Looking for a mid-size luxury sedan with a V8 and otherworldly performance capabilities? Your shortlist will invariably end up rather heavy on Teutonic influence. But the Germans aren’t the only ones in the game.
There’s the Maserati Ghibli from Italy, and there’ll soon be a new Jaguar XF SVR to represent the UK. But for the latest episode of Head 2 Head, the fellas at Motor Trend have brought together two more. They’re both brand-spanking-new, and they don’t speak German, either.
As you may have guessed by now, we’re talking about the new Cadillac CTS-V and Lexus GS F. They both pack big V8s up front mated to eight-speed automatics driving the rear wheels. They both tip the scales at around 4,100 pounds, split slightly towards the front at 53/47, and start at $85k. But where the Caddy is supercharged, the Lexus is a rare holdout for natural aspiration.
Combined with a much larger displacement of 6.2 liters instead of 5.0, that means the American contender puts out more. Like, a lot more. 640 horsepower and 630 lb-ft of torque easily trump the Japanese rival’s 467 hp and 389 lb-ft. Does this make it the better choice? You’ll want to watch the whole episode to find out.