Sorry I forgot to answer your question on who the primary driver will be. Are you ready? Probably about 50/50 with my wife which makes it an even harder decision. We both need to be happy. BTW, what are folks out there seeing for price? In the SF Bay Area I've gotten quotes from 1% over invoice to $2000 over invoice.
On two occasions I have gotten the Low Fuel warning and immediately refueled. Both time my CTS took very close to 16 gallons, without "forced" topping off. The fuel capacity spec is 17.5 gallons. I've been getting about 21 mpg for my city/expressway driving. Therefore, I calculate about 30 miles to empty after the Low Fuel warning. This is normally enough to find a gas station, but it's less than I've experienced in other cars I've owned. This is not a criticism of the car; IMO the important thing is to know what the warning means so you can react to it. Has anyone experienced different numbers? BTW, I now have about 1500 miles on the car and expect the MPG to improve slightly, but not a whole lot, after it loosens up, based on my past experience with other cars.
Second, someone mentioned a "weird" headlight pattern. When thrown on a garage door, the low beam has a very flat, almost peculiar cut-off pattern along the top, which I have assumed is to minimize the glare to oncoming drivers. But my experience is that the CTS (non-HID) headlights are superb, both in low and high-beam. I would have ordered the HID lamps, but I bought a car from inventory and it had everything I wanted but no HID, so I took it. After seeing the "regular" lamp performance, I am not sorry. The non-HIDs are great. Also, I saw an article recently that HIDs, especially in New Jersey, have become the theft target of choice for car thieves (all cars, not only CTS). They are apparently being ripped off like crazy, with a great deal of damage to the vehicle.
ctsdreaming, my "price shopping" experience in the Chicago-area was that the cars are generally selling well, but are being discounted by the volume dealers. Their allotment is based on how many they sell, i.e., the more they sell, the more they get, so they want to sell cars. Also, I bought in September, when sales were down, so there may have been an extra push to move cars. Don't know if cars are moving any better in October. In any event, if you have two or three dealers in your area, see if they will try to beat each other to get your sale. It saved me a goodly amount of $$$$ off of what I would have probably settled for originally. If a dealer won't discount, scratch him off the list and go elsewhere, if you can.
It's been over 10 years since I have been to a dragstrip. But I was thinking that the reaction time doesn't effect the elapsed time. Meaning, it is possible to have a quicker ET than the car next to you and still lose the race. Because the ET doesn't start when the tree turns green, but when you trip the timing light. Am I correct on this?
mcgreenx, I have the HIDs. Like yours, the low beam throw is a little strange. Unlike conventional headlamps, you get a very distinct "box", in which the left hand side is slightly lower than the right hand side. I wondered about that too until a friend of mine pointed out the issue about oncoming cars. His late model Dodge Intrepid does the same thing. It's just more obvious in a CTS with the squarish low beam throw.
The high beam throw is just outstanding. It lights up everything including the space over the low beams's "line" that you didn't see otherwise. The HIDs are blue in tint, but not as annoying as some out there. I'm not sure if there's an obvious way for a thief to distinguish standard lights from HIDs in this car at a glance.
I've also gotten a chance to use the foglamps briefly. I think I'll have to wait for denser fog before figuring out how good they are.
If I lived in an area that was subject to dense fog I would wire in to the fog lamp circuit a pair of super bright tail lamps such as the Europeans use. I would be as concerned about the guys behind me as the ones ahead. At least it is my responsibility to control my speed to avoid running into something I can't see. I want something to stop the people behind me that seem to think it is okay to run blind.
Was looking at the link I posted earlier today and saw that the new pushrod 3.5L is going to have 240 hp. The new 3.6L DOHC motor is going to have 255 hp. That is only 15 more horsepower with VVT technology and 4 valves per cylinder.
Hopefully the DOHC motor will have more torque across a wider rpm band.
I think the 240 hp out of the pushrod motor is more impressive than the 255 hp out of the DOHC motor.
Looks like the Malibu will be one quick little car. probably quicker than the CTS.
....... Thanks for the info, but every dealer in America has their "stocking" system ..
One dealer may use "P" for private or "T" for trade, some dealers may use the Vin# year as the start number, like a 2000 may use the start letter "Y" and the trade might end up being 0 .. it all depends on the facility, the size and who the new Mgr is.
I'm in a lot of stores and sometimes it even confuses me .. l.o.l...
A total stranger came up to talk to me in the supermarket this evening. Now at my height, this happens almost every day. Usually they ask if I play(ed) basketball or they ask how tall I am, etc...
Tonight the question was, "Is that your Cadillac in the parking lot? How do you like it?"
I highly doubt the Malibu will be faster than the CTS, 240hp vs. 255hp, RWD vs. FWD, manual vs. automatic. Will the Malibu have a manual? Plus I think that if the Malibu had a manual it would be 5 speed vs. a 6 speed in the CTS (2004 upgrade). What is the weight difference? it can't be more than 400 pounds.
255 horses and the other techno goodies the engine will have(as well as finances) made up my mind for me. I'm waiting for a 2004! As great as the car drives now, I can only imagine it with 35 more horses and ?? how much more torque. Yes indeed, I think Cadillac is on to something here with this car. If the reported standard 6 speed makes it to production in 04 with the new engine and the V series is priced reasonably and packs the Corvette punch we've been promised, the CTS will have avenged the Cimarron and Catera once and for all.
Well, I was hoping for a higher HP rating than 255, something to either match or surpass the G35. Now, if the car actually had a significantly larger amount of torque than now (currently 220ft/lbs), 255HP would be acceptable since off the line performance would be very perky and 255HP would do decently at highway speeds. They could always knock a hundred pounds off the total weight too...
However, the CTS really needs an automanual to be competitive with other cars out there that have the option. Personally, if there was an automanual option, I would love it because I'd keep the car in auto while in LA traffic and then pop into manual for the coastal, desert, and mountain roads. ::salivates at thought of automanual::
CTS will have 250 ft. lbs torque which is 30+ more. Keep in mind the CTS does have a 3.45 rearend which is deeper than most of GM's offerings in this class. The Intrigue/Aurora is available with a 3.29 gear while all of the other GM midsize cars go no deeper than 3.05. Also the CTS has a 5 speed auto with a deeper first gear than the others, so it should move off the line fairly quickly. New engine will have variable valve timing which will build torque lower in the rev range. The car should be very competitive with the G35's and BMW's of the world. I would guess with the auto it will be quicker and the manual will be just as fast.
For anyone interested, Breathless Performance (http://www.breathlessperformance.com/) has released a preliminary list of products they will offer for the CTS. Included are exhausts, CAIs, custom engines (!) and...a supercharger. W00t!
Hello all, been reading here for some time now I've been thinking of buying the new CTS but I'm waiting for the new V6 with the extra HP and new interior up grades how soon will they be available in 2003 ?
I saw a used CTS while visiting the local Caddy dealer in Dayton, OH.
Details: CTS Luxury Sport, manual transmission Black with Charcoal interior Bose pkg Heated seats Split/folding rear seat HID Headlamps Sunroof Polished wheels 6 year/100,000 mile warranty 3,004 miles on the odometer
Asking $34,900
This is the first "used" CTS I've seen anywhere. It was supposedly traded in by a wealthy repeat customer who buys four new vehicles per year from this dealer. When I popped the trunk, the rear floor mats were still there in the factory plastic.
Is this an indication of how the CTS will hold its value or a dealer hoping to cash in on the car's current popularity?
I was offered a similar deal on a 2003 CTS while getting an oil change at the Cadillac dealer. The salesman said that it had been owned by "a very wealthy customer who changes cars about every six or eight months." I can't figure out whether this is an indication of a very good deal (it had 3000 miles on it) or whether it is a new gimmick to resell lemons. In any case, I didn't bite. I think the CTS is terrific except for a couple of things already noted on this board, but my 2003 Jaguar will be "on the truck" in about three weeks.
am curious if the price will increase with the new engine. Cadillac needs to keeps the price in line with the competetion and I do not think that an increase because of a new engine would be a smart move. Just my thoughts.
If you're still reading this thread, to let you know, the CTS is registered for Sunday's autocross event at Bandimere. OFSS, #206. Hope to see you there!
Both my wife and I are happy with the HID lights. Although it takes a while to get used to the line of demarcation between light and no light, they are perfect for the country roads we sometimes drive. Don't use the fog lights much, since the HID's are so good.
Necros - Breathless Performance had a booth at the "Bloomington Gold" Corvette show. They had the owners "Diamond White" CTS on display. At that time they were showing a "wood dash" accessory kit for the CTS but promised other products. I'm glad to see that they're serious about performance CTS products. Their wood dash was high quality.
I found my CTS in a local "Sports Car Dealership". It had 40 miles on it. The owner claims he bought it for his wife and then she changed her mind, but I think he bought it to create show room traffic. As such, our CTS is considered "used".
The following web site has two used CTS's, although they have a Pontiac picture next to one of them. Change the search year to "2003", the make to "Cadillac" and the model to "CTS". Both are manual trannys.
Check out eBay Motors... they have three CTSs on bid. One is copper, one is blue and I forgot what the third on is. One is in Atlanta the other is in Texas.
Thanks for the Breathless link. I just fired off an email to 'em to get on their list for prices and availability. Others should do the same. Let 'em know we're out here waiting. I'll take a 450 hp blower kit over next year's 255 hp any day! Hope the axels can take it!
No doubt the extra 100 come from the whole package; heads and cam, cold air, refined exhaust, re-programmed computer, etc. That could easily be a 5-figure price tag. No decals please. I'd prefer a "sleeper" model a-la Galaxie 500 with a 427 or Plymouth Satellite w/440 six-pack.
The Bob Bondurant Preformance Driving School in Chandler, Arizona will start, I believe, 01.01.03 using CTSs. and Corvettes for their preformance driving programs.
Last Sunday on the TV show CSI: Miami, a CTS (color: Sterling) was prominent in several scenes.
Maybe it sold so well because it was featured yesterday morning on the Today show. It was funny though, Katie Couric was acting like the 85k price tag was way over her budget. Isn't she the highest paid news person in the Industry?
Took the CTS road racing this past weekend at the Waterford Hills Road Race track for their annual "Fun Run". What an absolute blast!!! The track is 1.5 miles long and each entrant got to run 5 laps against other cars in the same class. We ran time trials, with the vehicles staggered about 40 seconds apart so there was no real chance of causing damage to you or your vehicle by someone else.
The CTS was a thrill ride on the track! It was the first chance I've had to really wring out the car's handling, and the suspension tuning done by the GM engineers on the Nürburgring was extremely evident. The CTS cornered like it was on rails with minimal hint of tire squeal. The course challenged the brakes too, as a long straightaway turned into a sweeping 90-degree right hand turn. I reached 90 MPH on the straightway and had to brake down to about 40 to make the turn without fear of losing control. I tried trailbraking through the sweeper on my second run and felt the backend start to break lose...I recovered in time and decided I need a lot more practice before I try that again at speed! The car performed flawlessly for the 5 laps I ran, but I don't think I had the necessary driving skill to really push the car to its performance limits. The main difficulty I experienced was selecting the right gear at certain points of the run since there were instances where 2nd gear was revving too high and 3rd too low to use the engine's power optimally. But overall, the manual shifts were firm and precise and allowed me to keep the car in the right area of the powerband for most of the track.
I used to run my worked Z28 on closed course tracks and although it had plenty of power to "brute force" its way through the track it really lacked the finesse handling that the CTS has. The CTS suspension effectively kept the tires firmly planted to the asphalt, even during difficult maneuvers. My favorite part of the course was the "Hilltop Turn" where you reach a bind turn while going uphill and then immediately head downhill as soon as you hit the apex. The off camber turn unloaded the suspension when I least expected it and made for an exciting blast down the back of the hill once the suspension settled and the car came around. My best time around the track was 1:42, which was better than the two Ford Contour SVTs and the Maxima that were in my group.
The black CTS got a ton of looks from the crowd and a number of people commented to me that they were glad to see a performance-capable Caddy wrapped in such an eye-catching package. A number of spectators snapped pictures of the car on the track for proof that a Cadillac was indeed on their road course.
Two funny events happened during the course of the day. First, a Focus that was being used for an orientation drive around the track just died on the course and had to be towed back in...you know what they say about Fords, "Found-On-Road-Dead". Then towards the end of the day some dude in an older Ferrari GTS was trying to push it just a bit too much, lost control, spun across the grass and slammed up against a barrier wall sideways. He was OK, but the driver's side sheet metal on his car was mangled and the back glass shattered. I felt bad for the guy, but it seemed like the way he was driving, he just had it coming.
Here are a few pictures from the weekend. Man, I can't wait to get the CTS out on a race track again!
Another 150 mile drive tomorrow, looking forward to it. The more I drive my LuxSport CTS, the more I like it. It's rock solid, not a squeak or rattle, plenty of power, and handles beautifully.
I noticed another minor refinement I had overlooked: the trunk sill is flat, with the latch protruding from the lid and sliding into a locking recessed slot. I never noticed this on other cars, but it may be common now on GM or all Caddies for all I know, but it is nice not to have the steel u-shaped catch sticking up to snag on bags, etc., as I load them into the trunk. Even though it's a small thing, it's a pleasure to see a well-thought-out and executed design.
"Here at the challenging Mid-Ohio circuit, Ford Motor Co.'s traditional luxury division proved they do make a car that will run with the best of its class. In fact, the rear-wheel drive Lincoln LS, re-fettled for 2003, turned out to be a more entertaining track machine than BMW's vaunted Five Series and the recently launched CTS, Cadillac's entry in the sporty sedan segment. "
You are having WAY too much fun with your CTS. Your making me want one now! I'm still wanting to hold off until 04 when the 255 hp V6 comes out, but part of me wants to be one of the first in on the action now. Funny thing, someone in my condo community already has a CTS. It is diamond white with the luxury sport package(I can tell by the wheels). The white looks okay, but I want a dark color one. Every time I drive by the Cadillac dealer the most CTSs I see on their lot is 2 and almost always a different color.
That is great! I would like to take the CTS out on a road racing track sometime. Once I get a few races under my belt, I think they'll let me race in Solo Trails, which, here in Colorado ,is basically canyon carving. But a road course would be great.
I'm interested, at what point did you feel the engine was revving too high? In my experience, the car will still be pulling, even at redline. I was running it up in that range all the time, and there seemed to be only a slight drop in power around 6000 rpms.
Also, I'm trying to remember if it was you who said that your wiper arms hit the hood when you locked them open for cleaning he windshield. I was cleaning mine the other day, and noticed that, while they came close, I culd get them to stay up with only the most minimal contact with the hood.
After reading that article, I'm a little confused. They speak of the LS' wonderful refinements for 2003, yet it came in last place in the Road & Track 11 car comparison test (the CTS came in 8th). I will admit that having a 4.0L V8 as an option (and 280 HP) is very cool, but no manual gearbox for performance heads.
The cabin may have some improvements, but the legroom is still painfully cramped. It's impossible for me to own one because of that.
Finally, there's the sales figures. They say the LS outsold the CTS over the last two months. But according to the manufacturing figures, it paints a different picture. During the month of September, Lincoln produced only 2,215 LS's while Cadillac cranked out 4,949 CTS's. Last week, manufacturing output was 536 for Lincoln and 1,268 for Cadillac. Lincoln has outsold Cadillac between these two cars for the calendar year 2003 (1/1-today) by about 600 cars, but the CTS started slow and has been gaining sales strength in the last 4 months. By the end of this week, the LS and CTS should have nearly identical yearly production numbers with the CTS set to overtake that next week.
If these numbers are correct (http://www.autonews.com/files/prod.pdf), the only other explanation on how Lincoln could outsell Cadillac in this segment is dealers selling from stock...and that would have to be a lot of cars sitting in dealer stock. Either that or Cadillac is stuffing the sales channel, but the dealers are selling the cars too fast for that to happen.
I used to want cadillac to trounce lincoln, but now I want them both to be successful. I think of the LS as contempary looking sports car, and the CTS as an Edgy, revolutionary looking sports car. Their is a market for both. Wouldn't it be nice to see the lates road and track magazine and find cadillac or lincoln 1 & 2, followed by BMW, Acura, etc.
Comments
Second, someone mentioned a "weird" headlight pattern. When thrown on a garage door, the low beam has a very flat, almost peculiar cut-off pattern along the top, which I have assumed is to minimize the glare to oncoming drivers. But my experience is that the CTS (non-HID) headlights are superb, both in low and high-beam. I would have ordered the HID lamps, but I bought a car from inventory and it had everything I wanted but no HID, so I took it. After seeing the "regular" lamp performance, I am not sorry. The non-HIDs are great. Also, I saw an article recently that HIDs, especially in New Jersey, have become the theft target of choice for car thieves (all cars, not only CTS). They are apparently being ripped off like crazy, with a great deal of damage to the vehicle.
ctsdreaming, my "price shopping" experience in the Chicago-area was that the cars are generally selling well, but are being discounted by the volume dealers. Their allotment is based on how many they sell, i.e., the more they sell, the more they get, so they want to sell cars. Also, I bought in September, when sales were down, so there may have been an extra push to move cars. Don't know if cars are moving any better in October. In any event, if you have two or three dealers in your area, see if they will try to beat each other to get your sale. It saved me a goodly amount of $$$$ off of what I would have probably settled for originally. If a dealer won't discount, scratch him off the list and go elsewhere, if you can.
But I was thinking that the reaction time doesn't effect the elapsed time.
Meaning, it is possible to have a quicker ET than the car next to you and still lose the race.
Because the ET doesn't start when the tree turns green, but when you trip the timing light.
Am I correct on this?
Was hoping it would be sooner.
You can see where the Cadillac "wreath & crest" will go on the engine cover.
http://www.thecarconnection.com/index.asp?article=5406&sid=175&n=156
Click on the photo to enlarge it by the paragraph
"Sixes For All."
Any time you want to try your hand at the drags just come on down. Bring whatever you have! LOL
Just watched John Force lose in Texas even though he had the better R/T.
The high beam throw is just outstanding. It lights up everything including the space over the low beams's "line" that you didn't see otherwise. The HIDs are blue in tint, but not as annoying as some out there. I'm not sure if there's an obvious way for a thief to distinguish standard lights from HIDs in this car at a glance.
I've also gotten a chance to use the foglamps briefly. I think I'll have to wait for denser fog before figuring out how good they are.
The new 3.6L DOHC motor is going to have 255 hp.
That is only 15 more horsepower with VVT technology and 4 valves per cylinder.
Hopefully the DOHC motor will have more torque across a wider rpm band.
I think the 240 hp out of the pushrod motor is more impressive than the 255 hp out of the DOHC motor.
Looks like the Malibu will be one quick little car. probably quicker than the CTS.
One dealer may use "P" for private or "T" for trade, some dealers may use the Vin# year as the start number, like a 2000 may use the start letter "Y" and the trade might end up being 0 .. it all depends on the facility, the size and who the new Mgr is.
I'm in a lot of stores and sometimes it even confuses me .. l.o.l...
Terry
A total stranger came up to talk to me in the supermarket this evening. Now at my height, this happens almost every day. Usually they ask if I play(ed) basketball or they ask how tall I am, etc...
Tonight the question was, "Is that your Cadillac in the parking lot? How do you like it?"
I think I bought the right car. :-)
What is the weight difference? it can't be more than 400 pounds.
However, the CTS really needs an automanual to be competitive with other cars out there that have the option. Personally, if there was an automanual option, I would love it because I'd keep the car in auto while in LA traffic and then pop into manual for the coastal, desert, and mountain roads. ::salivates at thought of automanual::
Keep in mind the CTS does have a 3.45 rearend which is deeper than most of GM's offerings in this class.
The Intrigue/Aurora is available with a 3.29 gear while all of the other GM midsize cars go no deeper than 3.05.
Also the CTS has a 5 speed auto with a deeper first gear than the others, so it should move off the line fairly quickly.
New engine will have variable valve timing which will build torque lower in the rev range.
The car should be very competitive with the G35's and BMW's of the world.
I would guess with the auto it will be quicker and the manual will be just as fast.
I've been thinking of buying the new CTS but I'm waiting for the new V6 with the extra HP and new interior up grades how soon will they be available
in 2003 ?
He:
a) was intrigued by the car's design
b) was wondering how I possible fit in it
c) was not impressed by the Catera that it replaced
Cadillac certainly took a chance with the styling of this car. And like it or not, it is getting noticed.
I would certainly be happy with what the car has now if I bought one.
Details:
CTS Luxury Sport, manual transmission
Black with Charcoal interior
Bose pkg
Heated seats
Split/folding rear seat
HID Headlamps
Sunroof
Polished wheels
6 year/100,000 mile warranty
3,004 miles on the odometer
Asking $34,900
This is the first "used" CTS I've seen anywhere. It was supposedly traded in by a wealthy repeat customer who buys four new vehicles per year from this dealer. When I popped the trunk, the rear floor mats were still there in the factory plastic.
Is this an indication of how the CTS will hold its value or a dealer hoping to cash in on the car's current popularity?
In any case, I didn't bite. I think the CTS is terrific except for a couple of things already noted on this board, but my 2003 Jaguar will be "on the truck" in about three weeks.
Hopefully I'll get some more pics for everyone...
Necros - Breathless Performance had a booth at the "Bloomington Gold" Corvette show. They had the owners "Diamond White" CTS on display. At that time they were showing a "wood dash" accessory kit for the CTS but promised other products. I'm glad to see that they're serious about performance CTS products. Their wood dash was high quality.
I found my CTS in a local "Sports Car Dealership". It had 40 miles on it. The owner claims he bought it for his wife and then she changed her mind, but I think he bought it to create show room traffic. As such, our CTS is considered "used".
The following web site has two used CTS's, although they have a Pontiac picture next to one of them. Change the search year to "2003", the make to "Cadillac" and the model to "CTS". Both are manual trannys.
http://wwwheels.com/cfapps/searchindex.htm
I found my CTS on this page back in May.
Rich
"Supercharger Packages 150HP kits total out to 470+ HP"
If you add 150 hp to the stock 220 hp, it adds up to 370 hp. Where does the extra 100 hp come from? Or am I missing something?
Chandler, Arizona will start, I believe, 01.01.03
using CTSs. and Corvettes for their preformance driving programs.
Last Sunday on the TV show CSI: Miami, a CTS (color: Sterling) was prominent in several scenes.
How 'bout that
Front Driver 4
Front Passenger 4
Side Driver 4
Side Passenger 5
Overall 4
Not bad.
The CTS was a thrill ride on the track! It was the first chance I've had to really wring out the car's handling, and the suspension tuning done by the GM engineers on the Nürburgring was extremely evident. The CTS cornered like it was on rails with minimal hint of tire squeal. The course challenged the brakes too, as a long straightaway turned into a sweeping 90-degree right hand turn. I reached 90 MPH on the straightway and had to brake down to about 40 to make the turn without fear of losing control. I tried trailbraking through the sweeper on my second run and felt the backend start to break lose...I recovered in time and decided I need a lot more practice before I try that again at speed! The car performed flawlessly for the 5 laps I ran, but I don't think I had the necessary driving skill to really push the car to its performance limits. The main difficulty I experienced was selecting the right gear at certain points of the run since there were instances where 2nd gear was revving too high and 3rd too low to use the engine's power optimally. But overall, the manual shifts were firm and precise and allowed me to keep the car in the right area of the powerband for most of the track.
I used to run my worked Z28 on closed course tracks and although it had plenty of power to "brute force" its way through the track it really lacked the finesse handling that the CTS has. The CTS suspension effectively kept the tires firmly planted to the asphalt, even during difficult maneuvers. My favorite part of the course was the "Hilltop Turn" where you reach a bind turn while going uphill and then immediately head downhill as soon as you hit the apex. The off camber turn unloaded the suspension when I least expected it and made for an exciting blast down the back of the hill once the suspension settled and the car came around. My best time around the track was 1:42, which was better than the two Ford Contour SVTs and the Maxima that were in my group.
The black CTS got a ton of looks from the crowd and a number of people commented to me that they were glad to see a performance-capable Caddy wrapped in such an eye-catching package. A number of spectators snapped pictures of the car on the track for proof that a Cadillac was indeed on their road course.
Two funny events happened during the course of the day. First, a Focus that was being used for an orientation drive around the track just died on the course and had to be towed back in...you know what they say about Fords, "Found-On-Road-Dead". Then towards the end of the day some dude in an older Ferrari GTS was trying to push it just a bit too much, lost control, spun across the grass and slammed up against a barrier wall sideways. He was OK, but the driver's side sheet metal on his car was mangled and the back glass shattered. I felt bad for the guy, but it seemed like the way he was driving, he just had it coming.
Here are a few pictures from the weekend. Man, I can't wait to get the CTS out on a race track again!
- FAV002
My CTS Pictures
I noticed another minor refinement I had overlooked: the trunk sill is flat, with the latch protruding from the lid and sliding into a locking recessed slot. I never noticed this on other cars, but it may be common now on GM or all Caddies for all I know, but it is nice not to have the steel u-shaped catch sticking up to snag on bags, etc., as I load them into the trunk. Even though it's a small thing, it's a pleasure to see a well-thought-out and executed design.
What kind of digital camera are you using?
Those pics are razor sharp.
http://www.detnews.com/2002/insiders/0210/16/-613990.htm
I'm interested, at what point did you feel the engine was revving too high? In my experience, the car will still be pulling, even at redline. I was running it up in that range all the time, and there seemed to be only a slight drop in power around 6000 rpms.
Also, I'm trying to remember if it was you who said that your wiper arms hit the hood when you locked them open for cleaning he windshield. I was cleaning mine the other day, and noticed that, while they came close, I culd get them to stay up with only the most minimal contact with the hood.
The cabin may have some improvements, but the legroom is still painfully cramped. It's impossible for me to own one because of that.
Finally, there's the sales figures. They say the LS outsold the CTS over the last two months. But according to the manufacturing figures, it paints a different picture. During the month of September, Lincoln produced only 2,215 LS's while Cadillac cranked out 4,949 CTS's. Last week, manufacturing output was 536 for Lincoln and 1,268 for Cadillac. Lincoln has outsold Cadillac between these two cars for the calendar year 2003 (1/1-today) by about 600 cars, but the CTS started slow and has been gaining sales strength in the last 4 months. By the end of this week, the LS and CTS should have nearly identical yearly production numbers with the CTS set to overtake that next week.
If these numbers are correct (http://www.autonews.com/files/prod.pdf), the only other explanation on how Lincoln could outsell Cadillac in this segment is dealers selling from stock...and that would have to be a lot of cars sitting in dealer stock. Either that or Cadillac is stuffing the sales channel, but the dealers are selling the cars too fast for that to happen.