2012 Cadillac CTS Coupe Review
2012 Cadillac CTS Coupe Review
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Edmunds' Expert Review
by the Edmunds Experts
Pros
- Head-turning design
- athletic handling
- elegant cabin
- available all-wheel drive.
Cons
- Harsh ride with sport suspension
- poor rear visibility
- limited headroom with sunroof
- stiff seats
- small trunk.
What’s new
The 2012 Cadillac CTS gets an additional 12 horsepower, along with a slightly revised grille, active front head restraints, standard Bluetooth, an optional blind-spot warning system and an optional heated steering wheel.
Edmunds says
Evocative styling defines the 2012 Cadillac CTS Coupe, but that's not enough to overcome numerous drawbacks.
Cost to DriveCost to drive estimates for the 2012 Cadillac CTS Coupe 2dr Coupe (3.6L 6cyl 6A) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $3.90 per gallon for regular unleaded in Illinois.
Monthly estimates based on costs in Illinois
$221/mo for CTS Coupe Base
CTS Coupe Base
vs
$194/mo
Avg. Midsize Car
Vehicle overview
The 2012 Cadillac CTS Coupe grabs your attention like few cars can. It's muscular, edgy, aggressive and in your face. Yet there's still refined sophistication thanks to its chrome trim, classy interior and unmistakable Cadillac design cues. Now, this is usually where we'd say, "It's more than just a pretty face." But the truth is, the CTS Coupe suffers for its good looks. There are significant functional trade-offs even compared to other luxury coupes, and the CTS's performance isn't as lively as you'd think.
While the Coupe's cabin design is a dead ringer for the attractive and well-built one found in the CTS Sedan (reviewed separately), actual interior room is notably less. Of course, coupes are expected to be less spacious than their four-door comrades, but the CTS Coupe doesn't even meet these lowered expectations. Front headroom is limited and becomes downright cramped when you opt for the sunroof. Rear passengers are always cramped, and worse, they're under the rear glass and thus subjected to the sun. Rear visibility is also notably poor, while the trunk is severely compromised by large hinges that'll crush just about anything placed beneath them.
Unfortunately the CTS Coupe's styling isn't really backed up by better performance. Its handling is athletic, but its ample size and weight make it seem far more cumbersome than its main competitors. Its 318-horsepower V6 is more powerful for 2012 and certainly wouldn't be described as slow, but its acceleration is actually on par with the 211-hp turbo-4 found in the Audi A5. An Infiniti G37 or BMW 335i are more than a second quicker from zero to 60 mph and feel it. If you really want power, you have to step up to the more expensive CTS-V high-performance model.
So, the 2012 Cadillac CTS Coupe is essentially just a pretty face. While there's inherent appeal in this, we'd strongly suggest looking at one of the aforementioned competitors, along with the new Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe or even the revised Dodge Challenger SRT8, as they represent less compromised choices for a sport luxury coupe.
Performance & mpg
The 2012 Cadillac CTS Coupe is powered by a 3.6-liter V6 that produces 318 hp and 275 pound-feet of torque. Rear-wheel drive and a six-speed automatic are standard, but all-wheel drive is optional.
In testing, last year's rear-wheel-drive CTS Coupe accelerated from zero to 60 mph in 6.7 seconds; expect the 2012 car to be a tenth or two quicker. Even so, the coupe is slightly slower than most competing luxury coupes.
EPA-estimated fuel economy with the automatic is 18 mpg city/27 mpg highway and 21 mpg combined regardless of rear- or all-wheel drive. Getting the manual drops those figures to 17 mpg city/25 mpg highway.
Safety
Standard safety equipment for every 2012 Cadillac CTS Coupe includes antilock disc brakes, traction control, stability control, front-seat side airbags, front and rear side curtain airbags, active front head restraints, rear parking sensors and the OnStar emergency communications system. A blind-spot warning system and a rearview camera are standard on the Performance and Premium trims.
In Edmunds brake testing, the CTS Coupe with the 19-inch summer tires came to a stop from 60 mph in an impressive 106 feet. With smaller wheels and all-season tires, that distance is likely to be longer.
Driving
The way the 2012 Cadillac CTS Coupe drives is a distinct departure from the cushiony ride that has been the company's hallmark for decades. The coupe's sporty ride quality is much like that of its European rivals, but it also becomes overly harsh if you opt for the Summer Tire Performance package. Yet even with this higher-performing option, the CTS still isn't as nimble as sharper-driving rivals.
The CTS Coupe also isn't as quick off the line as many of those same rivals. On its own merits, however, its 3.6-liter V6 should satisfy the majority of drivers. It's smooth around town, and the automatic transmission shifts smoothly and unobtrusively. More aggressive driving warrants dropping the gear selector into Sport or Manual mode to wind the engine into the upper reaches of the tachometer. At these levels, the V6 is much more responsive and delivers a healthy dose of excitement.
Interior
As with the sedan model, the interior of the 2012 Cadillac CTS Coupe features a pleasing angular theme to match the exterior edginess. Soft-touch materials are plentiful, accented by tasteful wood trim. The optional navigation system emerges from the top of the dash and retracts almost fully, leaving a small section visible as a touchscreen display for the audio system -- an ingenious and elegant solution to having a separate control panel.
Unfortunately, the interior also comes with its fair share of flaws. Outward rear visibility is notably poor, forcing the driver to rely on the optional rearview camera when maneuvering in reverse. Overall comfort is hampered by flat and stiff seats. Rear seat passengers must deal with a lack of headroom and the raked rear window that will leave their heads exposed to direct sunlight most of the time. To make matters worse, the optional sunroof significantly shortens front seat headroom for even those of average height.
Trunk space is a smallish 10.5 cubic feet, and the narrow opening requires quite a bit of jostling in order to fit bulky items. The large gooseneck hinges also swing quite far down into the space, crushing anything fragile that might be in their way.
2012 Cadillac CTS Coupe models
The 2012 Cadillac CTS Coupe seats four people and is available in base, Performance and Premium trim levels. The high-performance CTS-V Coupe is addressed in a separate review, as are the CTS sedan and wagon models.
The base CTS Coupe comes standard with 18-inch wheels, a limited-slip differential, automatic headlights, heated mirrors, rear parking sensors, keyless ignition/entry, cruise control, dual-zone automatic climate control, a tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, eight-way power front seats, a split-folding rear seat, leatherette premium vinyl upholstery, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, OnStar, Bluetooth and an eight-speaker Bose sound system with a CD player and satellite radio.
The CTS Coupe Performance trim adds foglamps, adaptive xenon headlamps, a blind-spot warning system, a rearview camera, remote ignition, additional sound insulation, driver seat memory functions, heated front seats, front seat lumbar adjustment, leather upholstery and a 10-speaker Bose surround-sound audio system with a CD/DVD player, digital music storage and an iPod/USB audio interface. The Luxury Level One package adds automatic wipers, interior accent lighting and a security system. The Luxury Level Two package includes Level One equipment, plus heated and ventilated front seats and automatic cabin filtration. A heated power-adjustable steering wheel can be added to this package. Also optional is a navigation system, which includes a pop-up touchscreen interface and real-time traffic and weather.
The CTS Coupe Premium includes all of the above equipment and when equipped with rear-wheel drive is eligible for the optional CTS Touring package. This adds Recaro sport seats, faux suede trim for the steering wheel and shift lever, alloy pedals and the 19-inch Summer Tire Performance package (available by itself on both the Performance and Premium trims with rear-wheel drive) that includes 19-inch wheels, summer tires, a sportier tuned suspension, upgraded brakes, a performance cooling system, a different grille and steering wheel paddle shifters.
Optional on all but the base trim is a tilt-only sunroof.
Consumer reviews
Read what other owners think about the Used 2012 Cadillac CTS Coupe.
5 star(75%)
4 star(19%)
3 star(2%)
2 star(4%)
1 star(0%)
36 reviews
Trending topics in reviews
Most helpful consumer reviews
5 out of 5 stars
Great 1 or 2 person car
TMH, 03/22/2017
2012 Cadillac CTS Coupe Performance 2dr Coupe AWD (3.6L 6cyl 6A)
Don't expect anyone to get into or ride in the back seat. Nearly impossible to sit up as adult and thus should consider this car a "two seater" and 3/4 only in emergency or children (w/o childseat...it is very hard to get it in and kids head will hit ceiling!). Golf clubs will NOT fit widthwise: sure the car is wide enough, but GM Engineers (in their infinate wisdom) made the trunk … supports so they come down in the trunk and squish anything taller than 4" tall for at least 6" from each side. And the best engineering feat? Do NOT let your key fob go dead or low. To get into car (there are NO key holes in either door) you have to open the trunk (the key hole is 3" above license plate top...hidden. Once trunk is open, there is a plastic pull tab under rear window deck (if you are over 5' tall, you cannot see it without leaning into trunk). Pulling opens driver door. You now are in the car-but fob is only way to start it-so you are sunk. Don't get me wrong, I love this car-but you had better know idiosyncracies before buying it!
5 out of 5 stars
FANTASTIC LUXURY COUPE
Ken, 04/23/2018
2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe 2dr Coupe (3.6L 6cyl 6A)
First off I absolutely love this car! the ride is quite and smooth, the bose sound system is fantastic I wish I had the pop up nav but oh well. I bought my coupe with 72k on it for $12700, everything works great, It does need new back struts ( easy fix $500) my mpg is really bad tho that would be my only complaint, I'm averaging 20.5 which is low considering its rated at 18/27. Other … than that I couldn't be happier with it, its truly a sport luxury coupe. Reliable, zoomy and not to mention one of the sleekest designs ever! you can't go wrong with it.
4.88 out of 5 stars
HEAD TURNER!!!
cobe5050, 12/11/2011
2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe Premium 2dr Coupe (3.6L 6cyl 6A)
I was looking at many 2dr coupes (Audi, Infiniti, BMW) but nothing turns heads more than this Caddy Coupe. Everyday people ask me about the car because they have never seen anything like it.
Could use a better navigation interface for the younger generation but other than that.....Sweet Ride thats fun to drive.
4 out of 5 stars
Love Hate Relationship
Todd, 12/16/2020
2012 Cadillac CTS Coupe 2dr Coupe AWD (3.6L 6cyl 6A)
No doubt this Cadillac makes heads turn and frequent compliments and attention wherever I am, due to its sexy sleek body design and jacked-up"booty". Every time I think about trading it in or selling, I'm drawn back, as the 2012 body design is unparalleled to all other manufacturer coupe designs out there, and for the way I drive, it has just enough horsepower & torque to have fun … cruising around, but not an uncontrollable gas-guzzling muscle care by any means. I agree with other reviewers toward the limited trunk and back seat spaces, but its rare I load up in either place. I will say that those "idiosyncrasies" can catch you off-guard if you don't do your homework on this vehicle. To change the headlamps, the front bumper & assembly need to be removed for access, no keyhole entry w/ unprogrammed key or dead battery presents problems, and the common mechanical issues over time from owners relating to rocker arms "squeaking", tire/wheel sensors, key fob, driver/passenger door button fail, and a few others not mentioned. Overall, if you maintain this vehicle, its a pleasure to drive in decent comfort and style.
We have a limited number of reviews for the 2012 Cadillac CTS Coupe, so we've included reviews for other years of the CTS Coupe since its last redesign.
2012 CTS Coupe Highlights
Base
Base MSRP Excludes Destination Fee | $38,715 |
---|---|
Engine Type | Gas |
Combined MPG | 21 MPG |
Cost to Drive | $221/month |
Seating | 4 seats |
Cargo Capacity All Seats In Place | 10.5 cu.ft. |
Drivetrain | rear wheel drive |
Warranty | 4 years / 50,000 miles |
Safety
Key safety features on the CTS Coupe include:
- Back-up camera
- Blind Spot Monitoring
- Alarm
- Tire Pressure Warning
- Stability Control
- Post-collision safety system
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