mmarshall

Interesting and quite thorough review of the merits of the CT6 and S550. The reviewer felt the CT6 represented good value and a lot of features, but clearly suffered in comparison to the Mercedes' refinement and material quality.

I plan to full-review a CT6 myself when my knee heals sufficiently (it's steadily improving). I had already finished a CT6 static-review (non-test-drive) before the injury.

Toys4RJill

Meh review, the guy doesn't like the Cadillac, I get it...he doesn't need 15 minutes to explain it all. The guy is also not really the demographic. I would like to see the sales and conquest buys to know if the CT6 is up to snuff.

I really like the new CT6, its got nice tech, a fresh design language, and some really good engineering stuff like lightweight with the use of a lot of aluminum.

mmarshall

I wouldn't say that he necessarily dislikes he CT6....just feels (probably correctly) that is is not in the same league as the S550. On the static (showroom) review of the CT6 I did, I wasn't terribly impressed myself with some of the interior and sheet metal solidness myself. He was correct about things like cheesy-feeling door handles and tinny-closing doors. But it is also true that the CT6 costs a lot less than an S-class, which can run well into six figures. And the CT6, despite some questionable parts-quality, is a definite improvement over the XTS.

oldcajun

The CT6 is a nice car but it is not in the same league as the S550. Neither is the LS460 or the A8, The loaded CT6 is a real competitor for the LS460 except that it is $15000 more expensive. The Cadillac engineers designed a great car, but the marketing guys are going to screw it up like they did on the CTS, Cadillac needs to send their German boss back to Europe and find a way to sell the great cars they are building.
Steve

TangoRed

That's not really fair though. The CT6 was very far along by the time Johan came into the picture. The GM insiders confirmed they were caught off guard by the S-class; it was actually Johan & friends who repositioned the CT6 downwards. The CT6 is indeed expensive but it's also far more athletic than the LS460.

mmarshall

And they had a larger CT8 project going, but it got cancelled.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

awful reviewer and a voice i hope to never hear again.
comparing two cars probably priced about $30K apart as configured makes no sense.
why does the reviewer do the whole review driving only the CT6?
some of the cadillac controls are probably 'flimsy' because the car weighs 1000lbs less while being only 2in. shorter?
he says the cadillac v6 is horrible? well it's no v8

why does he do an additional video with this title, but not one about what he likes/loves?

mmarshall

Some valid points. I didn't particularly care for his voice, either, but he did seem thorough. Perhaps (?) time constraints prevented more video time in the S550. And, IMO, the weight-reduction on many new models IS paying at least somewhat of a price in construction-solidity.

Toys4RJill

He also said he loved it.! But then he went into all the things he hates.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

LexsCTJill, corrected my typo which was that he said the engine sound was horrible, and sure it's no v8, but he said it sounds like a v6 in a minivan which seems a dramatic description.

SW17LS

I've seen this review and his reviews before, he's not a very good reviewer, IMHO and the cars aren't a good match. Nobody looking at a $100k+ S550 is going to cross shop a CT6.

The CT6 is an okay package, but clearly inside and on the road it's not built to compete in the flagship class. Even Cadillac admits that. The S550 is the pinnacle of that class, so to compare the CT6 to it is extra silly.

I wanted to like the CT6 a lot but there are numerous material issues inside including some very hard shiny plastics, some refinement issues with powertrains and on the road. You don't see those things in any flagship car.

mmarshall

They might compare an entry-level S550 with a top-line CT6 (whose prices are roughly comparable), but, yes, in most cases, you have a point.

It's a shame, too, since Cadillac had several years to work on a real replacement for the (IMO) disappointing XTS....and this is what we ended up with. But, on the other hand, in some ways, it is still ahead of the new Continental.....one of them being that is is done on a true RWD/AWD platform instead of what is essentially a stretched FWD platform from the Fusion and Taurus. The Continental, though, really nails it with its new interior.

gengar

No doubt the CT6 was well into development by de Nysschen's arrival, but the decision to introduce solely a stopgap, halfway-in-between, we're-really-not-sure-what-this-is model still lies with him.

Besides, bottom line - is a comparison to the S550 fair? Of course not. Are people going to make the comparison? Of course they are. Reviewers compared the LS430 to the W220 S500 too, even though spec-for-spec even the W220 S430 cost more than the LS430.

SW17LS

Still no comparison. I'd much rather have a totally base S550 than a loaded CT6. All the options in the world don't make up for a vehicle that at its core is a lesser quality vehicle.

At its core the CT6 is a $50k car, and it shows.

oldcajun

I did not mean the CT6 is not a great car. My point is the Johan insists on pricing it at a level too high for its current status. They may have repositioned it downwards, but they did not move the price nearly enough. The NA V-6 will be the best seller and must compete price wise against the V-8 LS460 and the supercharged A7 among others. This is not a good match for Cadillac. The TT V-6 takes the car to the $80,000 range and the Platinum gets to $90,000. I personally think a well equipped CT6 with the TT engine would be a great deal at $70,000 and might generate enough sales to raise its status and perceived value.

This is just my opinion and there is certainly room for disagreement.
Steve