Cadillac CTS-V smacks BMW M5 with 640-horsepower, 320km/h sticker

Can any marque rival the Germans when it comes to making a high-performance sedan?

Jaguar has had a go, but didn’t quite succeed, and Volvo has also tried its luck. Both aren’t really as desirable or performance orientated though. Well, it seems like this is about to change.

The Americans are getting in on the act and Cadillac has unveiled its CTS-V — an absolute monster of a car.

The CTS-V is the performance variant of the CTS, and when we say performance, we’re talking 640-horsepower and a top speed touching 320km/h. The 0 to 100km/h time is completed in just 3.6 seconds too, which means any business executive interested in this car should probably strap that briefcase down.

To be fair, the Cadillac’s not as refined as the BMW M5, nor is it as poised as Audi’s RS6, but it is brash like a Mercedes C63 AMG, if not more brash. But it’s not something that would make Her Majesty turn up her nose either.

Featuring a huge bulge on the bonnet (something Subaru would be proud of), the grille and lower airdam are meshed in rather glorious detail. But it’s not muscle-car raw either. The car looks poised and refined. It looks European. There’s also magnetic ride control dampers at each wheel and a stiffer chassis, which makes cornering less American too.

Excited? The car will be officially unveiled at the Detroit Motor Show in January.