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"   MONTICELLO, N.Y. \u2014 News outlets are buzzing with stories of financial struggles at General Motors. But from the driver&amp;#039;s seat of its latest sports sedan, the 2009 Cadillac CTS-V, GM appears to be quite fit. Simply put, this muscular, supercharged, V8-powered sedan kicks out an overabundance of forward thrust, life-saving brakes, neutral handling and an appreciated dose of refinement. Caddy has a message for the established sports-sedan players from Europe: Watch your back.   Let&amp;#039;s hope the General rides out its fiscal troubles, because if the CTS-V is any indication, GM has finally rediscovered how to make world-class cars. \u2014Larry Webster  The Specs  When the latest CTS was introduced, it was clear that GM had come up with quite a solid package. We were so impressed with driving the CTS, in fact, that we awarded it a PM Automotive Excellence Award for Luxury. As much as we enjoyed the standard-issue CTS, however, it&amp;#039;s no fire breather. So to turn the CTS into a V-Series model\u2014the Cadillac equivalent of the BMW M5 and Mercedes AMG models\u2014a host of changes were in store.  Essentially, Cadillac dropped a bomb in the engine bay by slipping a slightly detuned version of the Corvette ZR1&amp;#039;s supercharged V8 between its wide front wheels. Installed in the CTS-V, this powerplant produces a stunning 556 hp, making the CTS-V the most powerful car Cadillac has ever offered. Displacing 6.2 liters, the pushrod, 16-valve aluminum engine employs the latest Eaton supercharger that pumps in extra air with 9.0 psi of boost. An air-to-water intercooler reduces intake-charge temperature, which allowed engineers to use a compression ratio of 9.0:1. A big benefit of this engine is its gutsy, low-end torque characteristics; while the peak torque figure of 551 lb.-ft. occurs at a low 3800 rpm, 80 percent of that muscle is available at just 1500 rpm.  Two transmissions transfer the power rearward\u2014either a six-speed manual or a six-speed automatic. The Tremec manual gearbox features revised internals for crisper, lower-effort shifts, and the GM 6L90 six-speed automatic employs steering-wheel-mounted shift paddles for manual operation. There should be little performance difference between the two. So to illustrate the point, John Hienracy, GM&amp;#039;s director of vehicle integration (and a darn good driver to boot), used a CTS-V with the automatic &amp;#039;box to run a lap of Germany&amp;#039;s famed Nurburgring race course in 7:59.32\u2014a time that&amp;#039;s more than 10 seconds quicker than both the BMW M3 and the M5. (The Dodge Viper lapped it in 7:22 this week, stealing the new record from the ZR1.)  Chassis-wise, the CTS-V uses the latest iteration of Delphi&amp;#039;s magnetorheological (MR) shocks. Theses innovative dampers use a magnetically reactive fluid that changes viscosity based on the amount of electrical current sent to each shock. They react extremely quickly and thus allow the car&amp;#039;s computer to alter settings on the fly. There are two modes, Sport and Tour, selected by a dash-mounted switch. Tour mode favors ride comfort, while Sport attempts to reign in excess body motions for tight handling.  There are several mechanical tidbits that deserve special mention: Asymmetric halfshafts promise to reduce axle hop; the stability-control system has several settings to allow drivers to fine-tune the amount of intervention; massive six-piston front calipers pinch 15-in. iron rotors; and Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 tires make that final, all-important connection to the road.  The CTS-V certainly has the goodies, but here&amp;#039;s the big question: Does all that hardware amount to something truly special? The Drive  Another question was on the back of our minds heading from Detroit to New York City and upstate for our test: No matter the power or the high-performance under the sheetmetal, would this hot new caddy be dead on arrival if its heavy, 4300-pound curb weight detracted from the driving experience even one bit?  Good news: The engine shrugs off the poundage with effortless ease. We spent our time in a manual car, and as satisfying as it is to row your own gears, the effort seemed somewhat fruitless, because the engine didn&amp;#039;t seem to care which gear we selected. Just off idle to the 6200-rpm cutoff, there was one smooth, forceful urge all the way through the rev range. And there was only a hint of supercharger whine at lower revs. The engine is so refined that it actually hides speed. Several times we found ourselves traveling 30-mph faster than we&amp;#039;d thought.  Cadillac included GM&amp;#039;s &amp;quot;No Lift Shift&amp;quot; electronics, which allows drivers to upshift manual-transmission cars without lifting off the gas. Simply keep your right foot planted on the gas, stab the clutch with your left, and move the shift lever\u2014the computer automatically cuts engine power. It&amp;#039;s power shifting without killing the trans, and it really helps the CTS-V achieve startling velocity. (Zero-to-60 time should be around four seconds.)  Luckily, though, the handling and brakes are more than capable of high-speed driving. In the faster corners, the CTS-V cuts responsively and works both ends of the car with equal vigor. It&amp;#039;s possible\u2014and easy\u2014to drift the tail, but the car is extremely progressive and predictable. If you spin, it&amp;#039;s probably because you turned off the stability control system and did something dumb. The brakes are impressive as well, because they retain excellent feel and stopping power\u2014even after several laps of hard use.  It was only in the slower corners that we got an inkling of the car&amp;#039;s bulk. Fast transitions tended to illustrate the weight flinging back and forth, but really we&amp;#039;re splitting hairs. Overall, the CTS-V masks its weight extremely well, displaying minimal body roll, pitch and dive, which is likely due to those quick-reacting shocks.  Unfortunately, we didn&amp;#039;t have an opportunity to drive the CTS-V on public roads, so we can&amp;#039;t make a full determination on its ride quality or refinement. Based on what we did experience, however, it&amp;#039;s safe to assume that Caddy&amp;#039;s super sedan isn&amp;#039;t lacking in any area. On public roads, the CTS-V is, obviously, stiffer than its non-supercharged siblings, but unless you&amp;#039;re looking for an old, float-mobile Caddy, you won&amp;#039;t be offended. The firmness skirts the good side of harshness--noticeable for sure, but not a deal breaker. Driver&amp;#039;s can however, turn the ride to downright choppy by selecting the &amp;quot;Sport&amp;quot; mode of the adjustable shocks. Left it in the &amp;quot;Tour&amp;quot; mode, however, the chassis soaks up the worst pot-marked roads with acceptable resilience. The Bottom Line  Size-wise, the CTS-V lines up with the $84,725, 500-hp BMW M5, but Cadillac claims that it&amp;#039;s closer in price to the smaller, 414-hp BMW M3 sedan that runs $56,125. At close to 60 grand, the CTS-V represents an incredible performance bargain\u2014it&amp;#039;s one of the fastest sedans on the market.   But it&amp;#039;s not just about cheap speed. There&amp;#039;s a polish to the car that wasn&amp;#039;t included in the old version\u2014it&amp;#039;s packed on both muscle and manners in equal measures. Expect to see a CTS-V version of both the upcoming CTS Coupe and Cadillac STS Sport Wagon.   RELATED STORIES \u2022 FIRST LOOK: 2010 Cadillac SRX and 2010 STS Sport Wagon  \u2022 PLUS: Inside the Tech Behind Caddy&amp;#039;s New 190-MPH Sedan   "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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