Review: The 2014 Cadillac CTS Is The Mid-Size Luxury Car With All The Swagger

2014 Cadillac CTS

The 2014 Cadillac CTS sets its sights on conquering the mid-size luxury sedan market and it hits darn close to the center.

STATS Starting Retail Price As Tested Price HP / Lb-Ft
2014 Cadillac CTS AWD 2.0T $45,100 $64,650 272 / 295
EPA Rating MPG As Tested MPG
Rating: BUY IT! 19 / 28 Combined 22 20.5 Combined

Cadillac has been on the upswing, nabbing multiple awards and making sure the world knows that it’s not content to rest on its somewhat aged laurels, but is aggressively developing the next generation of luxury cars. The 2014 Cadillac CTS is just one more step in that direction.

It’s a sexy looking car. Make no mistake, this is a head-turner and with good reason. The 2014 Cadillac CTS has grown by 5 inches over last year with a longer wheelbase and an impressive front end that can’t be ignored. Add in a long hood and vertical LED trim along the headlamps and the car simply struts down the road. Where the comparable Audi A6 is beautiful yet demure, the Caddie is in your face.

The interior matches up perfectly with the expectations set by the outside with an abundance of chrome accenting the wood, leather and glossy black finishes. It’s a notably quiet ride but there’s nothing subdued or understated in the interior design.

Where the BMW 5-Series that it competes with is elegant and restrained, the Cadillac CTS loudly proclaims that it is a luxury car packed with features. It has all the tech wizardry, safety and comfort you’d expect.

2014 Cadillac CTS Interior_Upload

Those features include the CUE infotainment system which is the one place where the vehicle doesn’t quite live up to its promise. It is simple to use with multiple menus that make sense rather than leaving you searching for a sub-menu ten levels down just to change the radio presets, but the touch interface is disappointing.

It’s designed for you to lightly touch the controls or swipe your finger back and forth, but it’s inconsistent to the point of frustration. Sometimes there’s haptic feedback and that’s really the only time you know you’ve hit the sweet spot.

Most of the time, that sweet spot is elusive. It ended up leaving me jabbing my finger at the screen desperately trying to change the volume but succeeding only in leaving a bunch of ugly smudges on that shiny black finish.

2014 Cadillac CTS Seats

The front seats are supremely comfortable and adjustable to the perfect fit for any passenger. Leg room is a little short, though, and those hitting that 6 foot mark aren’t going to be able to get the seats back as far as they might want for a true lounge-style drive. The story is the same in the back, where two adults are really the limit for comfort.

There are three powertrains for the 2014 Cadillac CTS and I tested the base 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder. It’s rated at 272 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque that provides a strong and powerful drive. It’s quick off the line with just enough torque to let you know it’s there without coming on too strong. The balance between performance and comfort is fantastic.

There’s also a 3.6-liter V6 with 321 horsepower and 275 lb-ft of torque if you want a little more. Your third choice is the CTS-V which comes with a twin-turbo 3.6-liter V6. The horsepower on this powertrain jumps all the way up to 420 along with 430 lb-ft of torque so, speed freaks, this is the powertrain for you.

2014 Cadillac CTS Rear_Upload

Handling on the 2014 Cadillac CTS is fantastic. It’s a very stable, composed ride that mutes out all the ugly bumps and dips in the road while still providing plenty of road feel. Steering is solid without becoming heavy and is very responsive, leaving you comfortably in control of the car no matter the driving conditions.

Cadillac has made great strides in updating its cars to appeal to a more modern, tech conscious consumer while keeping the innate Cadillac-ness of the brand that makes their cars so iconic. Take a drive in the 2014 Cadillac CTS for yourself and you’ll be hard pressed to give up those keys when the drive is over.

On the TFLcar scale of:

  • Buy it!
  • Lease it!
  • Rent it!
  • … or Forget it!

I give the 2014 Cadillac CTS 2.0 AWD 2.0T a Buy It!

Nicole Wakelin fell in love with cars as a teenager when she got to go for a ride in a Ferrari. It was red and it was fast and that was all that mattered. Game over. She considers things a bit more carefully now, but still has a weakness for fast, beautiful cars. Nicole also writes for NerdApproved and GeekMom.