It’s not the version we’ve been waiting for, considering 0-60 sweats fast cars primarily. But nonetheless we spent some time with the Cadillac CTS Coupe this past week to get a feel for the platform that will support the next Caddy streetfighter.

Beneath the hood is the same 304-hp, direct-injected V6 as Chevrolet’s Camaro. Our test model paired the six with GM’s optional Hydra-Matic 6L50 six-speed automatic, although we would have preferred the standard Aisin AY6 manual. The autobox shifts via console or with buttons behind the steering wheel, which provide a less tactile experience than paddles. Shifts are serviceably quick, and the system matches revs accurately on downshifts, but doesn’t tantalize with delicious throttle blips like other such systems, or offer the precision of dual-cluch manuals.

Despite its primary duty as a boulevardier, the two-door CTS does change direction well and slithers off from the starting line briskly enough. Predictably, though it lacks the kind of razor-sharp steering feel that would make the chassis pop — presumably along with the cervical vertebrae of some prospective buyers.

At a curb weight of 3909 lbs the CTS Coupe naturally trades agility for road presence, although hurling it through snaky California trails — the V6 aptly throwing down with gravity to pass ancient RVs on uphill grades — wasn’t without some amusement. Cadillac approaches the CTS Coupe’s suspension tune the way Mr. Myagi approaches kicking the crap out of coke-addled Vietnam vets (in the original Karate Kid, of course): in Goju Ryu Karate’s “hard-soft” style. That’s firm but not bone jarring, with noticeably better roll control than the sedan. (The optional “Summer Tire Performance Package” adds GM’s stiffer FE3 suspension, 19-inch wheels, and ContiSport summer shoes). The Coupe also gets a shorter final drive (3:73 vs the sedan’s 3:45) for added mechanical punch.

It’s striking how much of the original CTS Coupe show car has carried over, stylistically, into the production coupe. It is, after all, the most striking vision of Cadillac designers’ “Art and Science” styling philosophy to date. As if it needed to be said, the CTS Coupe’s finely honed bodylines could engrave the Magna Carta on a quartz watch crystal at 30 paces. Perhaps the deck lid spoiler doubling as a safety light will go to better downforce-production use in the coming, 556-hp V model.

Overall, the base CTS-Coupe is a decent hors d’oeuvre. The main course will be served later this summer.

2011 CTS Coupe
Price $38,990 (base)
Power: 304hp, 273-lb-ft
Engine: 3.6-liter V6
Drivetrain: Rear-wheel drive, 6-speed automatic
0-60: 5.8 seconds
Top Speed: n/a
Curb Weight: 3909 lbs
Power to Weight: 12.9 lbs/hp