Our friends over at MotorTrend have just announced their 2014 pick for the rather prestigious Car Of The Year award. The MT team had their work cut out for them with a large 22-car field, but after running their battery of tests, the 2014 Cadillac CTS took home the Golden Calipers.

As Editor-in-Chief Ed Loh explains in the video, the cars are not compared directly to each other, but against six key criteria: Advancement in design, safety, efficiency, engineering excellence, performance of intended function and value. The CTS had each in spades.

The CTS is offered with three engines that are not tied to trim levels, making the number of build combinations quite numerous. The 2.0-liter, turbocharged in-line four makes respectable power while keeping fuel bills low. The naturally aspirated, 3.6-liter, V-6 makes strong numbers as well and certainly won’t leave owners with buyer’s remorse. That is, unless, you’re looking for a driver’s car. Then the twin-turbo, 3.6-liter, V-6 making 420 horsepower and 430 pound-feet of torque within the CTS Vsport fits the bill.

A chassis that’s hundreds of pounds lighter than the competition, coupled with the optional Magnetic Ride Control, make the CTS handle like a surgeon’s scalpel. And speaking of scalpels, MotorTrend had only great things to say about the cutting-edge design of the CTS’ exterior. The long LED accent lights that fall from the fenders to the lower front fascia were a particular area of interest for the judges.

The contender’s field may have been 22 cars deep, but the CTS was the one that met or exceeded the judges six criteria in a big way. Cheers to Cadillac who has come so far in the last 10 years.

Click past the jump for more on the 2014 Cadillac CTS

2014 Cadillac CTS Vsport

Keep in mind the CTS Vsport is not a replacement for the CTS V. Think of the Vsport as more a hefty performance package for the CTS. MotorTrend has laid down speculation that the actual CTS V will likely include a supercharged version of the Corvette's 6.2-liter V-8 engine.

Pricing for the CTS starts at $46,025 for a base level interior and 2.0-liter Turbo. As expected the Vsport currently tops out the range and costs upwards of $60,000 with all the option boxes checked.