Cadillac Announces 420-hp Twin-Turbo V-6 for 2014 CTS, XTS [2013 New York Auto Show]

Cadillac has formally announced and detailed the twin-turbocharged, 3.6-liter V-6 engine we’ve known about for some time, as well as a new eight-speed automatic transmission. The engine seems to have been worth the wait, as the direct-injected V-6 makes a meaty 420 horsepower and 430 lb-ft of torque. As we predicted, the new engine will make its way under the hood of the 2014 Cadillac CTS set to debut next week at the 2013 New York auto show, as well as the 2014 XTS coming later this year. It could spread to other GM models like the next-gen Chevy Camaro, next-gen SS sedan, and the forthcoming Cadillac ATS-V.
The twin-turbo V-6 essentially is the same as the naturally aspirated 3.6-liter six that powers a multitude of GM vehicles, although it has been thoroughly reworked for forced-induction. The cylinder block casting and cylinder heads are unique to the twin-turbo version, which also gets beefed-up connecting rods, its own set of machined pistons, and a lower 10.2:1 compression ratio. (The naturally aspirated 3.6-liter V-6 in the 2013 CTS sedan has a 11.5:1 compression ratio.) Cadillac claims that the new six has 90 percent unique parts, including the top-mounted intercooler and the Mitsubishi-engineered turbos. The car’s impressive 118 horsepower per liter of displacement, Cadillac says, bests all other six-cylinder engines in the mid-size luxury segment. In fact, with 420 horsepower, the twin-turbo V-6 packs nearly the same output as BMW’s 445-hp, twin-turbo 4.4-liter V-8 found in the 2013 5-series, 6-series Gran Coupe, and 7-series and matches the power put out by the twin-turbo, 4.0-liter V-8 in Audi’s S6 and S7.

2014 Cadillac CTS (spy photo)
Cadillac believes that the engine will be powerful enough to propel the rear-drive version of the next-gen CTS sedan from 0 to 60 mph in just 4.6 seconds and on to a top speed of 170 mph. We’re thinking we’ll be able to improve on the predicted acceleration time once we get to test the new CTS, but the 4.6-second figure is within 0.7 second of the time posted by the current CTS-V sedan, which is powered by a supercharged small-block V-8 making 556 ponies. Cadillac didn’t elaborate on the potential performance of the front-drive-based XTS equipped with the twin-turbo V-6—or whether it will be de-tuned—but we assume that it will be paired exclusively with all-wheel-drive in that car.

• Comparison Test: 2013 Cadillac ATS vs. 2012 BMW 328i
• Instrumented Test: 2013 Cadillac XTS AWD
• Instrumented Test: 2012 Cadillac CTS 3.6 Sedan

In the CTS, the engine will come with a new, Aisin-sourced paddle-shifted eight-speed automatic transmission. (The force-fed XTS will make do with a six-speed auto.) Besides the twin-turbo V-6, the new CTS also will be available with a 272-hp, 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder and the same naturally aspirated, 3.6-liter engine found in the current model, albeit beefed up to 321 horsepower. Critically, the turbo V-6 finally gives Cadillac’s mainstream CTS model the available power to take on the eight-cylinder BMW 550i, as well as the supercharged six-cylinder Audi A6 3.0T and upcoming twin-turbo V-6–powered 2015 Mercedes-Benz E400.

​

Continue reading...