Cadillac to debut new twin-turbo powerplant
Next week’s New York Auto Show will see the debut of the all-new Cadillac CTS which will also mean the debuts of the first twin-turbo powerplant and first eight-speed automatic transmission from Cadillac.
The new engine is a 3.6-litre V6 capable of 313kW of power and 583Nm of torque – thus making it the most powered GM V6 ever made, while also claiming the spot of the most power-dense six-cylinder engine in the mid-size luxury segment with 88kW/litre.
The new twin-turbo is based around the engine already used in the current Cadillac SRX, XTS and ATS, however this new model has an all-new cylinder block casting, cylinder head castings, domed aluminium pistons, direct injection, strengthened connecting rods, tuned inlet and outlet resonators as well as some aluminium cam covers.
The two turbochargers help to increase the engine’s peak torque between 2500-5500rpm, thanks to vacuum-actuated wastegates and electronic control valves as well as an integrated charge air cooler system which features low-volume air ducts as well as a 10.2:1 compression ratio.
When those stats and features are combined with a new high-performance paddle-shifted eight-speed automatic transmission – capable of shifting gears in 0.3 of a second on wide-open-throttle upshifts – the new twin-turbo powerplant can propel the Cadillac CTS sedan from zero to 100km/h in about 4.6 seconds and reach an estimated top speed of 274 km/h.
This new engine will be powering the Cadillac CTS and XTS once it is launched in the US towards the end of 2013 – the new CTS will also be offered with a 239kW/373Nm naturally aspirated 3.6-litre V6 as well as a 203kW/400Nm 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder.
It’s interesting to note that according to GM’s vice president of global manufacturing and president of international operations, Holden could also use the GM Alpha platform which is the same rear-wheel-drive architecture that underpins the Cadillac CTS, in the future, so maybe seeing something akin to the twin-turbo in a Holden might not be so far-fetched.
