FLYING V; Cadillac's CTS-V simply shreds.(Auto File)(Product/Service Evaluation)

This Caddy rocks, baby. More than any American luxury sport sedan since a little-known guitarist named Jimi slipped on his first Fender. Perhaps longer.

Don't let that back seat fool you. The CTS-V has got enough punch packed under its hood and composure underfoot to make any road-junkie weep-most of all you junkies with tots to tote. Hammer it, and the CTS-V rips off the line with head-banging acceleration. Stomp on the Brembos and the world screaming by your window comes to a screeching halt. For all its well-honed chops, call it speed metal on four wheels, Cadillac-style.

Owners know what we're talking about, all those who told us they never considered another vehicle. They traded in their Corvettes, garaged their 5s and turned their noses up at RS6s. Why? Because, said one owner, "This is more fun to drive than my Vette and better built, and the Vette was very well built.''

Just how much fun was our enviable responsibility to record. What we found won't surprise those who have already plugged one into their lives, but the unconvinced take heed: Germany has been officially warned.

With 400 horses on tap and a torque band that stretches nigh on forever, the CTS-V roars in fine American V8 fashion to 60 mph in 5.35 seconds. That's more than two seconds quicker than the standard CTS (7.53 seconds) and smack in BMW M3 (5.1) and Mercedes-Benz C32 AMG (5.2) territory, courtesy of an overhead valve small-block that tops out at 6600 rpm. "Off the line it just pulls and pulls and pulls,'' said one owner.

But the CTS-V still lags the E55 (4.78) by a half-second to 60, and getting the Caddy to even run down the drag strip effectively took some work. The tremendous amount of axle hop at launch wasn't easy to control, with one tester calling it the worst he's seen since the Chevrolet Caprice LTZ more than a decade ago.

But the CTS-V does turn out some great numbers off the line, and continues to throughout the midrange. Its 395 lb-ft of torque and perfectly spaced gears (first gear gets you to 45 mph, second to 65) give a commanding passing performance. It eats up just 1.7 seconds running from 20 to 40 mph and 3.0 seconds from 60 to 80. The CTS-V even pulls with authority in high gears from insanely low revs.