mmarshall

By request, a double review of the new 2008 Cadillac CTS DI Performance Sedan.


http://www.cadillac.com/cadillacjsp/...=cts&year=2008


In a Nutshell: A real pleasure to drive. The best new Cadillac overall, with the best Cadillac interior, that I've seen in years.



Cadillac, unfortunately, has a long history of producing sub-standard small and mid-sized cars. The company first departed from its behemoth-only policy with the mid-sized (and quite expensive) SeVille of 1976.....an OK mid-sized luxury car with a full-size luxury car price tag ($12,479) that was quite expensive for the time and did not represent a particularly good value. Not surprisingly, it did not sell in huge numbers, but it sold good enough for Cadillac to introduce a redesigned SeVille in 1980 and totally screw it up with a U-G-L-Y, acute double-slant trunk lid that would make today's Chris Bangle BMW trunk lids actually look attractive in comparison. That, and the incedibly unreliable 350 V8 diesel engine and too-small and too-lightweight a transmission that GM stuck in it, along with a number of their other cars (to save money), doomed that car to a place in the automotive boondoggles of history.

But hold on.....even worse was to follow with the pint-sized Cimarron of 1981. It was fashioned from the cheap, underpowered, poorly engineered GM J-Body platforms of the early 1980's, and spouted a FWD 1.8L four-cylinder with only 88 HP that not only sounded and ran like a out-of-balance washing machine but was clearly overburdened with the weight of the Cadillac accessories, trim, and insulation that the other J-body cars did not have. I test-drove a new Cimarron in 1982 and took it back to the dealership when my own grandmother passed me walking on crutches. The car remained the butt of jokes throughout its years of production in the 1980's....along with the newly-introduced Hyundai Excel.

The Cimarron's experience....and criticism.....made such an impact on Cadillac's management that they, and their boss, then-GM Chairman Roger Smith (a man who thought of only three things in this world......profits, profits, and more profits) and his successors shied away for years from another attempt at a compact/mid-sized Cadillac. But eventually, as the memories of the early-80's Cimarron and Seville faded, the company, now with new management, reacting to the increasing popularity of so-called "entry-level" luxury cars, decided to take another stab at it. The result? The late 90's Catera, a GM world-platform vehicle taken from the ubiquitous German-GM Opel Sigma. The basic platform and design was used by several other GM divisions as well.........including the new Saturn L-series and Saab 9-5.

The new Catera drove OK.....it was not a bad car on the road (I reviewed one in its first year), but IMO was rather poorly built, had sub-par fit-and finish, and, like the new Lexus ES350 I reviewed last year, had several rattles and squeaks even right out of the factory. It was, however, unlike most other Cadillacs of the time, a more or less true drivers' car, with (for the time) good handling and steering response. Unfortunately, like the second-generation Seville and Cimarron which preceded it, the Catera also quickly established a worse-than-average reputation for reliability, not only with Consumer Reports, but other sources as well.

The Catera continued in production for several years until Cadillac management decided to replace it with an all-new, radically-styled replacement, also done, like the Catera, on a German Opel platform....the CTS. I myself was asked by local Cadillac marketing to serve on a focus-discussion group that was to gauge the impact of its styling, marketing, and sales appeal. I spent several hours with the group going over design and marketing suggestions. I won't cover that entire evening and everything I said and suggested (that, of course, is not the purpose of this review) but, in a nutshell, I thought the interior was too dull, too plasticky, too knife-edged, and too un-like a Cadillac to really succeed. I also thought the paint colors were too dull (so, what else is new?) Cadillac did make some subsequent interior changes (not enough, IMO) and added a nice sunset-copper orange paint color. The exterior, though, I liked.....except for the typical-GM dime-store-plastic hardware. Still, I was never really impressed with the car, even after several test-drives, and I ended up buying a bright-yellow 2001 Lexus IS300.....THAT is how you guys at CL ended up getting stuck with me.

The original CTS, however, introduced not only a radical new design for Cadllacs, based on chisel-edged exterior angles, but, in its later years, the new high-performance V division as well. The CTS, by this time, had became a car that some BMW-philes, in their dissatisfaction with the Chris Bangle designs, were starting to cross-shop and consider. Cadillac started the V division to basically try and appeal to the ones who had been driving BMW M-models, and has had at least some success. The CTS, while not Toyota or Honda-like in reliability, was notably better than the ill-fated Catera.......generally average in reliability, according to Consumer Reports, and was on their recommended list as a new car. One of the auto-enthusiast magazines, though, that I read....can't remember which one......had some big problems with their first test CTS-V, with its entire rear differential/axle, defective glass, and several hardware and electronic pieces replaced.

The original CTS, though, while again an OK car with a rather cheaply done interior, never really seemed to be a REAL alternative to the best entry-level luxury and luxury/sports sedans from Europe and Japan. Lincoln tried with the Zephyr/MKZ, and achieved much better first-year reliability than the CTS, but the Lincoln nameplate (unjustifyingly, IMO) seemed to turn off a lot of younger people.

So......now we have an all-new 2008 CTS, and boy, what a change. While still done on the world-GM Opel Sigma platform, this new CTS is as different from the old one as Elton John is from Hulk Hogan. Gone are the dull, monotone El Cheapo interior plastics that looked and felt like a Wal-Mart clearance sale. Gone is the annoying under-dash protrusion that smacked the knees of tall people every time they got in and out. Gone are the ugly air vents that looked like the street grates a drunk would sleep on. Gone is the cheap-feeling leather that you planted your butt on every time you got in. And gone is the second-class feeling of the car's basic structure. Cadillac, Opel, and GM, all three who shared in this car's design, obviously put some time, effort, and engineering into this car.

Two basic lines of the new CTS are currently offered...a regular CTS 3.6L with 263 HP and the CTS 3.6L DI (Direct Injection) with 304 HP. The DI version is rather peaky, as my review below will show. An-all new CTS-V version is forthcoming as well, but, according to the Cadillac people I spoke with today, is not quite ready yet. Many different trim, luxury, luxury/sport, sport, and non-V performance options are available as well. Some of them can be ordered together or independently of each other.....it makes for many possible different combinations which I don't have time to cover here in detail.....see the brochure or web site. Both the metallic/wood-trim and the metallic/carbon-fiber interiors, however, were stunning...especially compared to the old CTS, and more important, though there is a small amount of the old cheap GM plastic left over, it is negligible compared to the nice look and feel of virtually everything else inside.

I chose two different CTS versions for the review instead of just one, mainly to sample the two different suspensions and underpinnings.....one with the base suspension/RWD, and the other with the Sport Suspension/AWD (like the previous version, AWD is once again offered). Both cars had the same DI 304 HP engine....I saw no reason to drive another bread-and-butter 3.6L, having sampled it before on other GM vehicles. The AWD Sport-Suspension model was the only one the dealer had in stock with that suspension (they are hard to get), so I got to try it and the AWD together. As it was, I test-drove the base-suspension model while the more-sophisticated AWD one with the Sport Package was being prepped.....it had just come off the truck the night before. The salesman, after riding with me in the base one, was sufficiently convinced of my maturity and driving ability that he just tossed me the "Key" to the the AWD Sport-Package one after it came out of the shop (unlike the base-model, it had an proximity-key ignition twist-****) and said "Take it out and enjoy it" (even though it was the only Sport-Package one they had). So take it out I did.....when I got back a little while later, there were already people waiting to take my place test-driving it. I just hopped out and gave the key to the guy...and the salesman.....behind me. That just may be a forerunner of the kind of demand this car could generate in the marketplace...the Cadillac people are already expecting it to make major inroads to STS sales....though rumor has it that the STS may soon be dropped.

So, for my report on what this all-new car is like in detail, both base and sport-suspension-models, read on.









Model Reviewed: 2008 Cadillac CTS DI Performance Sedan


Base price: $34,545


Major Options: Sapele Wood Trim: $495

Ultraview Sunroof: $900

Premium Luxury I Collection: $2600

NAV/MP3/Cabin Surround/XM/DVD $3145

Compact Spare Tire
(replaces tire inflation kit) $250



Destination: $745


List Price as Reviewed: $42,680



Exterior Color: Black Raven

Interior: Cashmere Leather/Wood


Drivetrain:

3.6L longitudional-mount Direct-Injection V6
304 HP @ 6300 RPM, Torque 273 ft-lbs. @ 5200 RPM.
6-Speed Manual Sport-Shift automatic, RWD














Model Reviewed: 2008 Cadillac CTS DI Performance Sedan


Base price: $34,545


Major Options:

ABS/High-Performance 4-wheel Disc Brakes $395

All-Wheel-Drive $1900

Premium Luxury II Collection $8015

Polished Aluminum Wheels $750

All-season Tire Performance Package (Includes Sport Suspension): $1740


Destination: $745


List Price as Reviewed: $48,090



Drivetrain:

3.6L longitudional-mount Direct-Injection V6
304 HP @ 6300 RPM, Torque 273 ft-lbs. @ 5200 RPM.
6-Speed Manual Sport-Shift automatic, AWD


Exterior Color: Black Raven

Interior: Ebony Leather/Wood










PLUSSES:



Vastly improved, overall, over the old CTS.

Handsome exterior styling.

Base suspension has good ride-handling compromise.

Good road feel (though not quite BMW-like) in the power steering.

Better-than-average for a GM paint job.

Arctic-Cool air conditioning.

Good exterior hardware.

Jewel-like primary instruments.

Standard Oil pressure gauge.

Choice of rich-looking wood or carbon fiber trim.

Nice leather for the seats.

Superb interior detail on a level with high-dollar Audis.

Solid, slick-operating, short-throw manumatic shifter.

Good noise isolation with base-suspension model.

Well-finished trunk.

Good headroom and legroom in front.

Many trim and performance options can be ordered together or interchanged.

Complex but clearly-labeled NAV/stereo/trip computer controls and displays.

Smooth, solid, slick-as-butter turn-signal lever.

Nice, high-quality stereo.

Unusual factory warranty on tires (4 years/50,000 miles).






MINUSES:



Pricey with luxury and performance options.

Brakes OK but initially spongy.

Peaky torque characteristics unusual for a GM-designed V6.

Marginal rear-seat headroom near the sunroof housing.

Tight rear-seat legroom with front seats adjusted back.

Small trunk opening despite articulating hinges.

Relatively tinny-sounding doors.

No protective side strips for parking-lot dings.

Inside rear-view mirror too bulky and lens too small.

Under-hood component access a joke.

Standard tire-inflation kit for flats...even a compact spare costs extra.

Paint colors mostly, IMO, too dull.

Initial high demand for the car could mean no discounts or bargaining.

Manual tilt/no-telescope (?) wheel. (see specs)





Well, the first impression of the new CTS, as you walk up to it, is to try and pick it out from the almost identically-styled but slightly larger STS parked right next to it. The stylists, on the outside, with a couple of small exceptions, basically used the current STS as a starting point.....and a finishing point. The outside resemblance between the two is remarkable...........not that there is anything wrong with that, for, IMO, the current STS is quite handsome, and of course the new CTS shares those good looks. I've always said if it ain't broke, don't fix it. But too many other things on the old CTS DID need fixing...and many of those things HAVE been fixed (more on that in a minute).

The handsome exterior is covered with an equally handsome paint job, though, in the mmarshall tradition, I find most of the paint colors, once again, a little too much on the funeral side. Still, the White Diamond (an extra-cost color) and the Crystal Red are quite nice.....Cadillac photographs the car in the brochure and for ads mostly in the Crystal Red. The paint-job quality, as with other Cadillacs, is better-than-average for GM....and a long way from the lousy paint on entry-level Chevies and Pontiacs. It is close to what you will find on the average new Lexus.

The outside hardware, also a weak point of the Old CTS, was also been significantly upgraded, though the real wire-mesh grille on the old CTS-V was nice.(I haven't seen the new V-model and therfore cannot comment on it). The outside mirrors, housings, snap-swivels, grille, trim, chrome, lights, and wheel-arch moldings all seem to be a cut above the old car's in quality of materials and finish. Many outside parts, of course, are still plastic, but it is a much better plastic than was used on the old model.....and nice, evenly-applied chrome and paint on top of the plastic (I can't wait to see how nice the new CTS-V's wire-mesh grille is probably going to be).

Open the strut-supported, aluminum hood and you see the car's first real disappointment. Not there is anything wrong with the engine itself (it's a fine but peaky V6) but in the way the engine is crammed in and the way that almost nohting is accessable but a couple of dipsticks/reservoirs. A BIG, silver plastic engine cover, in the luxury-car tradition these days, and several unnecessary smaller black plastic covers all around the edges of the hood to play hide-and-go-seek with just about everything else.....good luck finding the battery if you or AAA need to jump-start it (and a lot of GM Delco batteries have side-terminals that make access even harder).

Open the somewhat tinny doors, however, and step in, and........WOW........you are in a completely different world from the old CTS. Here, finally, is the interior that the car should have gotten from the very start (and what I told the marketers in the focus meeting when the car first came out). And, unlike the glitz-coated cheap plastic of other GM upmarket vehicles like the Buick Enclave and Lucerne, the interior quality in this car is more than just skin-deep. Yes, a few (very few) of the old El Cheapo GM plastics still remain inside, but they are negligible compared to the enormous increase in interior quality all around you. First, you plant your butt on the nice, soft, quality leather for the driver's seat.....while not race-car-shaped, still with enough side support for some reasonable cornering without feeling too confining (my recent weight loss, upon retirement, helps out some here too). In front of you lies nice, clear, jewel-like primary gauges with chrome rings, red/chrome pointers, white letters on a black background, and Lexus-type backlighting. A matching oil-pressure gauge, unusual in many sedans these days, lies under the fuel and temperature gauges. The leather-covered wheel has (depending on the trim package) nice, attractive wood and plastic, silver-brushed metallic spokes that are so classy they don't look or feel like plastic. Even the wheel buttons, which feel flimsy on a lot of cars, have a nice, precision feel on the CTS. The only thing the wheel lacks, for a true luxury touch, is a power tilt/telescope feature...it had a hand-released lever for tilt and no telescope at all.

Almost everything around you has a nice, classy, luxurious look and feel...door handles, wood trim, metallic accents, air vents, chrome, buttons and switches, a classy chrome Infiniti-style analog clock, the pop-up NAV screen, but perhaps nothing inside is as addicting as the auto-manual shift lever. It is not only covered with a nice classy wood (in some trim packages) but operates just as smoothly, solidly, and with as precision a feel as the industry-leading manual-transmission levers in Hondas and Acuras. The turn-signal lever is just as nice, solid, and smooth to operate as the shifter. I didn't particularly care for the design of the inside, auto-dimming, On-Star-equipped mirror, though, I thought the housing was too bulky and the actual mirror surface a little small.

There are several different trim and interior packages for the new CTS......some with wood, some with MORE wood,and some with carbon-fiber, so I can't describe them all in detail in just one review. But all the ones I looked at (I only drove two but looked at a number of them) were classy, attractive, and well-made.


Headroom up front, under the sunroof housing, is fine for tall people.....marginal but OK for medium-to-tall adults in back. Legroom up front is generally good....in back it really depends on where you have the front seat adjusted, more so than with most cars. Move the front seat up a little and you're OK.....with the front seats all the way back, it is Munchkin-sized.

The stereo is not quite a Mark Levinson LS460 unit (the acknowledged benchmark for auto stereos), but the difference is not great, and no one will likely be disappointed. It was far better than many other GM sound systems, and was fully deserving of luxury-car status. And my AC/DC cuts (long my favorite rock group), believe me, are a real test for ANY speakers...when Angus and Brian let go, you know it. The stereo is fairly well integrated with the NAV and trip computer, and, like most such systems, is somewhat complex but not as complex as, say, BMW's I-Drive or Audi's MMI. Auxiliary stereo and climate-control buttons are on the console and steering wheel.

The trunk area is roomy and well-finished with a high grade of carpeting, but two things still need attention, IMO. First, the actual trunk opening itself is rather small for the actual amount of space inside, despite the scissors-like articulating hinges. This, of course, limits the practical size of things that you can easily load and unload. Second, in a car costing over $40,000, I don't think that one should have to pay extra for a compact spare tire, much less a real one. The standard system is a tire-inflation kit. My 2001 Lexus IS300, at $31,000, came with a real spare and extra alloy wheel.

Well, time to drive, which turned, for the most part, turned out to be as much of a pleasure as the interiors. The two cars started up differently...the cheaper one had a conventional GM transponder key and ignition, and the other one had the proximity key with a Mazda-style built-in twist ****. Both cars, of course, had the DI engine, which starts up and idles smoothly, silently, and Lexus-like. There have been some comments about this engine being coarse and having vibrations...I did not notice any at all at 4000 RPM or less (the cars had too few miles on them to go much higher RPM than that). Power delivery was smooth and silent, but, a little peaky, which is quite unusual for GM-built V6's. Little acceleration for an engine of these HP/torque ratings occurs until around 3000 RPM or so, and then it feels like a VTEC system cutting in.....aceleration increases noticeably, and you are pressed back into the seat. As ususal, I didn't test the engine near its redline because of its newness. You do get a little exaust burble with moderate-to-hard acceleration , but no more so than in most luxury cars. The transmission shifts smoothly and quietly in full-automatic mode, though a little bumpier and more harshly in Sport or Manual mode....and the shift lever, as I described above, is a real jewel both in looks and feel. This is probably the best-designed shifter since the one I tried in the Audi A3 DSG gearbox.

Both cars had the same engine and transmission; the more expensive one had AWD, which of course adds weight and drag, but the acceleration didn't feel a whole lot different even with the AWD, at least under the conditions I was driving them. (Remember.....I don't test to the limits like Car and Driver and Road and Track does, but evaluate a car mostly in everyday conditions). I drive, corner, and brake hard enough, though, to get a good idea of what a car is capable of.

Brakes were OK...no significant problems, but could use slightly better pedal modulation in the upper-part of the travel. The AWD car had a different brake package than the RWD car, but both of the pedals felt more or less the same...sponginess for about the first inch or so, then a slight response, then a smooth, steady, more powerful response. Though this car is basically German-designed, the brake-pedal feel didn't quite equal those on some BMW's, Porsches, and Audis (the lousy electro-hydraulic brakes on some Mercedes models are another story).

Ride and handling differed noticeably between the two cars due to their different suspensions and tires, though both cars had all-season tires of diffeent sizes.The tire/suspension/chassis combinations on the new CTS can be complex and confusing, and Threxx is more of an expert on them than I am.....you may want to direct any specific questions about them to him rather than me. But, from what I could tell, both of my test cars had a mid-level FE2 suspension with all-season tires, but with the two suspensions of different firmness and tire/wheel size.....that seems to be the way Cadillac markets them on this car. In the cheaper RWD car, (which I clearly preferred, ride-wise) the suspension in that car had what I would call a good ride-handling balance.....a fair amount of body roll and OK, if not good, absorbtion of bumps and road shocks. Steering response and handling was not as crisp as the other car but was fine for my needs. The other, more expensive car with AWD, limited-slip differential, and stiffer suspension and tires produced, not surprisingly, a firmer ride with less absorbtion of bumps, but with better and quicker steering response and less body roll. As race-car handling is not terribly important to me, I was perfectly pleased with the standard setup (though I didn't try the even softer FE1 suspension and tires, which only comes on the non-DI cars). But don't get me wrong....BOTH cars were a pleasure to drive, especially compared to me negative opinion of the old CTS. In my book, the new CTS is a nice car no matter how you equip it.

Wind and road noise were muted in both cars, but not to Lexus LS/GS/ES, Cadillac DTS, or Town Car levels. Again, the stiffer-riding car also had slightly more road and wind noise (and again, not bad), which could have been in the suspension and tires, or, as it seemed to be mostly coming in the right-rear window, could have just been a sample glitch on my particular car, with a seal defect from the factory (I checked to make sure the window and door was closed all the way).


But, all in all, it was as much of a pleasure to get these two cars out on the road as it was to sit in them and sample their much-improved interiors from past models. It was a long afternoon for me in the hot sun with the double-review (got up to 88 degrees yesterday at nearby Dulles Airport), but, IMO, worth it. And that, of course, brings up another one of the CTS's assets....the traditionally superb, Arctic GM air-conditioning units. Lexus and GM seem to do the best AC units in the industry.




The verdict?

FINALLY............a car from Detroit, with an American nameplate on it, that can honestly compete with the better luxury and luxury/sport models from Europe and Japan, though in actuality, it is really an Americanized German design. The last CTS, IMO, was, in many ways, a big disappointment........I was not impressed with it at all.....and the Catera, before that, an even worse, poorly-built, unreliable rattle-and-squeak-box. But those days are gone now, especially if this new car turns out reasonably reliable, as the last CTS was (Consumer Reports gave the last CTS an average reliability record after some initial spottiness, but some car-test mags reported major troubles with their CTS-V-models). This new car, IMO, sets a new benchmark for a car with an American nameplate...things that were sorely lacking in the last CTS. In some ways, it trumps the Lincoln MKZ (Zephyr)........a car I also have a relatively high opinion of.....and like the MKZ, is available with AWD in some versions. Whether it ends up as reliable as the MKZ's (so far) stellar record remains to be seen.....only time will tell.

Is it a perfect car? No, of course not.....not by any means. No car is. IMO, the brake-pedal modulaton, inside mirror, trunk design, noise control (?) with the sport suspension, solidness of door closings, and paint colors could all use some work......the people in the auto industry who choose paint colors for so many of today's vehicles need to step of the funeral home once in a while and look at some more cheerful tones.

In the meantime, if you want one, get your order in now....or wait till the novelty wears off a little and then talk to the salespeople. And, yes, with this car, even with what is admittedly a global auto industry, you can be proud to buy "American".

LiCelsior

iTrader: (32)

holey be-jesus how long did this take u to type?

mmarshall

When I do a auto review, friend, I don't screw around. My logo is not "Let's Talk Cars" for nothing.

MPLexus301

iTrader: (3)

I saw this car at the Atlanta Auto Show here in April, but it was not to be sat in. Last night Cadillac was having a promo setup outside one of my favorite restaurants in Midtown (NickiMotos) and I took some time with the new CTS. It was the very base model but had a sunroof so I figure I'll throw my opinion in here.

First, as I have said all along...this car really doesn't look much different from the old one. Details are different, and better looking, but it just doesn't really look "all new". I was with a group of friends when we left the restaurant and I saw the Caddy banners and CTS and I mentioned that I, "...wanted to walk over and check out the new CTS." The girl that I was with and then one of my boys didn't understand what I was talking about. When I walked over to the car, they were surprised to learn that this was actually the BRAND new car. Also, both remarked that aside from the grille it doesn't look any different.

Anyways, I asked if I could get inside the car and to my surprise...she handed me a key. A regular old, normal, key with a separate key fob for remote security. Not to be a snob, but I sort of feel like the absence of push button start when it can be found on Camrys and Altimas is...uhh...disappointing.

Another thing that I found disappointing was the gear shifter which IMO, just looks cheap and GM-parts-bin. They need to come up with something classier here.

Really though, those were my only three complaints: the rather familiar looking exterior (IMO it isn't different enough), gear shifter and the lack of push button start. I pushed, prodded and played with the interior and was honestly quite impressed. Everything was nicely laid out, beautifully styled, and soft to the touch for the most part. Space was good, visibility was good, no other real complaints. She did note that the car I was sitting in had a sunroof which would push the sticker to over $35K and when fully optioned the car hovers around $47,000. Personally, I find those prices a bit steep but I know it's also bigger than a GS. Power, quality, and feature wise, I would say this is car is between mid-pack and the top. Not to best, but certainly not bad.

mmarshall

It basically looks like other Cadillac sedans now...particularly the STS. And, IMO, both are quite handsome.


The more expensive of the two models I reviewed had a proximity key and a built-in **** on the switch you didn't need a key for. But that is an optional feature included in some packages.

I can't even begin to agree on this one. Both of the shifters in my test cars were solid, jewel-like, classy, and had a precision-clockwork feel.....pretty much like the shifter on the superb VW/Audi DSG gearbox. The shifter in the old CTS, like much of the rest of the interior, WAS junk.


I do agree with you here. Option packages on this car are steep and can push the price way up. Fully-loaded CTS's can, in some instances run 50K....one of my two cars was over 48. It will be interesting to see what the new V-model runs when it comes out.

MPLexus301

iTrader: (3)

I am not talking about the quality of the transmission shifts since I didn't drive the car. The shifter itself, the part that you physically grab and move from gear to gear is quite cheap feeling IMO.

Threxx

Thanks a lot for doing this review.

I am glad you enjoyed the car - makes me feel like I'm not just going crazy when I was so, overall, blown away by it.

I'd like to spend longer commenting and probably will later, but a few quick observations as time allows for the moment...

-No mention of the nicely hand-stitched leather covering the entire upper dash and upper doors? That was a really nice touch to me. Did you like it or not really?

-I am surprised to read your observation of the noise to not be up to Lexus levels. I drove the base FE1 and there was definitely no excess of noise - maybe the FE1 is even quieter and without a potentially defective seal on the window... maybe that's what made the car I was in (per my rough observations) match that of the 3rd gen GS350 I'd driven earlier.
Also, I didn't really notice tinny sounding doors, but maybe I've gotten used to my Audi A4's doors which, while not bad, aren't super solid sounding either.

-I do agree with you on the brakes. I didn't care for the feel of them. Not horrible but not impressive.

- I'm not saying you're wrong, but you're the first I've ever heard of somebody saying that the GM Sigma platform is derived from Opel. Sigma was developed initially in Australia by GM's Holden group and is built almost exclusively in the US. The new CTS uses the second generation of the Sigma platform... which is in some ways shared with the STS and in some ways 'all new'. Some call it a shortened and reinforced STS platform.

The old Catera on the other hand was practically a rebadged Opel Omega, and they were both built in the same plant in Germany. And yeah, it was a junker.

-It's unfortunate that you didn't get to test an FE1 and FE3 (the two extreme ends of the suspension/brake/steering options available), but maybe good that you at least got to see what will probably be the top selling suspension packages - the 'handling/ride compromise' package, and impressive that you noticed such a difference between the two FE2 cars.

-Did you get a chance to play with any of the tech toys? The one I drove did not have the hard drive based MP3 player, nav, etc so I didn't get to check any of that out...

Anyhow... thanks again for taking the time to test the cars and write up that long and detailed review.

TRDFantasy

Awesome review, thanks!

However, I literally stopped in my tracks when I read one of the "cons" which was manual tilt/no-telescope wheel. In this segment, IMHO it is simply inexcusable not to have a tilt/telescope wheel. A lowly Toyota Corolla has a manual tilt/no-telescope wheel and this Cadillac does not even exceed that?
Big dissapointment, and yet another reminder of why in some ways GM is still the same old company it's been. Yet another reminder that not a whole lot has changed.

Even a base-model Camry gets a tilt AND telescope steering wheel!

But back to the review; I tend to agree with MPLexus301. The new CTS seems to be certainly a competitive car in the segment, but in the end it seems to be midpack, and not class leading as some would have people believe.

Threxx

I missed that con. The steering wheel does telescope. I specifically remember adjusting the telescope of the wheel when I was in the car. No, it wasn't power, but it telescoped and tilted just fine.

There's no reason to belittle the positive opinions of others by referring to them as though they're trying to be deceitful... "not class leading as some would have people believe" makes it sound like the people who are saying good things about this car have an invalid if not purposely deceitful opinion of the car. On the flip side, you're talking down about the opinion of others without having even driven one.

mmarshall

Yes. Everything about the new interior was pretty nice except the few negative things I mentioned...the inside mirror design, manual-tilt wheel, and the slight lack of room in the back seat.

The noise level was not bad...just slightly more than what you would normally expect in a new Lexus or a Town Car....and Lexus, of course, is famous for its quiet-riding products.

The Sport model, not surprisingly, let in a little more road noise from the slightly larger tire contact patch.



The Cadillac people called it an Opel Sigma platform...but the whole auto industry today is so global that perhaps you are correct (there have been some questions and comments here at CL on this topic before) . Opel may have used it (an Australian design) but not designed it. Hard to say. Anyhow, unlike the Catera, whatever and wherever its source, it is a MUCH better platform.

The most well-known Australian platform in the U.S. is, of course, the Pontiac GTO.....essentially an Australian Holden Monaro with an LS1 Corvette engine in it. Larger RWD cars built off the Holden Commodore platform may come to the U.S. in the future.


I'm not the expert that you are on this car's underpinnings...and it is difficult to find really Sport-oriented models in stock. For example, this particular Cadillac shop had only two DI models....and no FE3 models at all with the high-performance summer tires....and you were not the only person wanting another CTS review (besides the nice one you did). I wasn't going to wait 6 months for an available unsold FE3...I don't think you would have wanted me to.


I routinely check out NAV controls, stereo functions and quality, CD if I have one, trip computer, and anything else that I understand. But I'm not into Bluetooth, MP3, IPod, DVD's or the rest of that stuff...save that for the younger, computer-whiz minds. On BMW and Audi reviews, I figure out as many of the I-Drive and MMI functions as I can....but I have never liked either one.

And thank the U.S. Government....they (and my investments) are funding my retirement and making it possible. I have more time to DO reviews now than I did before....you guys benefit.

mmarshall

Compared to the old CTS it is like night and day....world-class it may not be, but it is the first American-badged luxury-level sedan in many years that, IMO, could compete with the better ones from Europe and Japan. I was a skeptic myself until I went and actually saw it.

I agree that the non-telescoping wheel could use an upgrade....but you can find things, in any car, at any price, that could use improvement. There are no perfect cars. That is why I have a PLUS and MINUS column for each car I review.

tmf2004

iTrader: (15)

Thanks mmarshall for such a positive review... Can you explain what the difference is in a DI and non DI car? Is there really a differnece in performance? From what i saw on the website that interior seems to be top notch with the digital climate controls and leather.. Thanks again for the review.. ALways a pleasure to read..

TOny

TRDFantasy

I double-checked with the Cadillac website and you're right, the steering wheel IS in fact tilt AND telescopic. Mmarshall, you should change the "con" as the new CTS does in-fact have standard tilt/telescopic wheel according to Cadillac specs. I retract my previous comments.

You took my comment the wrong way, and far too often people jump to conclusions on the internet .

My comment was not meant to be belittling, it was in reference to discussion of the new CTS on other sites where the "GM faithful" crowd has said many comments like "the IS350 sucks" or "G35 is crap" or "335i is horrible" while at the same time saying that "the new CTS is easily the class leader" or "way better than the crap sedans from the Japanese".

I did not name any specific names or point any fingers, so I'm not even sure why you're insulted and/or offended by the comment I made, since it was not aimed at you or anyone at CL. It was an indirect reference to foolish comments that have been made on other sites.

mmarshall

Thanks for the heads-up. (Or, rather for a steering column, a heads-down)
I couldn't find a the telescoping control in either the cars I had, and only a manual tilt lever. The Caddy people there said it wasn't offered. I did not find one in the brochure.......but perhaps I just didn't look hard enough or know where the control itself is.

On your suggestion, I'll modify the comment to include a question mark (?). Apparantly some cars have them and some don't....or it could have been a running production change on the assembly line (that sometimes happens).

If you are in fact correct, thanks....I'll stand corrected. I usually try and catch everything on a review but occasionally I'll miss something.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

Excellent review, thanks mmarshall.

Some thoughts...

You said both cars had FE2 suspension yet somehow the AWD DI model's was tuned differently? I don't understand that. Perhaps it FELT different because of the weight of the AWD which would also lower its center of gravity, plus maybe the tires were different.

About the AWD DI model being a bit noisier - aside from a possible door seal problem - maybe the AWD components and possibly different tires could account for the difference.

One other thing about your reviews in general because they're pretty consistent on this... is you like brighter exterior colors, you really like a great interior, but you don't care much about performance and handling. Because of this, you not surprisingly rated the last CTS overall poorly primarily because of its plain and ugly interior. But I beg to differ on the OVERALL rating of the current CTS, having driven my mother-in-laws car many times. I definitely agree the big hunk of black funky plastic that is the dash is NOT beautiful ! But that car is QUICK and it handles SURPRISINGLY WELL. Brakes are excellent. The white diamond paint (which she has I believe) is EXTREMELY popular by the way.

About the brake pedal feel... it needs to be said that because it's a Caddy, even though it's more 'sporty' a bunch of these will still be bought by older folks. And they don't want some rock hard sport car brake pedal feel. They like the spongy brakes for crawling through mall and Perkins' parking lots.

I don't think you mentioned it, but this new CTS has a 40GB hard drive in some or all audio packages I believe, for transferring music too! That pretty much crushes even the LS460 with it's, what, 8GB of space?

Anyway, I think most of us can agree this is really a great day for Cadillac and GM that we're talking about this car so much at all, and that it's clearly competitive.