Spotted: a 2006 Cadillac CTS

The spotted specimen

In the hamlet of Doornik, near Lent, just north of Nijmegen, we saw this original 2006 Dutch Cadillac CTS. Even in this subdued color, that remains a striking car in the Dutch street scene. Moreover, it is a car that marked the beginning of a new era for the brand.

Cadillac CTS: a new era

At the turn of the century, Cadillac offerings still consisted of stately but angular and somewhat dated-looking models. This in a market where driving dynamics played an increasingly important role. They tried to capitalize on that with the Catera, a modified Opel Omega, but that did not bring the hoped-for success. It was time to change course completely.

For the 2003 model year, the Catera was succeeded by the completely new Cadillac CTS in every respect. The model introduced a new design language: Art and Science. The clean lines remained, but became much more dynamic. In addition, the CTS returned to rear-wheel drive, with independent suspension providing much better handling. In short, Cadillac was no longer a brand for “old money,” but took on a young and dynamic look. Incidentally, the Catera wasn’t completely forgotten after all: ‘CTS’ stands for ‘Catera Touring Sedan’.

Cadillac CTS brings sportiness

With the sportier chassis came sportier engines. That started with a 164 kW (223 hp) 3.2-liter V6, but soon there was also an optional 3.6-liter V6 with 190 kW (259 hp), which eventually replaced the earlier V6 entirely. The Cadillac CTS came standard with a five-speed automatic transmission, but a five-speed manual transmission was also an option. This made the CTS the first manual transmission Cadillac since the 1988 Cimarron. For the 2005 model year, the five-speed automatic was replaced by a six-speed.

For the 2004 model year, the lineup was expanded to include the Cadillac CTS-V, an extra sporty version that competed against BMW M, Audi S and AMG models. The CTS-V was equipped with a 298 kW (406 hp) 5.7-liter V8 and a six-speed manual transmission. For the last two model years of this first-generation CTS, the V8 was replaced by a newer 6.0-liter, which, however, delivered almost the same performance.

Body variations and follow-up

The first-generation Cadillac CTS eventually came only as a four-door sedan, but there were serious plans for a five-door station wagon. That would have been big news, as Cadillac had not delivered a factory station wagon before. However, the Wagon did not get beyond the prototype stage. For model year 2008, a completely new generation CTS came on the market, which was primarily an evolution of the first model. However, the Wagon did make it to the production stage this time and a two-door coupe also appeared. Finally, the third and final generation CTS (2013-2019) was again only available as a four-door sedan.

The Cadillac CTS in the Netherlands

So this generation of Cadillac CTS was officially delivered in the Netherlands. By the way, the same goes for all CTS generations that came after this. Until the end of the model line, in 2019, you could simply order it directly in the Netherlands. Whereas you could call the first model for a non-German car in the luxury segment still modestly successful, sales declined quickly thereafter. Thanks in part to the bpm, the price went up significantly, and in this segment the European consumer simply wants to drive something German…

The chance of encountering a Cadillac CTS in Dutch traffic these days is relatively small. With the first generation we spotted you still have the best chance. Of these, 133 are still registered in the Netherlands. If we include all later model generations, the counter rises to 248 cars. This time, unfortunately, the number chart has run down: the newer the model, the fewer examples there are. Of the latest model generation, for example, only 31 are on registration.