When you’re looking at Cadillac CTS performance, petrol is your only option. The 3.0-litre V6 is the entry-point to the Cadillac CTS range and comes with 276bhp for 0-62mph in 8.0 seconds. It’s not especially swift for a car of this size or power and is easily outdone by a BMW 5 Series. The six-speed automatic gearbox searches between gears too much for our liking, though the V6 engine settles to a quiet hum at a cruise. A 3.6-litre V6 engine is also on offer that has 322bhp for brisker sprints of 6.3 seconds from 0-62mph, or 6.7 seconds if you choose the all-wheel drive version over the standard rear-wheel drive model.

Parkers recommends

It’s hard to recommend any of the engine options in the Cadillac CTS, but if you’re going to buy one go for the 3.6 V6 with rear-wheel driver as it’s the most economical.

Cadillac is aware that the preconceived notion of an American saloon is a big car that wallows over the road, which is why it’s given the CTS a stiff bodyshell and firmed up the suspension. The 2.8-litre model has a standard set-up which is forgiving and soaks up bumps well, while keeping road noise to a minimum. The more powerful 3.6-litre gets performance tuned suspension but while this helps offer excellent roadholding and makes the CTS feel nimble and agile, it does fidget over bumps and never really settles on poor surfaces.

It seems that in attempting to ensure its cars don’t roll through corners, Cadillac has gone too far in the opposite direction. On the plus side the steering is pleasingly engaging, nicely weighted and allows the driver to feel fully in control when driving on twisty roads. In fact the CTS feels more athletic than any US saloon sold in the UK to date.