In terms of arresting exterior design and luxurious cabin furnishings, the CTS coupe has it made. Many coupe buyers, though, want more than a car that just looks great: They want something that goes great, too. If that's what you want, the BMW 3 Series coupe or Infiniti G37 coupe are better choices.

Not surprisingly, the CTS-V coupe comes off as a more enthusiast-oriented car, and its horsepower-to-starting-price ratio is pretty impressive. Despite all that, I never really warmed to it. There are a select few performance cars — the Porsche Cayman S and Audi RS 4 come to mind — that, for one reason or another, live with you long after you've driven them. The CTS-V coupe isn't one of them.