Road Trip: Cadillac CTS or Mustang Convertible? (1 Viewer)

Going on a 7.5 hour trip from NJ to Canada next month.

Renting a vehicle as opposed to using my own.

I am opting for a luxury vehicle as I already drive a Cadillac SRX and want that same driving experience.

Originally, I picked out a Cadillac CTS sedan. I am familiar with the brand and comfort.

However, sitting on the lot was a Mustang convertible. Not nearly as tech-heavy as the CTS, but it looked like a fun ride.

So....

If you had your druthers over a Cadillac CTS or Mustang convertible for a long drive, which would you go with?

Ron, I would go the Caddy. Nothing beats a Caddy for riding comfort and luxury. It is like gliding on air, IMHO.

Mustang. What part of Canada?

West of Montreal would be a crying shame if not done in a convertible.

With family(and very familiar with the area) in Tonawanda...

Convertible.

I suggest a drive from Angola on the Lake(where other family members live) along the shore into Buffalo.

Or...doing the same on the Canadian side. Take 3/24 west to Old Cut/Long Point(little jutting peninsula west of Cayuga. around 110 miles....worth a day trip) or north along to Toronto. Hamilton is another day trip.

Personally speaking - the convertible is what I would choose. But in terms of a recommendation, it depends...

If you haven't ridden much in open top vehicles 7.5 hours of wind and road noise might be a bit tiring. It also depends upon the speed you will be driving and the types of roads. Lesser traveled roads at moderate speeds cry out for a convertible, but if you are going to be using Interstate type highways at 70+ mph the CTS might be the better choice.

Basically I think it is a question of how well you are accustomed to / or will handle wind and road noise over an extended drive. Since you did mention comfort in the original post you may have already answered your question.

- Walter.

I should mention I have a Miata with 380,000 miles. I'm planning a road trip around Michigan/Superior/Huron later this year. Was going to do it in my Austin-Healey Sprite...but it is having clutch issues(and parts for it aren't exactly at the neighborhood store) and may not be ready in time.

The Lake Superior shoreline when the trees turn is a trip for the ages. The Canadian side of Superior is even better.

For the long drive, I'd want the Cadillac. I want comfort over all else for a long drive. Now, for the actual touring of the niagara region, the convertible would be fun. However, this must all be weighed against any PAF (passenger approval factor ) The convertible would not have high enough PAF in my case, so the caddie would win.

It would also depend on the specific mustang compared to the specific Cadillac. The one time I got a mustang from a rental company, it was the base model, no features. I've driven Taurus's with more excitement.

Here is an option(rental companies do this)

Drive the Caddy to Niagara, swap* it for the convertible there...get the Caddy/Lincoln etc for the drive back.

Oh yeah...

The 3.5 Stang is a different animal than the old craptastic 4.0 boat anchor made it.

*I've rented 15 passenger vans to get more than 6 of us to a spot...then swapped it for 2(sometimes even 3) cars.

It would also depend on the specific mustang compared to the specific Cadillac. The one time I got a mustang from a rental company, it was the base model, no features.

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This seems to be the case. I think this is a stripped-down version. At least the
Cadillac comes standard with most of the tech.

Drive the Caddy to Niagara, swap* it for the convertible there...get the Caddy/Lincoln etc for the drive back.

Click to expand...

It will cost me an added fee on top of the fortune I am already paying for a luxury vehicle rental.
Good idea, though, Schan.

If you haven't ridden much in open top vehicles 7.5 hours of wind and road noise might be a bit tiring.

Click to expand...

Good point, Walter. Most of the driving will be Interstate.

Or...doing the same on the Canadian side. Take 3/24 west to Old Cut/Long Point(little jutting peninsula west of Cayuga. around 110 miles....worth a day trip) or north along to Toronto. Hamilton is another day trip.

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Will be staying in Grimsby. Old Cut is about 90 minutes drive, which is not bad.

What is in Hamilton to see? Already been to Toronto.

Any other day trips you could suggest would be helpful.

Thanks for the pointers, guys. The more I sit and think about this, the more I am leaning
towards the Cadillac CTS.

Since you own a Caddy I would go with the Caddy. You obviously like the ride and since it's such a long ride go with what you are used to driving.Have fun.

Hamilton is good for an early morning Sun up breakfast.Assume close to the lake/falls is the plan...If still there,the spinning restaurant at Niagara.

As a Mustang owner, I would choose the Caddy. I only say that because the rental 'vert would almost certainly be a V6 auto. If it was a V6 manual, then it would be more fun, or even better a V8 with any tranny. I get the distinct impression you're looking for an auto, so skip the Mustang. Even equipped to the max they are not in the Caddy's comfort/feature league, that's not what they're for.

[For the guy who had the lousy experience with the rental Mustang: older V6s were woefully under-powered, not at all the same now. Just not a lot of fun with the stock rental tranny and rear end gearing and tires, even now.]

Weather has been very variable up here in the area you mentioned. For instance, they just had heavy rain/flooding in some of the areas you mentioned ("Golden Horseshoe"). Generally it's been very nice though, perfect open-top weather, not too hot, even a little cooler than usual.

I suggest taking the "back roads" whenever possible, very nice, and usually you won't spend any more time doing it (unless you stop to look) because the relatively few larger roads can get pretty busy with commuters to/from Toronto (about 1/4 of Canada's people live in the relatively small Golden Horseshoe).

Spinning restaurant...Skylon Tower Not sure that was the name last time I was there.Just looked up Grimsby. You can get the early morning Sun up breakfast there and skip Hamilton.

If in the mood for a "day trip"...Point Pelee

Coming next month? I forgot to mention that the Film Festival is on in Toronto starting Sept. 4, mainly because I didn't remember... I gather you're not going to Toronto from your comments? It might be worth a trip to see something special, you can get tickets before you leave, come with your hosts etc. and drive home after the movie(s) to avoid the ^^special^^ festival hotel pricing. September is IMO the best month in the Toronto area, still have all the nice summery things and not yet into the more autumny weather.

That is a great time. When I did that, stayed at a KOA.(Weird. Tried c/p the prior post. O'well, New phone learning curve)

Travelled a lot on business, but the corporation was kind of cheap. Several of us from across the country had to meet up in the Chicago area for some techie stuff to set up a new office. They all got small econo-boxes. Rental car company ran out, so I was upgraded to an Escalade, no charge. The other guys were quite jealous when they saw what I was driving.

Definitely go with the Caddy.

Are you doing Niagara Falls? That's a full day, especially if you do both sides.There's Niagara on the Lake. I've been there for the Shaw Festival. It's a small touristy town with some small vineyards. If there are shows to see, it's worth visiting. Just for the town. I don't think it's worth a trip.Are you passing near by the Finger Lakes, south of Rochester? That's worth a look, if you haven't been. Lots of vineyards, wine tasting, nice restaurants, and pretty lakes and hillsides to see. Windy roads to, for the driving.And Rochester itself has it's sites, including the Eastman House.