CTC Review: 2006 Cadillac DTS

[mdxtasy]

I had one on a weekend rental awhile back and it was a piece of garbage. Sure there were plenty of bells and whistles - including heated seats for rear passengers, and heated steering wheel, not to mention full memory settings for everything from radio stations to seat and steering wheel position, at the push of a single button. Even with so much convenience, this is still a very bad car. Caddie's are still for old people with lots of money or American government limo usage (because it would be bad press to drive a real car like an Audi A8, Bentley Continental Flying Spur, or some other oppulent upper-echelon car).

jww

What did you not like about it?  Perhaps a bit of explaining would help.

[wing]

yeah what was so bad?  Seriously unless it fell apart for you on the road I don't understand your justification for those comments.

[Bullet Blue]

Caddie's are still for old people with lots of money or American government limo usage (because it would be bad press to drive a real car like an Audi A8, Bentley Continental Flying Spur, or some other oppulent upper-echelon car).

jww

I saw a grey DTS lastnight and it was driven by a young woman who looked to be in her 30's. I don't think they're "still" for older people.

[Benhaze]

Caddie's are still for old people with lots of money or American government limo usage (because it would be bad press to drive a real car like an Audi A8, Bentley Continental Flying Spur, or some other oppulent upper-echelon car).

jww

Tss... Tss... Tss... Now you may need to explain what a "real" car is. It is quite a statement to say people having different values than yours aren't driving real cars.

[jww]

Tss... Tss... Tss... Now you may need to explain what a "real" car is. It is quite a statement to say people having different values than yours aren't driving real cars.

Please don't put words in my mouth - while I may have been harsh calling the DTS a "piece of garbage" I never said the DTS wasn't a "real" car. I simply stated my opinion as to where I believe the most likely purchasers are to come from in terms of general demographics. There are many cars I wouldn't own for any price - and this happens to be one of them, however, I do recognize that some people buy these tanks - I just don't see alot of them around, and while my message was conveyed with somewhat strong words, I stand by my opinion around who is more likely to buy this particular car. Not all Caddies are bad cars IMO - the CTS and STS are very good in their own rights (although not near as good as the European or Japanese competition).

To be sure - the car was uber-comfortable in a living-room sofa sort of way. It can go fast, but it lumbers down the highway like many large GM vehicles do - frequently wallowing from side to side when cruising on some stretches of highway. It is not a car to take on 2-lane highways that wind - it simply isn't up to that task. I also found that the DTS has too many blind spots, poor steering response, and difficult to sit in as the seats have virtually no side bolstering. As a result, you can expect to slide sideways across that nice leather in most corners no matter how soft you take them. In the city I found it difficult to manouver and would rather be in a Dodge Magnum/Charger or Chrysler 300 from an overall drive-ability factor in the city.

Gas consumption was not bad for the engine and based on the fact that I rented in the winter, I was using the heater, 3 of the 4 heated seating spots, etc.

The up side is that the trunk is enormous, and the passenger compartment is cavernous. Because it's so large, the intimidation factor on the road will influence many ahead of you to move out of your way in the passing lane without flashing your high beams at them (we don't still do that really, do we??).

jww 

[Bullet Blue]

Because it's so large, the intimidation factor on the road will influence many ahead of you to move out of your way in the passing lane without flashing your high beams at them (we don't still do that really, do we??).

jww 

I always find it odd when people use the size of a car as a factor for intimidation. Firstly, I don't know how one is really supposed to feel intimidated while driving judging on the size of a car. It could be a Mini Cooper riding your arse and people would still probably move to the right. Not because of the size, but because the driver behind you is being a prick. You can intimidate other drivers (also known as be a pompous a.ss) no matter what kind of car you drive.

[sirAQUAMAN64]

I dunno, I think these cars are good for what they are. They have that cushy old Americana ride, lots of relaxed power, they're large enough inside and offer tonnes of bells and whistles for tens of thousands less than an A8, 7, S, etc. They're certainly more up to date than the last Town Car I've seen, that's for sure!

That deep red paint job suits it well too. Not a complete redo, but a smart tweeking to the traditional sedan to keep it fresh enough with the rest of the Caddy line for now.

[mdxtasy]

I dunno, I think these cars are good for what they are. They have that cushy old Americana ride, lots of relaxed power, they're large enough inside and offer tonnes of bells and whistles for tens of thousands less than an A8, 7, S, etc. They're certainly more up to date than the last Town Car I've seen, that's for sure!

That deep red paint job suits it well too. Not a complete redo, but a smart tweeking to the traditional sedan to keep it fresh enough with the rest of the Caddy line for now.

I agree.  Cars like the DTS are good cars designed and built to do what the engineers wanted it to do.  Ensure the target market gets what it expects.  I'm not a typical buyer of these cars, but I know enough to fall short of saying the car is a 'piece of garbage' just because it doesn't suit my driving style. 

[jww]

....  Cars like the DTS are good cars designed and built to do what the engineers wanted it to do.  Ensure the target market gets what it expects.  I'm not a typical buyer of these cars, but I know enough to fall short of saying the car is a 'piece of garbage' just because it doesn't suit my driving style. 

I hear you, and peace. In the end, it's one's money and one buys what one wants & likes.

I am fine with that, but my personal preference remains that I am not a fan.

Oh - and btw, fit and finish was sub-par on my rental. While the seats were living-room sofa comfortable, there was play somehow where the seat was fixed to the floor of the vehicle as it shifted ever so slightly back and forth when I accelerated or reduced speed. Finally - the dashboard was loose and flimsy and the glove box fell open a couple of times when we got into the car - what's up with that

jww

[airbalancer]

I wonder how many wedding parties and prom nite parties were in that rental car

[jww]

I wonder how many wedding parties and prom nite parties were in that rental car

I dunno - it only had 500 km on it.

jww

[safristi]

Well Prom nites lets see...5Km per rental...then PARKED.......Hmmm WELL USED I's SAY......

[whistler]

Grr!!!  Nobody needs a large car like that.  If people have an oversized ego and want one of these, then unfortunately there's no way to stop them yet but I can't put up with the bullcrap rationalization that they need one.  Nobody needs something like this, it's 100% pure want.

You must be a short person.

I'm 6'3 and am uncomfortable and look like an idiot driving around in some of these small imports. I don't have a very big car now (03 Corolla), but my next one will be.

[mdxtasy]

Grr!!!  Nobody needs a large car like that.  If people have an oversized ego and want one of these, then unfortunately there's no way to stop them yet but I can't put up with the bullcrap rationalization that they need one.  Nobody needs something like this, it's 100% pure want.

ALERT!  ALERT!  Single ply TP user.   

[sirAQUAMAN64]

I dismiss the idea that big people require big cars. I think big people need to shop for intelligently designed cars that maximize useable space.

Many of the older or larger domestic large cars are all hood and trunk. That doesn't translate into much more interior space. However, take a more upright natural seating position in a taller vehicle, and presto, less length of car is needed.

[safristi]

I ECHO,YARIS,VERSA that statement......... ..IF THE CAR "FITS" buy  ITS.....