2020 Cadillac CT5 (pricing update post #56)
Saw the new CT5 today. The dealer had two of them. I am trying real hard to find the like in this models.
But....
This new CT5 is DEAD ON ARRIVAL IMO. Do not get me wrong, it is a nice car, but it makes you wonder how GM let the green light stay on when they were making all of the sedan cuts in Nov 2018. I can’t see this model selling well in a climate where cross overs are killing it, the overall US auto sales are on a decline, and Cadillac has historically had a difficult time selling the new era sedans to the new generation. It looks so out of place with what GM is trying move forward with. I would almost want to say that this new model will be discontinued in one model year. I just can’t see someone buying this over a BMW or even the new Genesis model. Not to mention a Tesla 3. The car is definitely smaller in person than it photos. It has a subdued look in real life. Interior looks pleasant.
Can anyone convince me otherwise?
But....
This new CT5 is DEAD ON ARRIVAL IMO. Do not get me wrong, it is a nice car, but it makes you wonder how GM let the green light stay on when they were making all of the sedan cuts in Nov 2018. I can’t see this model selling well in a climate where cross overs are killing it, the overall US auto sales are on a decline, and Cadillac has historically had a difficult time selling the new era sedans to the new generation. It looks so out of place with what GM is trying move forward with. I would almost want to say that this new model will be discontinued in one model year. I just can’t see someone buying this over a BMW or even the new Genesis model. Not to mention a Tesla 3. The car is definitely smaller in person than it photos. It has a subdued look in real life. Interior looks pleasant.
Can anyone convince me otherwise?
But, as usual with Caddy products, it sounds like it's just mediocre at best. That is not what Caddy needs. Caddy needs products that will draw people away from competitive products. While I'm not a huge fan of the new Lincoln SUVs, I can certainly see the Navigator luring away Escalade buyers. CT5 is going to appeal to Caddy loyalists replacing their ATS or CTS; that's about it. Following a long line of Caddy disappointments.
Looked a a couple of them today at the D.C. auto show....and sat in an unlocked CT5-V (the non-V model was on the floor but locked up). IMO the CT5 is noticeably better than the CT4.....which is perhaps not surprising considering the added price.
Did the CT4 look smaller than the ATS?
Didn't have the two side-by-side for a direct comparison, but, no, from what I recall, I don't think it looked any smaller. The ATS was arguably the smallest Cadillac sedan I've seen since the ill-fated Cimarron of the early 1980s.
I certainly hope that the CT4's road manners are better than those of the ATS. The ATS was so compromised in favor of sports-car handling (which, of course, it excelled in) that its ride-comfort was absurd by Cadillac standards.
The IS has been touched. It got a facelift on schedule. If it lingers for another year, then it will become untouched. But technically right now it hasn't.
Cadillac had a good thing going with CTS for awhile then they decided to move up CTS to midsize segment and bring in a new model called ATS. Now they screwed all that and brought in all new models of CT4 and CT5 - both look to be dead on arrival....Cadillac has great RWD chassis, decent engines and great new V8tt but no plan how to put a complete product together. Can’t they get the Corvette team to work on a few Cadillacs!?
The outgoing Cadillac CTS was the car of the year. I don't recall the last MB, Audi, or BMW winning the car award part. People just don't like Cadillac, they would rather have the German badge, despite the CTS being very good.
The outgoing CTS was a very good car, but it lacked the efficient packaging and interior quality of the german cars, which is something a buyer enjoys more than the chassis whether they admit it or not. The CTS was too small and too crappy inside.
To a large extent this is the 4GS' issue too. It doesnt have the crappy interior issue, but its much smaller than the 5 and E.
What new models was the CTS up against the year it won?
I don't see them as DOA by any means. First, the CT5 is a significant improvement over the CTS in fit/finish and material quality, at least from the limited exposure I got to it at the D.C. auto show. Second, the Cadillac people are smart....by introducing two new sedans, they stand a decent chance of capturing the sedan traffic that Buick shooed away by dropping all of its own sedans. Third, Cadillac is also retaining the 6/70 and 4/50 warranties that Buick formerly had, but is downgrading for 2020.














