Despite the V's penchant for supercar handling, a few additional interior aspects aren't with the program - so to speak. The

The lack of a dead pedal and the use of a foot operated parking brake don't live up to the super sedan image. (Photo: Rob Rothwell, Canadian Auto Press)

slim, flat spot in the floor that I believe is supposed to resemble a dead pedal is hardly sufficient. The placement of a proper, shoe-sized dead pedal would enable drivers to plant themselves up against the backside of the seat when attacking a road course. Secondly, what's up with a manual shifting sports sedan equipped with a foot operated parking brake? To make matters worse, when the latch is pulled to release the brake, the thunderous clunk of the pedal slamming against it stop-point is absurd. Apart from these less than trifling issues, the interior of the CTS-V is well assembled and reasonably pleasing if black is your thing. Personally its design has never done much for me. I would love to see Cadillac toss it out and start afresh. Jeez, the cabin in the new Ford F150 pickup is more appealing and sportier looking! But like the opposite sex, or same sex depending on one's orientation, attractiveness is

Personally, I find the CTS-V's interior unappealing and a bit on the dull side. (Photo: Rob Rothwell, Canadian Auto Press)

a personal thing and I would hate to condemn someone else's vision of beauty by slamming the CTS interior any more than I have. Layout and design issues aside, the CTS-V is chalk-a-block full of content. My tester featured most of the bells and whistles, including Cadillac's navigation system, the screen of which combines for interfacing with a sensational sounding Bose audio system and in-dash CD stacker. Regrettably I didn't find the combined navigation and audio controls particularly intuitive or straightforward to operate, and I'm not over 50. While I don't consider myself "old" I'm not a kid either, so a little simplification and clear separation of the two systems would be helpful to the non-Gen-X'ers among us.