CTC Review: 2008 Cadillac CTS

[safristi]

  Yer Toast..................MILFMLILQUETOAST.........

[mdxtasy]

The looks of the CTS can be a bit polarizing, but at least it's unique.  I walk by a black one on campus on a regular basis, and they're just stunning looking vehicles...  Tried to convince my parents to look at one, but my mom took one look at the car and turned around. 

I think I would like your mother. 

Hey Professor...this ain't singles night.....notice the plural....PARENTS.....

[AVToller]

The looks of the CTS can be a bit polarizing, but at least it's unique.  I walk by a black one on campus on a regular basis, and they're just stunning looking vehicles...  Tried to convince my parents to look at one, but my mom took one look at the car and turned around. 

I think I would like your mother. 

Hey Professor...this ain't singles night.....notice the plural....PARENTS.....

What part of "like" are you not understanding? 

[The Mighty Duck]

I'll pass the message on...  to our lawyer. 

[Railton]

Carling.

Andy Haydon park.
Railton

[wing]

Yup

[2hondas1BMW]

Gettin' pretty dirty in here. 

[Mitlov]

To get back to the CTS:

The question for me was: does it really handle as well as a BMW 3 Series? Perhaps the rear-wheel drive CTS does, but the all-wheel drive does hinder performance; you can feel it on corner entry the extra weight pushing you around. The suspension is softer than that of any German car I have driven and that is not a bad thing. The body roll seems considerable on hard corners, which does not mean it handles badly, but it certainly does roll a lot. The ride is excellent and the steering feel is spot on, but I still feel this car’s main purpose in life is to coddle you.

As someone who had high hopes for the CTS, this is a huge let-down for me.  It sounds like the CTS is still a Cadillac first and an entry-level sport sedan second.

[The Mighty Duck]

Are you comparing the AWD CTS to the AWD 3-series of a RWD 3, wing?  Because I would imagine the extra weight in the X-Drive 3 would hinder performance some, too.

[airbalancer]

To get back to the CTS:

The question for me was: does it really handle as well as a BMW 3 Series? Perhaps the rear-wheel drive CTS does, but the all-wheel drive does hinder performance; you can feel it on corner entry the extra weight pushing you around. The suspension is softer than that of any German car I have driven and that is not a bad thing. The body roll seems considerable on hard corners, which does not mean it handles badly, but it certainly does roll a lot. The ride is excellent and the steering feel is spot on, but I still feel this car’s main purpose in life is to coddle you.

As someone who had high hopes for the CTS, this is a huge let-down for me.  It sounds like the CTS is still a Cadillac first and an entry-level sport sedan second.

Would it not be better for you to take a spin in the car before dishing on someone opinion.
And Wing really does not dish the car. It reads like it would be an excellant daily drive

[safristi]

..Hmmmm..... Subaroo Legacy.... ...Jetta......... .....2008 CTS..... ... Ya KNOW it's EVEN STEVEN......


 LEGAL disclaimer....Hillary Clinton did NOT APPROVE this MESSAGE...and any resemblance to a Mr MILTOV woz purely co_incedental in the making of this MOOFIE NO Democrats were awakened from their SLUMBER......

 

[Mitlov]

Would it not be better for you to take a spin in the car before dishing on someone opinion.

So, if we're not supposed to give feedback based on what the article said, why do the CD editors start a thread whenever they post an article?

And Wing really does not dish the car. It reads like it would be an excellant daily drive

I didn't say it was a terrible car overall.  What I meant to say is that I'm disappointed that handling and body control still seem to be lower priorities than a soft, compliant ride.  That makes it a good car for many people, but it makes it uncompetitive for people who want a US$35,000 sport sedan.

Safristi, I don't really understand what you said (what else is new?), nor do I understand what Clinton has to do with the CTS, but if you're jabbing at me for driving at Jetta 1.8T and then criticizing a CTS for being unfocused...of course my car isn't a no-compromise sport sedan either.  But I got it for 1/3 the price of a CTS, so it's an apples-to-oranges comparison.  If I was dropping US$35,000 for a sport sedan, I wouldn't want prodigious body roll in corners.

[sirAQUAMAN64]

Sounds like it's set-up right to me. The CTS-V should be hard-core, but the other CTS's (okay, maybe save for the sport pkg) should be set-up comfy for travel (not entirely abondoning the Cadillac lineage) while simultaneously no longer being embarrassed by the Euros when a corner comes. Sounds like a decent compromise - comes close enough for me and represents what a Cadillac should be, standing on its own merits.

[safristi]

  Automatic required response received. ..........I blame  it on the Bossa_NOVA...fack Miltov yer sense of HUMMER has atrophied to the size of a defendent in front of the Supremes............

[mmret]

Sounds like it's set-up right to me. The CTS-V should be hard-core, but the other CTS's (okay, maybe save for the sport pkg) should be set-up comfy for travel (not entirely abondoning the Cadillac lineage) while simultaneously no longer being embarrassed by the Euros when a corner comes. Sounds like a decent compromise - comes close enough for me and represents what a Cadillac should be, standing on its own merits.

Agreed. If every car were exactly like the 3-Series, things would just be boring in a way.

[Benhaze]

Mitlov, there is another sportier suspension option (FE3 -performance handling suspension- as opposed to the FE2 -performance-tuned suspension) but it is only available with on RWD vehicles. It is good enough to nearly make the CTS track ready per the Motorweek review but it also compromises the comfort.

If your priorities are ultimate performance over driving comfort, the CTS may have something meeting your expectations in the handling department.

[rrocket]

^^^^^In Road and Track (IIRC??) they tested the CTS with that suspension. .86G on the skidpad. Decent...but not THAT great.....

[Benhaze]

^^^^^In Road and Track (IIRC??) they tested the CTS with that suspension. .86G on the skidpad. Decent...but not THAT great.....

It's still a Caddy... Besides, still need to leave some room for improvement for the next CTS-V!

[MKII]

So the CTS in N.A. competes with the 3 series?
In Euroland the CTS is pegged against the 5 series.

[Mitlov]

So the CTS in N.A. competes with the 3 series?
In Euroland the CTS is pegged against the 5 series.

The CTS is priced against the 3-Series here.  Exterior-size-wise, it's comparable to the 5-Series.  There's been a lot of debate as to whether it's closer to the 3 or the 5 in interior space.  In North America, people tend to divide classes of vehicles more by price than by size, at least in my experience, so it's still generally compared to the 3.  I think GM has tried to get word out that it's supposed to compete with the 5 (at 3-Series prices), but North American car magazines haven't started listening yet.