[556bhp]

Hi guys and gals,

I got a full day in a third-gen CTS-V over Angeles Crest, and the car was so ridiculously hooked up and flipping fast that I came away astonished...but also cold. The V3 was an improvement in almost every imaginable way vs. my manual V2 wagon -- the V wagon still gets the gold medal for trunk space! -- but I no longer felt like the V3's capabilities matched my own on a mountain road. Essentially, the V3 has so much grip and power that its limits are well beyond my risk taking tolerances. I feel like I'd have to take the V3 to the track to really find its edges.

(I did a full writeup with photos of my day, too.)

Anyone else holding out on an "upgrade" to a V3 CTS-V or CT5-V Blackwing because the new cars are too damn fast for your favorite roads? As much as I want the CT5-V Blackwing, I feel like the V3 is already too fast for the road, so the Blackwing would be even more so! But maybe the Blackwing's manual transmission would give back some of that slow speed enjoyment that I cherish from the V2?

 

[Karch]

Angeles Crest is a blast.


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[random84]

Was your Wagon modded at all or stock?

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[hattori]

I've had two 2nd gen CTS-Vs (including a wagon) and I agree, the V3 is so much better car all around. They made so many improvements to the car and performance is just one aspect.

Awesome writeup!

 

[jcs003]

V2 is a hot rod. V3 is a BMW, so to speak.

 

[Savoy]

Cool read very well written.

 

[556bhp]

Was your Wagon modded at all or stock?

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Stock. It doesn't feel like the fastest car in the world, but it's plenty to make the end of the straights exciting!

Angeles Crest is a blast.


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Yes! Especially during the week when the CHP isn't out!

 

[556bhp]

V2 is a hot rod. V3 is a BMW, so to speak.

Which BMW would you say the V3 is? Current M5?

My old 2011 (E90) M3 was a lot more like the V2 than the V3.

 

[jcs003]

Which BMW would you say the V3 is? Current M5?

My old 2011 (E90) M3 was a lot more like the V2 than the V3.

M5 from a few years ago would be most comparable.

 

[556bhp]

I never had a go in one of those...but I can see the similarity!

 

[galaxyfe]

I went from a V2 manual wagon to the V3, wouldn't go back. Drove my friends Z06 through the mountains last weekend, wouldn't trade for that car either.

 

[556bhp]

I went from a V2 manual wagon to the V3, wouldn't go back. Drove my friends Z06 through the mountains last weekend, wouldn't trade for that car either.

Wait, I want to know more! Is it the chassis tightness, the power, or something else that has you loving the V3?

 

[jcs003]

I went from a V2 manual wagon to the V3, wouldn't go back. Drove my friends Z06 through the mountains last weekend, wouldn't trade for that car either.

What z06?? C6 C7?? Also z06 < zr1 by plenty.

 

[galaxyfe]

Wait, I want to know more! Is it the chassis tightness, the power, or something else that has you loving the V3?

Just all around better car, it's smoother, quieter on the inside, louder on the outside, looks better, feels better, alcantara everywhere, carbon fiber everywhere, more power, more capability, more refinement, more everything except for a manual trans. I don't think there is one thing about the V2 that I wish the V3 had. I will say though that if I wasn't able to fix the sway issue I had which the V3 is known for, I would've sold it. Not sure if you experienced that or not, but once I fixed it it feels every bit as planted as the V2 did when going WOT.

What z06?? C6 C7?? Also z06 < zr1 by plenty.

C7 Z06, not a fan. It may be the same motor, but the mapping sucks, didn't apply the power smoothly at all. Ride absolutely sucked, even with the DSC suspension controller. I would equate touring mode on the Z06 to track mode on the V3. It would probably be more fun and faster on the track since it really felt more like a go cart, but on normal roads not for me. Interior was ok, not better than a V3 though. I'm sure the ZR1 is better, but that's a hefty price tag and I would for sure get lured by other things at that price point.

 

[556bhp]

I will say though that if I wasn't able to fix the sway issue I had which the V3 is known for, I would've sold it. Not sure if you experienced that or not, but once I fixed it it feels every bit as planted as the V2 did when going WOT.

Thankfully I didn't feel the sway issue. The V3 felt perfectly planted.

 

[Eighthtry]

Hi guys and gals,

I got a full day in a third-gen CTS-V over Angeles Crest, and the car was so ridiculously hooked up and flipping fast that I came away astonished...but also cold. The V3 was an improvement in almost every imaginable way vs. my manual V2 wagon -- the V wagon still gets the gold medal for trunk space! -- but I no longer felt like the V3's capabilities matched my own on a mountain road. Essentially, the V3 has so much grip and power that its limits are well beyond my risk taking tolerances. I feel like I'd have to take the V3 to the track to really find its edges.

(I did a full writeup with photos of my day, too.)

Anyone else holding out on an "upgrade" to a V3 CTS-V or CT5-V Blackwing because the new cars are too damn fast for your favorite roads? As much as I want the CT5-V Blackwing, I feel like the V3 is already too fast for the road, so the Blackwing would be even more so! But maybe the Blackwing's manual transmission would give back some of that slow speed enjoyment that I cherish from the V2?

I don't get it. Too damn fast?????????? Last I checked if I just kept my foot out of it and let the car do the work the only difference is in the potential power. My V2 was a very nice road car and a joy to drive. It reads like you are afraid to punch a 3. I get it to some degree. My Z07 goes too damn fast. I am not out to push the limits on any of these cars unless it is a straight line with no traffic. My V2 is already beyond my limits. You are flat missing the purpose of HP. It is a serious testosterone generating medical instrument. Enjoy it for what it is. Puff out your chest when you get out of it. Know that there are tons of poor slobs drooling over it and will never have a chance to own one. Beats the hell out of pills and pumps. Plus there is always some stupid slob on the freeway that thinks he can outrun you and you just ignore them because you already know you can stomp them.

Come on man.

 

[Eighthtry]

By the way, I am having a tough time putting the CT5 V Blackwing manual out of my mind. Lots of testosterone stored in that car.

 

[556bhp]

I don't get it. Too damn fast?????????? Last I checked if I just kept my foot out of it and let the car do the work the only difference is in the potential power. My V2 was a very nice road car and a joy to drive. It reads like you are afraid to punch a 3. I get it to some degree. My Z07 goes too damn fast. I am not out to push the limits on any of these cars unless it is a straight line with no traffic. My V2 is already beyond my limits. You are flat missing the purpose of HP. It is a serious testosterone generating medical instrument. Enjoy it for what it is. Puff out your chest when you get out of it. Know that there are tons of poor slobs drooling over it and will never have a chance to own one. Beats the hell out of pills and pumps. Plus there is always some stupid slob on the freeway that thinks he can outrun you and you just ignore them because you already know you can stomp them.

Come on man.

Here's the thing. I love driving on the track where I can feel the chassis working at its limits and revealing its balance. In the canyons, I want a little taste of that too. I want to feel the tires loading up and approaching their limits. I want rear end squirming under the engine power. In the V2, I get more of those sensations because the hydraulic steering tells me more at all times, and because the ultimate grip is lower. In the V3, I wasn't getting those sensations until I was doubling speed limits and entering turns with race-track levels of aggression. That is where the car felt too fast; because in order to enjoy its nuances, I had to be going 10-10ths in a very fast machine!

That said, I wouldn't be too surprised to own a CT5-V Blackwing some day.

 

[Savoy]

By the way, I am having a tough time putting the CT5 V Blackwing manual out of my mind. Lots of testosterone stored in that car.

If only the car were as sexy as a v3 they really would have had something.

 

[paintxpert]

To me.... The 2009 to 2014 Sedans were the only cars that appealed to me. It was the Bad Assed "Chiseled Look" that attracted me. Then the Rare Exterior/Interior combination couple with the Power.... I was SOLD! I had to find one VERY quickly. They are getting hard to find in Diamond Blue Tri-Coat with White Titanium guts. The interiors changed in the 3rd Gen.... not quite as nice, in my humble opinion. . Stay well!