It is a mid-sized, rear wheel drive vehicle that competes well with the German benchmarks. The angular styling was controversial at first but has grown on buyers. The standard powertrain is a 3.6 litre, 255hp V6. For more excitement the CTS-V model stuffs the Corvette V8 under the hood with a six speed manual, however, the CTS-V comes at a price premium of 50k. More emphasis is being placed on the entry level models in the hopes of developing brand loyalty with younger buyers.

All-new 2.8L V6 appears in the entry-level CTS replacing last years 3.2L. Both the 2.8L and 3.6L engines are now available with either a 5-speed automatic or 6-speed manual transmission. The 400hp CTS-V performance model picks up a couple of new colors and a lighter grey interior.