Cadillac CTS/CTS-V

blockislandguy · April 2004

Is there anyword yet on a future AWD version/option. A CTS with AWD would be a killer.

My friend has a C Class M/B and in looking a serveral CTSs tonite he thought that the CTS was the same size as the C Class. I don't have any data but my impression was that it was much more substantial and more M/B E Class or BMW 5 series than anything.

bxd20 · April 2004

It's very close to the 5 series, not the 3 series. I believe this translates to E class and not C.

eaton53 · April 2004

BMW 3 Series
March 2004 - 6,219
February 2004 - 6,864
YTD 2004 - 15,097
YTD 2003 - 17,203

Cadillac CTS
March 2004 - 6,057
February 2004 - 4,588
YTD 2004 - 14,173
YTD 2003 - 10,956

The gap between #1 & #2 has narrowed considerably.

riskybusiness · April 2004

Pretty impressive numbers. I guess Cadillac has hit the mark considering the CTS specs more like a 5-Series (but with a 3-Series price point).

Just curious: Do the CTS stats include the "V", and are the BMW stats for the entire 3-Series line (320, 325, 330, M3) in all their configurations (Sedan, Touring, Cabriolet)?

eaton53 · April 2004

All BMW 3-Series and CTS sedans included.... CTS-V was not listed, so I assume it's in with the CTS numbers.

This is without Cadillac having a less expensive 325 type version. I believe this is to come for '05 - 2.8l with synthetic leather.

necros · April 2004

I assume you've seen one of these?
http://www.breathlessperformance.com/products/245.asp

mannytranny · April 2004

Thanks.....I'm already looking into it.


   I didn't think it would bother me but it does.

  It just happened again in traffic and it was not expected. Sort of leaves you in a position of no real power. Luckily I downshifted quickly and saved the situation. You can downshift and then resume because the V just has that much horsepower but it's still not good.

v8lincolnguy · April 2004

While the CTS does spec much closer to a 5 series, all but the most serious enthusiast is going to compare it more with the 3 series due to the price similarities.

mannytranny · April 2004

Check this out on the GM Canada website. Will GM offer this to the U.S. Cadillacs????

http://www.gmcanada.com/english/vehicles/cadillac/showcase/owners- - hip/cadi_show_own_overview.html#1

wwhite2 · April 2004

For my 14 months of ownership I have finally had a break through with my selling dealers service department . On and off since I bought my CTS I have been complaining about the condensation & WATER DROPLETS behind the reverse light lenses . It just wasn't normal, but that was the answer I always got in Leominister Ma.. I was driving by the Framingham Ma. dealer ( looking to see a CTS-V ) and for kicks I went into the service department . They came out to look at the water droplets and within a split second the service manager said " this isn't right I will order the part" . I think I have found a new dealer and service dept .

riskybusiness · April 2004

This has been the standard Cadillac package for Canadian owners at least since I bought my '03 CTS in March 2002. I was always puzzled by some of the notes on this board re the cost of oil changes, etc. and did not realize this was not the case in the US. I've had all my oil changes covered (except for the extra charge for Mobil-1 synthetic), plus air filter and passenger filter replaced once, and I'm just about to do the brakes (one time reline and rotor machine is allowed).

Unfortunately, if it's not in place in the US today, I doubt they will add it.

b4z · April 2004

While they are at it you might as well get them to replace the panel with a body colored one.
It improves the looks of the car immensely.

riskybusiness · April 2004

Saw a 2004 CTS at a National rental car location in Vancouver today, and another in the valet lane at the Four Seasons that could be a rental. What's the scoop? I thought Cadillac wasn't putting these out to fleet sales?

wwhite2 · April 2004

I thought about that but I like the darker grey bezel against the garnet pearl coat

automole · April 2004

You might check with your dealer on the license plate bezel. I just called my dealership because during the last hard rain I had about an inch of water sloshing around in mine. They said they would order the part and call me when it arrived...they also said it would be a body color panel. According to the service department, Cadillac couldn't ever get the plastic panels to seal properly so the fix is to replace them with the 'upgraded' body colored part. This will be the standard part for all future CTS's.

FWIW, I also like the way the plastic part looks (its reflective properties are a nice contrast to my car's black finish) but it's more important for me to have the leak fixed properly.

bingoman · April 2004

For the last week or so I have been hearing strange noises from the rear of the car. I thought it might be something loose in the rear suspension or even a bad rear shock.

Took the car in to my dealer, took a mechanic for a ride over some bad local streets. He agreed there was a strange noise and thought it sounded like a rear shock.

Surprise! it was a front shock and there was even a factory report on the problem so they replaced both front shocks under warranty.

P.S. I also wish there was a factory service contract for oil, tire rotation, and other regular services here is the states as there is in Canada.

P.P.S Rydell in Northridge had two black CTSv's last week. One was gone by today. That body colored rear panel with the great big bright backup lights looks real good. Much better than the panel on the show car with bars over the backup light area.

richerry · April 2004

My cell does not work properly since I bought it last Aug. Have had many problems and worked with On Star many times. Last fall On Star Service said it would be recalled in Dec 2003 and changed from an Analog to dual mode digital. That never happened!

It will not work from my drive way on a hill, one block from a Sprint tower. So I called them and they changed software etc. It still did not work properly, according to them. They sent the reports to the dealer.

Today I took it to the dealer and he had all the reports. Found out that the CTS 2004 were ALL ANALOG and it can NEVER be changed to dual mode. Dealer could find no problem.

So dont buy a CTS 2004 it is obsolete as the analog features will disappear from the towers in a few years. Wait till 2005 when it MAY be available, but I dont trust them.

I was promised a dual mode system when I bought it and even the dealer thought they all were dual mode.

The only solution is to dump On Star and buy a Bluetooth system. Hope that it can be integrated in the CTS.

The car is great but the analog system sucks

Ray

automole · April 2004

bingoman, could you describe the sound? I've been noticing a popping sound going over speed bumps or rough pavement (and pulling out of the driveway) and have suspected the front shocks were the culprit.

Also, has anyone else noticed a harsh 'thunk' when the air conditioning compressor kicks in?

As for the cell phone...I doubt bluetooth will ever be offered as this would be a superior solution to Onstar. GM wants to force-feed Onstar to all its customers even though it's a crappy overpriced service. I was surprised to find that the cigarette lighter port doesn't stay powered when the car is turned off...making it difficult to charge a cell phone, laptop, or PDA.

shifty4 · April 2004

Bingoman, do you know the TSB number or factory report number for the shock absorber problem. I noticed a strange rear suspension noise when driving over speed bumps and went so far as to remove everything from the trunk including the spare tire and the problem was still there. I haven't taken the car back to my generally unresponsive Cadillac dealer as yet and would like to be armed with some evidence that this is a known problem. Thanks.

jipper · April 2004

My 2004 CTS is back in the shop again for a transmission leak. The car now has 10K miles. I am not holding out much hope that they can fix it.
Anybody elese having auto tranny leaks?

bingoman · April 2004

The noise made be my shock absorbers was a short rapid series of dull thumps as if the shock was not controlling the rebound of the wheel. Sometimes it just sounded as if a part of the suspension was loose.

The repair order said:
"REPLACED BOTH FRONT STRUTS SEE PI#00668"
which I think is the factory number for the problem.

I hope this helps.

mrjjgittes · April 2004

Just saw the initial quality rankings in my local paper. Caddy was second only to lexus. Not bad.

tetedepierre · April 2004

I could not believe richerry's message about analog Onstar but I checked and Rich is 100% correct. The new dual mode OnStar is called Generation 6. The only vehicles it is being installed on are SUV types. Would you believe that it on the Aztec! GM's attitude is that analog will be available until 2008, so why worry. Apparently no plans to upgrade on the 2005 models from what I can tell.

mbukukanyau · April 2004

It seems Cadillac is still stuck in its 'good ol 70's' when stuff falling of the car was common place.
I would not buy a CTS. Its poor quality

sevenfeet0 · April 2004

Actually, you mean the "bad ol' 80's". That was the low point for the marque.

Having said that, my CTS is still the best car I've owned. The product quality is miles ahead of the old days. I'd buy one first, then you can make all the comments you like.

bingoman · April 2004

Please get the facts before spouting off. You simply do not know what you are talking about.

See messge #5488, and even Lexus has had quality problems.

mannytranny · April 2004

The last message was in September '03. There are some questions that I want to ask him.

wwhite2 · April 2004

My Onstar has a better signal than my Verizon wireless phone ? I use Onstar personal calling when Verizon wireless has no signal

v8lincolnguy · April 2004

The reason your Onstar doesn't have signal when there is a Sprint tower so close is Sprint's network is all digital. If I recall, your in the LA area aren't you? The only analog providers in LA are Verizon and AT&T. AT&T has very poor analog coverage as they are basically keeping the analog portion of their network at bare minimum to satisfy the FCC's requirement. They need as much of the spectrum they have for their digital subscribers which is probably 98% or more. I think Verizon's analog coverage is a bit better as they use CDMA for their digital and it is a much more efficient technology then the TDMA/GSM that AT&T uses. When I had my Intrigue, it had Onstar and here in East TN I got pretty good service from it. Although at times I did get some "crackling" and popping that is common with analog. Frankly, I am a bit disappointed GM hasn't gone to digital Onstar units and I certainly don't see why they can't be retrofitted. As for Bluetooth, Chrysler has a neat feature available in the 300C called "Uconnect" and you simply have to have a bluetooth enabled phone in the car and you can activate the system and your phone becomes hands-free.

v8lincolnguy · April 2004

The funny thing is when your Verizon phone is getting "no service" and your using Onstar, it is probably picking up Verizon as that is the primary provider for Onstar unless your in an area where Verizon is not in. The advantage of Onstar is the glass mount antenna and 3 watt transceiver. The best a handset can do is .06 of a watt so in a rural area, the Onstar system can pick up a signal from much further away.

b4z · May 2004

Looks like Lincoln is basically imploding.
Or Cadillac is just too strong.

Production data for the first 4 months of the year:

Cadillac: 2004 is 92,584 vs. 75,898 in 2003.
Lincoln: 2004 is 55,143 vs. 59,712 in 2003.

CTS 2004 is 24,702 vs. 21,940 in 2003.
LS 2004 is 8,487 vs. 15,694 in 2003.

Most of Cadillac's increase seems to be in the production of the SRX at over 15,000 units.
SRX is not selling great.
2800 in March, but is being produced at a rate over 4,000 per month. Although in the last month production is down to 800-900 units per week.

When the STS comes out I expect Cadillac to produce twice as many vehicles as Lincoln. They might even do that this year.

akirby · May 2004

I wouldn't say they're imploding - more like wilting on the vine from lack of $$$ and new vehicles. They're on the way but they're obviously years behind. Amazing how much damage the firestone fiasco did. The engineers and capability are there - there's a 430 hp Lincoln LS entered in the One Lap of America race this week. They just need the $$$ and management support. That's something Caddy has had for the last 3 years in spades and it shows.

eaton53 · May 2004

Is way over forecast... almost double - 25-30K a year was the number I saw before the SRX was released. Even 2800 is over forecast.

I wonder if they can actually sell that many, or if they're going to pile up on the lots?

The Slade and CTS both set sales records in March. They've both been around awhile, but just seem to get more and more popular.

b4z · May 2004

SRX sold 2800 in March. 15% more than in February.
CTS was originally supposed to sell 25-30K per year and sold 50K last year.
It is selling even better this year.
A few weeks ago they produced 1700+ CTSs in 1 week. That was an all time high for production.

Still can't figure out why there is no automanual in the CTS.
ALL of it's competitors have it.

SRX is hard to get in and out of. Wide sills are to blame. Plus the price are the reason for the poor showing.

My dealer now has more SRXs on his lot than CTSs.

b4z · May 2004

I have a feeling that Cadillac is producing the CTS and SRX in big numbers in anticipation of the
STS production starting in a few weeks.

STS production will undoubtley cut into CTS/SRX production even though there are additional shifts now.

You guys may remember my posts about how low CTS production was this past Fall. This was because SRX production slowed down CTS production.

The SRX, CTS and STS are not only produced in the same plant but on the same line.

cdnpinhead · May 2004

Ya think?

I got kicked off an LS board for (among other things) pointing out that GM was actually doing what Ford was talking about. I compared the LS to the CTS all the time, and the primary response was: "it's ugly."

In my world, that's a subjective thing. The objective thing is sales (more often lease) numbers. I've referred to them from time to time as well. The most typical response is that in a year or two the pent-up demand will subside, and the CTS will "enjoy" the same sales decline the LS is seeing. Hmmm. . . Not seeing it yet.

Read it and think. If FoMoCo had the balls and $ to do what Cadillac has done, it'd be an interesting discussion. As it is (as Allen pointed out), FoMoCo doesn't have a pot to (do much with) and here we are.

When my LS packs up, which I hope is several years away, the CTS is one of my replacement options. The LS isn't, since they got rid of the manual.

Anyway, the market is speaking. I'm banished, but apparently not wrong.

v8lincolnguy · May 2004

As long as Cadillac doesn't let the CTS's price balloon the way the Lincoln LS did, I don't think there will be a serious decline in sales. Look at BMW 3 and 5 series sales. Even as each model neared the end of it's current design, sales stayed strong. Lincoln LS sales were pretty strong for the first 3 years then they began to slide. Part of this was due to the fact that Lincoln pretty much quit advertising the LS and I think part of it was also due to the higher MSRP prices which were immediately brought back down to more realistic levels by incentives. Personally, I would love to see Cadillac AND Lincoln kicking everybody else to the curb in terms of sales. Cadillac may very well be in the running for nearing the top of the luxury sales charts again, but sadly I don't think Lincoln is anytime soon. If Cadillac keeps CTS pricing in line and keeps it on a diet of updates every few years(i.e. automanual transmission, upgraded interior) I think sales will remain strong.

jtrujillo86 · May 2004

I took my Oldsmobile to the dealer today. On their lot there was a crap load of the SRX's. I think they are awesome vehicles but WAY, WAY overpriced for a base V6 model.

Jeremy

bingoman · May 2004

I think it is a plot by Cadillac to over awe the opposition by the number of SRX's they can accumulate on the dealership lots. (LOL)

wwhite2 · May 2004

Has the buildup of units on the dealers lot triggered any special incentives ?

eaton53 · May 2004

"I have a feeling that Cadillac is producing the CTS and SRX in big numbers in anticipation of the
STS production starting in a few weeks."

That is an excellent point.

"As long as Cadillac doesn't let the CTS's price balloon the way the Lincoln LS did, I don't think there will be a serious decline in sales."

"Has the buildup of units on the dealers lot triggered any special incentives?"

Don't expect any rebates, but I bet you could get a deal on a loaded V8.

If anything they may get a little cheaper, as I understand the 2.8 will become available w/synthetic leather. No pricing yet, but maybe $28XXX for base 2.8 w/manual?

bingoman · May 2004

"If anything they may get a little cheaper, as I understand the 2.8 will become available w/synthetic leather. No pricing yet, but maybe $28XXX for base 2.8 w/manual?"

I wonder if they are going to call it a Cimmaron!

b4z · May 2004

SRX currently has a $1,000 rebate.
This is in place(I think) of the Instant Value certificate program which was not advertised.
This is the program that I used when I bought my SRX.
I got 2 certificates valued at $500 each for a total of $1,000.
i feel that Cadillac has stubbed their toe with the pricing of the SRX.
The CTS has had basically no incentives, other than low interest financing, since it was introduced 28 months ago!!!!

Cimarron did have a 2.8L V6. It's like deja' vu all over again.

pbeers · May 2004

The $1,000 rebate for the SRX is being given by GM on all of their trucks/SUV's - Cadillac isn't offering any specific rebates for the SRX yet.

eaton53 · May 2004

"I wonder if they are going to call it a Cimmaron!"

They can call it anything they want... even the basest CTS is a fine vehicle.

I've got some experience with "ultraleather" in over-the-road truck applications where the seats routinely see hundreds of thousands of miles of use. That stuff is really durable, looks and feels great, very soft. All it needs is a little spray on leather smell.

bxd20 · May 2004

Automole- Check your owners manual, you can configure when the lighter "port" is on and when it shuts off.

wwhite2 · May 2004

Has anyone else received an invitation from Cadillac for SCCA racing May 31, 2004 at Lime Rock Raceway Park? Racing will feature the CTS-V in the GT series. Racing will be viewed from the Cadillac hospitality tent. See you there!

v8lincolnguy · May 2004

I'm not all that hot on the idea of a Cadillac with imitation leather, but MB and BMW have gotten away with it for years. Probably would seem out of character in a car like the CTS, but if I wasn't going to spend the extra for leather, I would rather a very nice plush cloth.

sls002 · May 2004

Anyone seen the latest Road and Track? 7 car comparison. BMW, as usual was not last, but Mercedes was 2 and CTS was number one. All six cyliner engines with automatics.

merc1 · May 2004

Exactly what cars were in the R&T comparo?

M

Cadillac CTS/CTS-V

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