I Just Test Drove The New Cadillac CTS 5-Speed! (1 Viewer)

[Chuck C]

Let's do some comparisons (CTS: 220hp V6, 5-speed manu. standard, $29,350 base):
BMW 330xi: 225hp six-cyl vs. the CTS's 220hp V6. Both manufacturers publish 0-60 times at 6.9 sec (both w/ 5-speed manu.) Base 330xi is $35,740. boooo.
Volvo S60 T5: 247hp turbo hp, and I'm sure this thing moves. $34,025 w/ lots of standard features. Not too bad, but not as pretty as the CTS plus the looks aren't as good as the CTS and most of its other competitors IN MY OPINION.
Lexus IS 300 215hp inline 6. boo. $29,435 base price. ehhh. Pretty? yes. Big enough? bout the same as the CTS.
Infiniti G35 Really fast...0-60 in 6.1 sec, real pretty, and nice price ($28,950 base). But NO stick shift! enough said.
Audi A4 3.0 220hp V6 like the CTS. Also, great styling but no manual trans. available. A little on the small side too. $31,390 to start.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Volvo S60 T5: 247hp turbo hp, and I'm sure this thing moves. $34,025 w/ lots of standard features. Not too bad, but not as pretty as the CTS plus the looks aren't as good as the CTS and most of its other competitors IN MY OPINION.

Sorry, but I think the Volvo (or any of the vehicles in your comparison, Chuck) are much better looking than the CTS. The Caddy has "looks only a mother could love", IMO.

 

[PatrickM]

Sorry, but I think the Volvo (or any of the vehicles in your comparison, Chuck) are much better looking than the CTS.

I'm with Scott on this one. But, then again I own an S60 so I'm biased. Independently though the Italian automotive press named the S60 the most beautiful car in the world. That's pretty impressive for the Italians to name a Swedish car most beautiful when they have Ferrari and Lamborghini in their own country.

I went through many of the same cars as you when I was looking and I thought the IS300 was too small and boy racer like. The 330xi was great but too expensive. The A4 3.0 was an excellent vehicle but I liked the styling of the S60 better. The G35 is a great car but I got impatient and bought the S60 before the G35 was available in March.

Patrick

 

[Chuck C]

I just took another look at the S60. It's pretty frickin sleek:
Link Removed
Maybe it's the rear headlights that turn me off. The rest of the car is awesome. It looks like a BMW met a Mitsubishi. btw, I added the CTS to my first post.
Does anyone else have some sorta DVD/CD navigation software LCD doohickey in their car? Is it awesome?

 

[Jeremy Illingworth]

Once in a while when they do get it right, like with the new Thunderbird for example, they price it out of reach for no reason. I mean what does the new Thunderbird have besides the NEW body style that the old one didn't? The new one is about $15K more ?!?!?!? Why?

To make it a niche product. Current trend (retro autos) plus low production equals high demand and high profit margin. I'm sure it could be sold for far less but then they would be come a common sight on the road which some feel would negatively impact desirability. It was neat the first time I saw a new Beatle, but now they are meaningless; I'd still look if I saw a Thunderbird.

jeremy

 

[Jay H]

BMW 330xi: 225hp six-cyl vs. the CTS's 220hp V6. Both manufacturers publish
0-60 times at 6.9 sec (both w/ 5-speed manu.) Base 330xi is $35,740. boooo.

But the xi is 4wd, yet still weighs less than the CTS. The 330i is RWD and is more like the CTS, but it is also much more than the $29k base price.
The 330i is only 3285lbs and has a 0-60 of 6.4sec. That's more like the comparison to the CTS than the 4WD XI.
However, the 330i is also quite a bit more than the CTS's $29k base, the 325i is more of a better class comparison. The published 0-60 of the 325i is 7.1s and is also 3219lbs. But, HP is one thing, BMWs aren't typically known for their high horsepower engines, they are known for one of the smoothest if not the smoothest production 6 cylinder engines with lots of usable torque. Heck, my '97 E36 328i has only 190HP, but is pretty quick off the line because it is lightweight and has good lowrange torque. My MR2 only has 138HP yet only weights 2200lbs so it does 0-60 in 7seconds and handles like a go-kart
Jay

 

[Chuck C]

I'll tell you what Jay, the BMW would probably be my other choice. It's just so gorgeous...but so is the Caddy. They really had some guts on this one. Also, as a current Cadillac owner, I'd love to keep the trend going.

Does anyone know what CTS stands for anyway?

 

[Jay H]

My guess would be Compact Touring Sedan, but it's actually

C-series Touring Sedan, as I found on the net...

Jay

 

[Philip Hamm]

Isn't the Jaguar X-Type in this category now?

 

[Chuck C]

Philip, the X-type sure is. I'd say the 2.5L X is right in line with the CTS. In fact both have similar options at around the same price. Plus the X-type has AWD! On the other hand, I've been reading that the X-type's reliability and build is questionable. I'd say it comes down to interior/exterior styling and handling.