the Germans have to offer. Despite the competence of the CTS, Cadillac has struggled to overcome past prejudices as most luxury-sedan shoppers flock to the likes of Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz. However, the CTS is a solid contender in the space, and shoppers should thoroughly consider it as an option.
What's New for 2019
There are no significant changes for 2019.
Choosing Your Cadillac CTS
The Cadillac CTS is available with three power options. The base models come with a 2.0-liter inline turbocharged four-cylinder that produces 268 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. This is the most fuel-efficient option, with an EPA fuel economy rating of 22 miles per gallon in the city, 30 mpg on the highway, and 25 combined with rear-wheel drive. If all-wheel drive is desired, fuel economy ratings drop by one mpg across the board.
Additionally, a naturally aspirated 3.6-liter V6 with 335 hp and 285 lb-ft of torque is available. It's offered as an option on the Luxury trim and as the standard engine on the Premium Luxury trim. Fuel economy ratings for this engine option are 19/29/23 mpg for RWD models and 18/26/21 mpg for AWD models.
The final engine option is a twin-turbocharged version of the 3.6-liter V6, and is only available on the V-Sport trims. This engine produces a healthy 420 hp and 430 lb-ft of torque, and is only available with RWD. Fuel economy isn't great; it only manages 16/24/19 mpg. That being said, nobody who's considering a V-Sport really cares much about that.
All engines are mated to an excellent eight-speed automatic transmission with automatic stop-start. All-wheel drive is available on all but the V-Sport trims for an additional $2,000.
Base
The base CTS trim level starts at $47,990 (all prices include the $995 destination fee), and comes reasonably equipped at that price. Base models come with an 11-speaker Bose audio system, an eight-inch infotainment screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, keyless entry, remote start, Wi-Fi connectivity, active noise cancellation, dual-zone climate control, and power-adjustable leatherette seats.
The Base trim has access to three option packages. The first is the $2,500 Seating Package, which turns leatherette into real leather and adds heated and ventilated front seats, an automatic heated steering wheel, LED ambient lighting, a power-adjustable steering column, a folding rear seat, and heated, power-adjustable, and auto dimming (driver's side only) heated door mirrors with turn signal indicators and ground illumination. There's also the Summer/Winter Package which adds both carpeted and all-weather floor mats for $280, and the All-Weather Mat Protection Package for $225 that gives you all-weather mats and an all-weather cargo liner.
Standalone options include a variety of wheel choices and other exterior enhancements, a power sunroof for $1,450, several interior trim options, and navigation for $950 (if you select the Seating Package).
Luxury
The Luxury trim starts at $53,690, adding many more features. The contents of the Seating Package are now standard, as is navigation, a sunroof, a 13-speaker Bose sound system, and HID headlights. Most crucially, the Luxury comes standard with a host of driver assistance features, like forward collision warning, lane keeping assist, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and a following distance indicator that chastises you if you're tailgating someone. Additionally, the Luxury has access to the larger 3.6-liter V6 for an extra $2,000.
Packages include the aforementioned Summer/Winter and All-Weather Mat Protection Packages, as well as the $2,465 V-Sport Package. This package provides the CTS with 18-inch machined alloy wheels, upgraded brakes, a V-Sport badged steering wheel, and a sport suspension with the incomparable magnetic ride control, which is quite possibly the best adjustable suspension available on a production vehicle. Like the base trim, the Luxury gets access to a variety of standalone exterior and interior style and trim upgrades, with the only option of note being the $475 Rear Camera Mirror, which provides a wider view than a standard mirror through the use of a camera.
Premium Luxury
The Premium Luxury trim starts at $61,190, and comes standard with the naturally aspirated 3.6-liter V6 alongside magnetic ride control, a full-color head-up display, a greater variety of standard interior trim choices including actual carbon fiber and real wood, rear sunshades, tri-zone automatic climate control, heated rear seats, and the rear camera mirror. Additionally, the Premium Luxury gets automatic parking assist and a surround-view camera system.
New packages include the $1,830 Performance Seat and Cluster Package, which adds 20-way adjustable front seats, a 12.3-inch configurable digital gauge cluster, aluminum sport pedals, and a choice of interior trims. The $3,730 Technology Package includes everything in the Performance Seat and Cluster Package, along with adaptive cruise control, laminated glass on the rear windows, automatic seat belt tightening, locking wheel lugs, steering column lock control, an advanced theft deterrent system, an inclination sensor, and automatic braking (forward and reverse). The V-Sport package is also updated for this trim, adding a higher performance suspension and Brembo front brakes, while only costing $1,465. No additional standalone options are available beyond trim and style features.
V-Sport
The V-Sport gives the CTS the twin-turbocharged 3.6-liter V6, allowing it to hit 60 mph in 4.4 seconds, for a starting price of $62,690. To help apply the extra power, the V-Sport also gets a more advanced magnetic ride control, enhanced steering, an electronic limited-slip differential, and paddle shifters for the gearbox. While the V-Sport isn't as well equipped as the Premium Luxury trim outside of performance upgrades, it does compare well to the Luxury with leather seating, the 13-speaker Bose audio system, navigation, and automatic parking assist.
The only packages available are the Summer/Winter and All-Weather Mat Protection Packages. Standalone options of note include a $1,650 Cat-Back Exhaust, $100 performance brake linings, and the aforementioned sunroof.
V-Sport Premium Luxury
The ultimate CTS is the V-Sport Premium Luxury (outside of the bonkers CTS-V, which is covered separately) that starts at $72,790. This trim includes virtually everything available as standard or as an option on the previous trims, including the 20-way adjustable seats, the 12.3-inch configurable gauge cluster, tri-zone climate control, adaptive cruise control, sunroof, automatic braking, and head-up display. Like the regular V-Sport, the only packages available are the Summer/Winter and All-Weather Mat Protection Packages, while the only notable options are the Cat-Back Exhaust and performance brake linings.
If a CTS-V is outside of your budget or is just too crazy to live with every day, the 2019 Cadillac CTS V-Sport offers a serious amount of performance in a nicely equipped package for about $25,000 less. You won't feel like you should have spent more, and the performance will certainly put a smile on your face.
