2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe

2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe

A Cadillac winning Import Car of the Year sounds backwards, until you realize that the magazine bestowing the award is based in Europe. Readers of the German car enthusiast magazine AutoBild Allrad have voted the 2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe All-Wheel Drive as their favorite imported car in the sports car/coupe/convertible competition. What else was in the field? Oh, a few no-names like the Nissan GT-R, Bentley Continental GT, Lamborghini Gallardo, and Alfa Romeo Brera Q4.

The CTS Coupe went on sale in Europe last fall, and like in the U.S., the coupe's snarky good looks have gotten it some positive attention overseas. The standard configuration for the CTS Coupe is rear-wheel drive, with a 3.6-liter V-6 and six-speed manual transmission. However, the all-wheel drive model has accounted for more than 40 percent of all CTS Coupe sales since it was introduced, and in snowy climates such as Austria and Switzerland, the numbers skyrocket to more than 70 percent.

The funny thing is, there's probably a good-sized chunk of the U.S. population that doesn't even know there is an all-wheel drive version of the CTS, coupe sedan or wagon. Cadillac hasn't exactly called a lot of attention to its AWD system, but for luxury car shoppers in foul-weather areas, it's an important consideration. It usually delivers torque in a 24/75 front-to-rear split, but it can provide 100 percent of torque to the front wheels in slippery conditions.

Source: Cadillac