One of the perks of owning a Chevy is the 30 minute oil change offered by my dealer. They have 2 oil change racks at the front of the service entrance and I have never been there for more than 45 minutes. Everytime I think of buying a nonGm car i remember all of the little perks, and I buy another one. Gm is also the most liberal on warranty and out of warranty work.
to akirby: percentages=prices/costs, so cannot be ignored. There are actually only a few variables: 1)actual out the door price of the car; 2)residual value of the car at the end of the lease period; 3)interest rate, which they try to disguise as a lease rate. That is it. Period. To Dindak: I agree that there is more to life than a $20 monthly diffence in a lease cost, and wouldn't quibble if it was only that. However, it is much more than that. For example, the CTS lease cost is $40 more than the G35, assuming the CTS is an automatic transmission. For the manual CTS, the difference is more like $60! This is for the same MSRP cost of the two cars, by the way. And yes, I can afford even the CTSv, but my point is that people should look at the true cost of owning the car when comparing to other makes, etc. Even Bill Gates does not like to waste money, or spend more than he needs to. This brought home the point that the resale value of the manual trans CTS is predicted to be about $1000 less than the automatic, or about $21 per month more. Again, worth it if that is what you want, I agree, and I like manual transmissions.
I didn't mean there were multiple variables - I meant that each part can vary widely and affect the lease price. Since residuals are based on MSRP a brand like BMW that sells close to or above MSRP will have a higher residual than brands that sell closer to invoice even if the MSRP is the same. And you forgot mileage.
My point is that you don't always know all the variables, but you always know the lease price and you can immediately tell which car costs more to drive.
I'm also trying to locate a web-site for the Volant CAI product. That's what Lund Cadillac apparently uses in there set-ups.
ed. Gentlemen please! Talk of money and lease values on a Cadillac site seems so tawdry. Do we really have care of such pedestrian matters? Songwriters, poets and artists revere this marque. Has Chuck Berry written a song about a Nissan? Has anyone half buried a row of Lexus in the Texas plains? Is there a BMW converted into a woody rotating over the bar at some Hard Rock Cafe?
My last car (Chrysler 300M) was named car of the year by Motor Trend 2 years in a row! It never lived up to the Motor Trend 'hype' and was the only car I've ever owned that I wasn't teary-eyed to get rid of. I traded it for the CTS and have never looked back...the CTS is a MUCH better car.
So...my comment about the G35 being named 'car of the year' is..."who cares?".
FWIW I like the G35 and if I was still in the market for a new car now I would give it a serious look.
Ah, who am I kidding? My next new car will most likely be the CTSv and I probably won't even bother looking at the competition.
You can't (normally) win COTY two years in a row. Cars are only eligible for the award if they're new or significantly changed that year. The 300M won 1999 COTY. The Lincoln LS won 2000 COTY.
If you want to have some fun with the G35 folks just remind them that the Chevy Vega also won COTY.
FYI, the CTS hits the track again this weekend (weather permitting; it's expected to snow) for some SCCA Solo II action. This race's field includes some Saab 900 Turbos, Mitsu Eclipses, a Mustang, a Focus SVT, an A4, and S6, and, my personal fave, a 1988 Toyota Celica AllTrac Turbo (because I have one). I'm also going to go with pmdriver's suggestion of lowering the tire pressure, at least initially, to near-stock levels. You'll hear back from me about how it went.
Alain, if you're out there, see ya there, as I noticed you're driving your 325. What, the M3 too good for snow?
This was an interesting but not unexpected choice. This was probably one of the toughest decisions for them in years. In contrast, I think the SUV of the year was a lot easier. The Volvo XC90 delivered a lot to win its award.
Car of the Year is supposed to be awarded to the most significant car introduced that year. That means the car has to raise the bar for specs like performance, quality, flexibility, originality, styling and desirability.
If you look at COTY like a beauty pageant, the contestants come on stage and sing about how wonderful they are, and then the judges pare down the ranks quickly. The cars with no chance of winning this year are:
Hyundai Tiberon: okay second attempt at this car.
Toyota Corolla: boring.
VW Passat W8: new engine is powerful, but heavy. Not enough else changed about this car.
Saab 93: nice, but not weird enough for a Saab.
Saturn Ion: nice but not exciting.
Suzuki Aerio: ditto.
Lincoln Town Car: nice, if you drive other people.
Mercury Maurader: doesn't make you forget the Impala SS.
Honda Civic Si: not extreme enough to match the old CRX.
At this point, the contest goes forward and the contestants go through the swimsuit and evening gown phase. From this point, the field pares down further. The ones who don't make the cut are:
Viper SRT-10: better than the old car, but styling isn't as well liked. Very expensive.
Infiniti M45: Nice engine, better value than the Q45, but still is styling challenged.
BMW 7 Series: Does everything well, but iDrive has been critically panned, and is styling challenged, especially from the rear. Expensive.
Mercedes Benz SL class: Superb execution, but too expensive to ever win this award in a strong competition year.
Toyota Matrix/Pontiac Vibe: Good styling, great flexibility. But the Chrysler PT Cruiser did this package two years ago (and won COTY).
Honda Accord Sedan/Coupe: The perfect car for people who demand reliability and no personality. At least this year you can get power
Mazda 6: Nice execution, but not enough
Cadillac CTS: Yeah, I know. But the CTS' engine is a placeholder. Some consider it styling challenged. Maybe when the new engine and the V-series appears, it will be reconsidered. Hopefully, no more future Cadillacs will come to market "partially executed".
From this, the finalists are brought it and scrutinized.
Honda Civic Hybrid: Probably the most practical application of this important new technology. But the costs of ownership are still higher than a Civic HX, and the MPG is less.
Mercedes E-class: The gold standard for this class does it again. It has everything and does everything well. But your pocketbook will be sore every month making the payments.
Mercedes CLK class: Ditto. It could also have more of a sporting soul than a cruising soul.
Nissan 350Z: Fast, great looking and inexpensive, it brought the moribund Z car image back to life in this country (USA). But MT probably couldn't ignore the rear loading hatch blocked by the support strut and other nitpicks.
Mini Cooper/Cooper S: This could have easily won in any other year. It just shows you the level of competition in 2003. The Cooper doesn't have a lot of power, and it isn't the most practical ride. But it is relatively cheap for BMW engineering and a lot of fun.
And that leaves:
Infiniti G35 Sedan/Coupe: It set new standards for price and performance in the entry-lux class. You have a choice of body styles like BMW's 3 series, and the body styles don't share much sheet mettle. Ride is confident and crisp. Styling is classy and desirable to most people. Power is intoxicating (the coupe really kicks butt here). And the price is a steal. And if you get the coupe, you get 90% of the features of the 350Z and still get a trunk and rear seats. Not important for some, but more important for most folks.
Overall, I can't fault the choice. But I still love my CTS.
I do not know about you. But I think the G35 is ugly. It looks too plain, very Japanese, and the interior is cheap. It just offers what MT likes, speed and suspension in a barley enough good looking package to keep the price low. But it offers nothing new in terms of tech.
The CTS programable keys and the programing possibilities and customizability offered by the DIC is a first for the most part. I am still not over on the feature of having the DIC display my name with a welcome message every time i log in, errr... i mean insert the ignition key.. This is too cool and all my passengers liked it.
The CTS did skip on many otherwise standard and old news features for other cars (curtain, parking sensor assist, rear AC vents, rear individually controlled dome lights, engine bay light, etc. But it really concentrated on what it really is... a sport sedan and Cadillac loaded the car on that front. And while some may think the absence of a manual shift Auto is a blunder, I say the sport shift mode more than compensate. My brother have the feature on his 1999 BMW 528, but he have not really used it, he simply switch to sport mode and let the trany do the work.
Necros: I'm planning on being there. Nah, the 325 is my new (to me) winter rat. On the one hand, it's in great shape. On the other, it's 13 years old with cheezy all-season tires. I want to see what it's like to dodge cones with not much power, no grip and tons of body roll.
COTY: It's meaningless to me. Maybe they've changed, but according to Autoextremist (who's been there) one of the things the manufacturers were required to do is give MT's editors a dog and pony show about how they'd use the COTY trademark (which MT got compensated for)in their marketing. Can you say "conflict of interest?" Others here have already posted about some of the questionable winners from years past.
...I like the the styling of the G35 (it looks MUCH better in person) and I also like its interior styling (many people have criticized the CTS for having a 'cheap' interior as well).
As for the CTS's 'tech' features...the name display is a cute gimmick but I'd personally rather have a compass, temp gauge, satellite radio, and memory seats on my base model CTS. -Like you said, Cadillac DID skimp on many features that should be standard in its class.
In regard to the manual shift auto feature, I don't think it's necessary with a truly great automatic transmission like the CTS has. Sport mode is more than adequate for my driving needs. The 'autostick' feature on the 300M was useless being as it forced a shift at redline (you couldn't hold the gear)...I'm not sure if the '528 does this or not??
-I already love my CTS...give me 50 more HP, 80 more ft/lb of torque, and 18 inch wheels and I'd be a REALLY happy camper!
I believe the Porsche Tiptronic and the Acura 3.2TL autoshifters also shift for you at redline, which IMO defeats the purpose. OTOH the 2003 LS will allow manual selection of any gear at any time (even 1st gear starts - new for 2003) and will only shift by itself if you stop the car and you're in 4th or 5th gear. During normal driving it won't upshift even if you hit the rev limiter (that's true for all LS). I would like to have a choice of shift modes for full auto mode however. That is a nice feature. And Mercedes even anticipates when you're going around a corner and will keep the tranny in a lower gear.
My mother signed a deal for a CTS last night. She's getting Onyx Blue with the Neutral interior. Auto trans/Lux package/Split folding rear seats/moonroof/heated seats. The first American car in over 20 years that she has wanted to own. She is trading her loaded Maxima SE for it. She should be taking delivery this weekend. I'll keep you all posted on how it performs.
1997montez34 - Congratulate your Mom on her new CTS. I believe that she'll be really happy with it and Onyx Blue is a beautiful color.
As for Motor Trend's COTY, it's just another autowriters opinion award. I have a collection of auto magazines (Motor Trend, Motor Life, Car Life and a few others) that go back to mid 1957 (my wife wants me to throw them out). When I look back, many of Motor Trends COTY selections have turned out to be automotive disasters.
While I agree that the G35 is a really good car (hate the sedan, love the styling of the coupe), it isn't that much better than any of the others being judged. Much of the auto writers judgement is perception, based on the anti-American manufacturer attitude prevalent at most auto magazines.
As a case in point, my next door neighbor traded his "plain jane" Chevette for a loaded Nissan Maxima in the 1980's. The Maxima spent twice as much time in the shop as the Chevette, and was three times as rusty when he gave it to his oldest daughter. He continues to buy Nissan, despite the fact that his cars have more problems and spend more time in the shop than my Caddys. He will tell you that Japenese cars are better than American cars. That's perception, not reality. These are the same people who answer J.D. Power surveys with their perceptions.
However, I have to admit that American manufacturers made some really bad cars during the '80's and early '90's. They let their quality slip and didn't listen to their customers. When people wanted smaller, more fuel efficient cars, manufactures were slow to respond. Their attitude was, "people will buy what we build." They're still paying for those mistakes today, both in perception and lost sales.
As for our CTS, my wife loves it just the way it is. I think it needs more horsepower and some changes to the instrumentation and interior. Again, a matter of perception. While I occasionally miss my Corvette, especially at stop lights, buying the CTS has turned out to be one of the best decisions I've ever made. It's brought fun back into everyday driving. I'm sure I'll buy another, despite what the autowriters say, when the time comes.
Now if only, Motor trend would straighten out my subscription (missed two issues now), I'd be able to read the COTY article and judge for myself.
Motor Trend's marketing staff and owner's have frequently corrupted the data to effect an outcome that provides them with more advertising dollars. As recently as a few years ago a staffer came out in public and said that the car that they chose did not become COTY. As for disasters, can anybody say Chevy Citation? Or Malibu?
First off, let me state that I want Lincoln and Cadillac both to succeed. However, after readin Edmunds new reiview of the 2003 LS, I have determined that the Edmunds reviewers hold lincoln to a different standard then Cadillac. I agree that the CTS cannot beat a 3 series, but why the hell are they puting it up against a 3 series and not a 5 series. In the lincoln review they talk about how you can get 5 Series room at a 3 series price in the Lincoln LS. Well the same is true for the CTS. I don't know if I am right, but why is it that from Lincoln, they expect a competent, relatively high quality product, yet from Cadillac, they expect a car that will trounce the competition?
Edmunds reviewers have absolutely ZERO credibility. They said the previous generation LS didn't have dual climate controls - it did. They had the car for several months and didn't know the battery was in the trunk. They said there weren't any changes to the transmission for 2003 - there are (both internally and in the SST function). The comment about the THX stereo was comical ("Very nice, especially if you like that sound effect at the beginning of movies."). Like one has anything to do with the other.
Wardlaw didn't even understand how changing the stroke of an engine could change the displacement (in reference to the Lincoln having a 3.9L engine and Jag having a 4.0L even though there were supposed to be the same. Lincoln shortened the stroke 1 mm).
Let's face it - if they were good reviewers then they'd be working for a major publication or freelancing like the Lienerts. In this case I think we get what we pay for.
assume the Lux Sport CTS to be the base SCT. it is still cheaper than most. I have not read many considering the CTS interior cheap. It is just too different from what people came to expect.
For the engine, the CTS will beat the 525 any day. Sure there is the 530 and 540, but so there will be the CTSv.
I agree with you on the autostick, it seems to be over rated. Note however, the CTS will cut fuel to limit the engine RPM if you exceed a predetermined RPM. NOt sure what that RPM is. so the auto stick is no big deal after all.
Doesn't surprise me. Just remember, the 91 Chevy Caprice(with all 185 hp of it's TBI V8), the 95 Chrysler Cirrus(with all it's rattles and squeaks), and 97 Chevy Malibu(with all the fun of a Camry) have all won MT's award. Sometimes they get it right(98 was the Corvette) and sometimes they get it wrong. I think C&D's 10 best is the one which had the 300M in the ranking two years and they also have included the Dodge Intrepid for several years. Not bad sedans, but performance wise they certainly aren't in the 10 best. I think the new Saab 9-3 would have been a very serious contender as it is a very significant car for the marque. It's also very good looking and from what I'm reading over in the Saab forum, a blast to drive. I've been considering one, but I think I'll just hold out for the 04 CTS.
1997montez34, excellent choice in color. Hope your mom lets you drive it from time to time.
I agree with you on the Autostick. Anyway, the CTS offers the real thing so why bother with a silly autostick. If you want to jab on your cell phone and put make-up on in the rearview mirror, get a CTS with the excellent 5 speed automatic. If you want to really drive the car and row your own gears, get the manual.
As for features, the CTS is pretty well equipped for it's price. Rear parking assist would be nice, but that would just increase price. Let the next gen STS have all the doodads. The only things I'd like to see the CTS get is XM radio, a DVD-ROM navigation system, a little more wood in the interior, and a temp gauge in place of that silly clock. Oh and a more powerful engine and extra cog in that manual wouldn't hurt, but ahh that's coming next year:)
If you guys have never driven a performance vehicle with an automanual then you have no idea as to it's usefulness. No, it's not a true manual and is not a substitute for a true manual. It is, however, a very useful feature for folks who need or want an automatic 80% of the time but want more control over the tranny shifting for the other 20% of the time when blasting around the twisties. Having a sport mode helps but it isn't the same.
Macguy - what the heck does a rev limiter have with the automanual shifter?
I suppose if it's a feature that the CTS doesn't have then that automatically makes it undesirable?
the XM radio option is currently available as an option. DVD navigation ; i think this is available too. Every thing else is coming by years end. but I could not wait all that and went for the CTS now. I may trade up is a year or two.
For many people an automatic transmission might just as well have 4 postions: Park, Reverse, Neutral and Drive. The CTS 5 speed has 7 postions available:P,R,N,D,4,3,2 - so one cannot hold the transmission in first gear. The tap up/tap down (autostick) is available for the CTS's automatic though, the CTS just does not offer it as an option. As I see it, the autostick would be useful in that you would get full control over the transmission. Cadillac will offer this on the SRX/STS/XLR vehicles which are due in the near future. What I use the transmission's lower gears for is hill holding. Generally I never need to hold in first gear on a hill. The sport mode is good for more responsive shifting such as when passing. But for the best fuel economy, the sport mode is probably not the best for general driving. The autostick would be good for the CTS and perhaps it will come with the next generation V6.
It says it is computer-enhanced- try computer enhanced version of the current Seville. Also the two Buicks LeSabre and Regal are what they were going to look like, then Lutz changed them, Thank God!
It's not a computer enhanced photograph because it is not even a photograph. Entirely computer generated. It looks like they took the current Seville and put a new front end on it.
Most new car dealers will do GM Employee discount on most new GM cars. I was looking at a new CTS this year and dealer would NOT do GMS on a new CTS....Got sick of waiting for supply to catch up with demand and got a new Deville instead ! The only other car I know of that they won't do GM deal is the Vette Z-o6---------------geo
BTW: GM changed the program so no more GMO (GM Ordered) no cheaper anymore !
The GM Supplier program has one fatal flaw: GM does not compensate its dealer network for the discount, unlike GM Employee. The GM Supplier discount puts the final price to the customer over invoice, but the dealer profit is much lower and therefore less of an incentive to the dealer to participate. In fact, the GM Supplier Discount program is strictly optional.
For many GM dealers who have to heavily discount their stock, doing GM Supplier may not be a big deal. No one is going to complain much about the lost margin on a Buick Regal or Chevy Malibu. But higher margin cars and SUVs, especially popular ones are a lot tougher to discount for dealers. Finding a Chevy dealership that will GM Supplier discount a Corvette is as tough as finding Osama (in fact, the GM Supplier paperwork from GM warns specifically that getting Vettes are extremely difficult.
Fortunately for me, my dealership worked with me. They didn't do the GM Supplier discount at all, but they quoted me a price close to it (and significantly below Edmunds TMV). Needless to say, I jumped at the chance and the deal was closed in less than 5 minutes. I got very lucky.
Remember GMO/GMS represent GM employee, family, retiree discounts only. GM Supplier deal is entirely different! Not to be confused with employee GMS deal. GM employee deal is LESS than invoice. GM supplier deal is a bit more than invoice. Either way its a SKINNY deal for dealer and GM does compensate the dealer somewhat anyway !
I spent some quality time with my mom's new CTS this weekend. Some impressions:
The interior is much warmer feeling in Neutral than in Gray. The interior styling that looked so wierd at first is starting to look/feel really good. The exterior styling is so different and unique...very modern. It gets looks at every red light. The seats are incredibly comfortable. The engine is more powerful than I remember from my first test drive and the auto tranny is really slick. Great standard stereo. Cool interface/display with programmable message. Get rid of the analog clock and get me a temp gauge. Not too big of a deal though. Steering wheel rim very thick...feels great in my hands. Needs a power tilt/telescope on luxury package. Overall a super car with great driving dynamics. Better than I remembered it being. This car is going to be sick with the new 3.6L V6 or the LS6 V8!
"When I was your age"...my mother bought a 1979 Cadillac Seville. It was dark brown with saddle brown leather seats, wire wheel "discs" (read: wheel covers) and a vinyl roof. It had the high end radio which included 4 speaker stereo, an 8-track tape player, and the faddish CB radio. The engine was a 5.7 liter Chevy V8 engine, which was appropriate since the chassis was a modified Chevy Nova, right down to the rear leaf suspension. It weighed 4000 lbs and cost $20,000. Horsepower couldn't have been more than 150 (in those days, emissions controls severely choked performance).
The car had Cadillac's first digital fuel injection and a fully digital engine computer...crude by today's standards but way ahead of its time then. You could get engine diagnostic codes from pressing radio button combinations, much like today.
Compared to the ponderous Cadillacs of the day, the Seville was actually pretty cool. It wasn't going to chase a BMW 528i on curvy roads, but it handled better than a lot of cars. The dimensions were compact (for a Cadillac anyway), but there still was enough leg room for my oversized frame.
Your mother's CTS is better in virtually every way by several factors of magnitude. Enjoy the time she lets you drive it. :-)
A while back someone posted their doubts about Cadillac doing an interior update for just the second model year. I noticed when at the auto show a couple of weeks ago that the Escalade got an interior "update" in just it's second year. Not a major redo, but enough upgrades to make it look more upscale than before(and more upscale than it's Chevy and GMC siblings). The same basic dash design remains, but for 03 the Slade gets Cadillac style radios, available DVD navigation system radio, digital climate control, more upscale looking gauges, and losses some of the buttons that peppered the dash before. So I think the prospect of the 04 CTS getting an interior update is very good. In reality, all it needs is a temp gauge, possibly electroluminescent gauges, and a little more wood to warm things up more.
I took delivery of my Onyx Blue CTS last Friday. Options include: Lux Sport, Auto, Bose, heated seats. I did not want a sunroof due to the lower amount of headroom inherent in the design - I'm 6'6").
I traded in my '97 BMW 328ic, so here's at least one BMW owner who is happy to trade into the CTS.
The fit and finish inside and out are excellent and after about 200 miles, no problems are apparent. I am trying to follow the break in recos, but keeping it below 70 is difficult!!
I parked between two co-workers yesterday, one with a 330 and the other a 530. This side-by-side comparison again convinced me that the CTS is the right choice for me. I love the look, inside and out.
Moving from the 328, I find great seat comfort (lumbar support would be nice), superb handling, great road feel, tight steering, nice breaks, ample trunk and interior room.
As many have mentioned, there is room for improvement and here are a few of my ideas: - rear seat controls for the lights there (my 9 year old figured that out) - a weather band button on the radio - I miss that from the Beamer already - light in the engine compartment - trunk lid that pops higher/lifts easier - more holders for sunglasses and such (with no sunroof, the control box for the roof could be made into a glasses holder).
Autoweek has an article yesterday about the evolution of the Deville. Apparently Bob Lutz has been asking the same question a lot of people ask: Why is the Seville the Cadillac flagship and not the larger Deville. Judging from the article, it looks like he'll want to change that to give Cadillac a real competitor in the Mercedes S-class/BMW 7 series/Audi A8 arena.
There are some reasons for not taking the DTS upmarket, all of which aren't good enough in my opinion not to do it.
First, the DTS is priced for its traditional customers. Fine, but they can also buy smaller Cadillacs or Buicks. Cadillac has stagnated in its market position while other marques progressed.
Second, it would be too expensive for it to be used in rental fleets. Good!
Third, it may raise of the cost for coach-builders to make hearses and limosines. I think Cadillac can continue to make a commercial chassis based on the DTS that is price competitive for this important market. Besides, Maybach is making high zoot limos...why not Cadillac?
Actually, if you add options on a DTS your getting out of the "traditional" customer price range. To me, Buick should put a V8 in the Park Avenue and let that be GM's traditional large, 6 passenger luxury car and let Cadillac take the Deville upmarket. The DTS is already a decent start.
In my unscientific test the last few days to see the difference in MPG between Sport shifting and reg shifting on my CTS auto, I have determined that there is about a 1.5 MPG difference. My "test" was a combo of highway and city commuting to work.
Comments
They have 2 oil change racks at the front of the service entrance and I have never been there for more than 45 minutes.
Everytime I think of buying a nonGm car i remember all of the little perks, and I buy another one.
Gm is also the most liberal on warranty and out of warranty work.
To Dindak: I agree that there is more to life than a $20 monthly diffence in a lease cost, and wouldn't quibble if it was only that. However, it is much more than that. For example, the CTS lease cost is $40 more than the G35, assuming the CTS is an automatic transmission. For the manual CTS, the difference is more like $60! This is for the same MSRP cost of the two cars, by the way. And yes, I can afford even the CTSv, but my point is that people should look at the true cost of owning the car when comparing to other makes, etc. Even Bill Gates does not like to waste money, or spend more than he needs to.
This brought home the point that the resale value of the manual trans CTS is predicted to be about $1000 less than the automatic, or about $21 per month more. Again, worth it if that is what you want, I agree, and I like manual transmissions.
My point is that you don't always know all the variables, but you always know the lease price and you can immediately tell which car costs more to drive.
"There is no replacement filter for your vehicle at this time. The Cavalier
is a glitch in the system. Please check back in 60-90 days for a possible
update. Also you can check our web site at http://www.knfilters.com/ it is
updated every Monday with new products."
I'm also trying to locate a web-site for the Volant CAI product. That's what Lund Cadillac apparently uses in there set-ups.
ed. Gentlemen please! Talk of money and lease values on a Cadillac site seems so tawdry. Do we really have care of such pedestrian matters? Songwriters, poets and artists revere this marque. Has Chuck Berry written a song about a Nissan? Has anyone half buried a row of Lexus in the Texas plains? Is there a BMW converted into a woody rotating over the bar at some Hard Rock Cafe?
Long and dark, shiny and black
Pulled up to my house today
Came and took my little girl away
Thanks to The Boss
The G35 was named the MT car of the year. Any comments.
So...my comment about the G35 being named 'car of the year' is..."who cares?".
FWIW I like the G35 and if I was still in the market for a new car now I would give it a serious look.
Ah, who am I kidding? My next new car will most likely be the CTSv and I probably won't even bother looking at the competition.
I'm sure if CTS was the winner it would boost sales further, but I think the car is doing fine with out Motor Trend's award.
If you want to have some fun with the G35 folks just remind them that the Chevy Vega also won COTY.
Alain, if you're out there, see ya there, as I noticed you're driving your 325. What, the M3 too good for snow?
Car of the Year is supposed to be awarded to the most significant car introduced that year. That means the car has to raise the bar for specs like performance, quality, flexibility, originality, styling and desirability.
If you look at COTY like a beauty pageant, the contestants come on stage and sing about how wonderful they are, and then the judges pare down the ranks quickly. The cars with no chance of winning this year are:
Hyundai Tiberon: okay second attempt at this car.
Toyota Corolla: boring.
VW Passat W8: new engine is powerful, but heavy. Not enough else changed about this car.
Saab 93: nice, but not weird enough for a Saab.
Saturn Ion: nice but not exciting.
Suzuki Aerio: ditto.
Lincoln Town Car: nice, if you drive other people.
Mercury Maurader: doesn't make you forget the Impala SS.
Honda Civic Si: not extreme enough to match the old CRX.
At this point, the contest goes forward and the contestants go through the swimsuit and evening gown phase. From this point, the field pares down further. The ones who don't make the cut are:
Viper SRT-10: better than the old car, but styling isn't as well liked. Very expensive.
Infiniti M45: Nice engine, better value than the Q45, but still is styling challenged.
BMW 7 Series: Does everything well, but iDrive has been critically panned, and is styling challenged, especially from the rear. Expensive.
Mercedes Benz SL class: Superb execution, but too expensive to ever win this award in a strong competition year.
Toyota Matrix/Pontiac Vibe: Good styling, great flexibility. But the Chrysler PT Cruiser did this package two years ago (and won COTY).
Honda Accord Sedan/Coupe: The perfect car for people who demand reliability and no personality. At least this year you can get power
Mazda 6: Nice execution, but not enough
Cadillac CTS: Yeah, I know. But the CTS' engine is a placeholder. Some consider it styling challenged. Maybe when the new engine and the V-series appears, it will be reconsidered. Hopefully, no more future Cadillacs will come to market "partially executed".
From this, the finalists are brought it and scrutinized.
Honda Civic Hybrid: Probably the most practical application of this important new technology. But the costs of ownership are still higher than a Civic HX, and the MPG is less.
Mercedes E-class: The gold standard for this class does it again. It has everything and does everything well. But your pocketbook will be sore every month making the payments.
Mercedes CLK class: Ditto. It could also have more of a sporting soul than a cruising soul.
Nissan 350Z: Fast, great looking and inexpensive, it brought the moribund Z car image back to life in this country (USA). But MT probably couldn't ignore the rear loading hatch blocked by the support strut and other nitpicks.
Mini Cooper/Cooper S: This could have easily won in any other year. It just shows you the level of competition in 2003. The Cooper doesn't have a lot of power, and it isn't the most practical ride. But it is relatively cheap for BMW engineering and a lot of fun.
And that leaves:
Infiniti G35 Sedan/Coupe: It set new standards for price and performance in the entry-lux class. You have a choice of body styles like BMW's 3 series, and the body styles don't share much sheet mettle. Ride is confident and crisp. Styling is classy and desirable to most people. Power is intoxicating (the coupe really kicks butt here). And the price is a steal. And if you get the coupe, you get 90% of the features of the 350Z and still get a trunk and rear seats. Not important for some, but more important for most folks.
Overall, I can't fault the choice. But I still love my CTS.
The CTS programable keys and the programing possibilities and customizability offered by the DIC is a first for the most part. I am still not over on the feature of having the DIC display my name with a welcome message every time i log in, errr... i mean insert the ignition key.. This is too cool and all my passengers liked it.
The CTS did skip on many otherwise standard and old news features for other cars (curtain, parking sensor assist, rear AC vents, rear individually controlled dome lights, engine bay light, etc. But it really concentrated on what it really is... a sport sedan and Cadillac loaded the car on that front. And while some may think the absence of a manual shift Auto is a blunder, I say the sport shift mode more than compensate. My brother have the feature on his 1999 BMW 528, but he have not really used it, he simply switch to sport mode and let the trany do the work.
CTS is my COTY
COTY: It's meaningless to me. Maybe they've changed, but according to Autoextremist (who's been there) one of the things the manufacturers were required to do is give MT's editors a dog and pony show about how they'd use the COTY trademark (which MT got compensated for)in their marketing. Can you say "conflict of interest?" Others here have already posted about some of the questionable winners from years past.
M
As for the CTS's 'tech' features...the name display is a cute gimmick but I'd personally rather have a compass, temp gauge, satellite radio, and memory seats on my base model CTS. -Like you said, Cadillac DID skimp on many features that should be standard in its class.
In regard to the manual shift auto feature, I don't think it's necessary with a truly great automatic transmission like the CTS has. Sport mode is more than adequate for my driving needs.
The 'autostick' feature on the 300M was useless being as it forced a shift at redline (you couldn't hold the gear)...I'm not sure if the '528 does this or not??
-I already love my CTS...give me 50 more HP, 80 more ft/lb of torque, and 18 inch wheels and I'd be a REALLY happy camper!
As for Motor Trend's COTY, it's just another autowriters opinion award. I have a collection of auto magazines (Motor Trend, Motor Life, Car Life and a few others) that go back to mid 1957 (my wife wants me to throw them out). When I look back, many of Motor Trends COTY selections have turned out to be automotive disasters.
While I agree that the G35 is a really good car (hate the sedan, love the styling of the coupe), it isn't that much better than any of the others being judged. Much of the auto writers judgement is perception, based on the anti-American manufacturer attitude prevalent at most auto magazines.
As a case in point, my next door neighbor traded his "plain jane" Chevette for a loaded Nissan Maxima in the 1980's. The Maxima spent twice as much time in the shop as the Chevette, and was three times as rusty when he gave it to his oldest daughter. He continues to buy Nissan, despite the fact that his cars have more problems and spend more time in the shop than my Caddys. He will tell you that Japenese cars are better than American cars. That's perception, not reality. These are the same people who answer J.D. Power surveys with their perceptions.
However, I have to admit that American manufacturers made some really bad cars during the '80's and early '90's. They let their quality slip and didn't listen to their customers. When people wanted smaller, more fuel efficient cars, manufactures were slow to respond. Their attitude was, "people will buy what we build." They're still paying for those mistakes today, both in perception and lost sales.
As for our CTS, my wife loves it just the way it is. I think it needs more horsepower and some changes to the instrumentation and interior. Again, a matter of perception. While I occasionally miss my Corvette, especially at stop lights, buying the CTS has turned out to be one of the best decisions I've ever made. It's brought fun back into everyday driving. I'm sure I'll buy another, despite what the autowriters say, when the time comes.
Now if only, Motor trend would straighten out my subscription (missed two issues now), I'd be able to read the COTY article and judge for myself.
Rich
As recently as a few years ago a staffer came out in public and said that the car that they chose did not become COTY.
As for disasters, can anybody say Chevy Citation?
Or Malibu?
Wardlaw didn't even understand how changing the stroke of an engine could change the displacement (in reference to the Lincoln having a 3.9L engine and Jag having a 4.0L even though there were supposed to be the same. Lincoln shortened the stroke 1 mm).
Let's face it - if they were good reviewers then they'd be working for a major publication or freelancing like the Lienerts. In this case I think we get what we pay for.
For the engine, the CTS will beat the 525 any day. Sure there is the 530 and 540, but so there will be the CTSv.
I agree with you on the autostick, it seems to be over rated. Note however, the CTS will cut fuel to limit the engine RPM if you exceed a predetermined RPM. NOt sure what that RPM is. so the auto stick is no big deal after all.
1997montez34, excellent choice in color. Hope your mom lets you drive it from time to time.
As for features, the CTS is pretty well equipped for it's price. Rear parking assist would be nice, but that would just increase price. Let the next gen STS have all the doodads. The only things I'd like to see the CTS get is XM radio, a DVD-ROM navigation system, a little more wood in the interior, and a temp gauge in place of that silly clock. Oh and a more powerful engine and extra cog in that manual wouldn't hurt, but ahh that's coming next year:)
By the way, I am seeing a lot of them on the road here in NJ, which is a very import-heavy market.
Macguy - what the heck does a rev limiter have with the automanual shifter?
I suppose if it's a feature that the CTS doesn't have then that automatically makes it undesirable?
have to type it in......geo
http://www.popularmechanics.com/cgi-bin/spy.pl?cat=det
For a pic of the current STS: http://cadillac.com/cadillacjsp/models/seville/images.html
discount on most new GM cars. I was looking
at a new CTS this year and dealer would NOT
do GMS on a new CTS....Got sick of waiting
for supply to catch up with demand and got
a new Deville instead ! The only other car
I know of that they won't do GM deal is the
Vette Z-o6---------------geo
BTW: GM changed the program so no more
GMO (GM Ordered) no cheaper anymore !
For many GM dealers who have to heavily discount their stock, doing GM Supplier may not be a big deal. No one is going to complain much about the lost margin on a Buick Regal or Chevy Malibu. But higher margin cars and SUVs, especially popular ones are a lot tougher to discount for dealers. Finding a Chevy dealership that will GM Supplier discount a Corvette is as tough as finding Osama (in fact, the GM Supplier paperwork from GM warns specifically that getting Vettes are extremely difficult.
Fortunately for me, my dealership worked with me. They didn't do the GM Supplier discount at all, but they quoted me a price close to it (and significantly below Edmunds TMV). Needless to say, I jumped at the chance and the deal was closed in less than 5 minutes. I got very lucky.
family, retiree discounts only.
GM Supplier deal is entirely different!
Not to be confused with employee GMS deal.
GM employee deal is LESS than invoice.
GM supplier deal is a bit more than invoice.
Either way its a SKINNY deal for dealer and
GM does compensate the dealer somewhat anyway !
The interior is much warmer feeling in Neutral than in Gray. The interior styling that looked so wierd at first is starting to look/feel really good. The exterior styling is so different and unique...very modern. It gets looks at every red light. The seats are incredibly comfortable. The engine is more powerful than I remember from my first test drive and the auto tranny is really slick. Great standard stereo. Cool interface/display with programmable message. Get rid of the analog clock and get me a temp gauge. Not too big of a deal though. Steering wheel rim very thick...feels great in my hands. Needs a power tilt/telescope on luxury package. Overall a super car with great driving dynamics. Better than I remembered it being. This car is going to be sick with the new 3.6L V6 or the LS6 V8!
"When I was your age"...my mother bought a 1979 Cadillac Seville. It was dark brown with saddle brown leather seats, wire wheel "discs" (read: wheel covers) and a vinyl roof. It had the high end radio which included 4 speaker stereo, an 8-track tape player, and the faddish CB radio. The engine was a 5.7 liter Chevy V8 engine, which was appropriate since the chassis was a modified Chevy Nova, right down to the rear leaf suspension. It weighed 4000 lbs and cost $20,000. Horsepower couldn't have been more than 150 (in those days, emissions controls severely choked performance).
The car had Cadillac's first digital fuel injection and a fully digital engine computer...crude by today's standards but way ahead of its time then. You could get engine diagnostic codes from pressing radio button combinations, much like today.
Compared to the ponderous Cadillacs of the day, the Seville was actually pretty cool. It wasn't going to chase a BMW 528i on curvy roads, but it handled better than a lot of cars. The dimensions were compact (for a Cadillac anyway), but there still was enough leg room for my oversized frame.
Your mother's CTS is better in virtually every way by several factors of magnitude. Enjoy the time she lets you drive it. :-)
I traded in my '97 BMW 328ic, so here's at least one BMW owner who is happy to trade into the CTS.
The fit and finish inside and out are excellent and after about 200 miles, no problems are apparent. I am trying to follow the break in recos, but keeping it below 70 is difficult!!
I parked between two co-workers yesterday, one with a 330 and the other a 530. This side-by-side comparison again convinced me that the CTS is the right choice for me. I love the look, inside and out.
Moving from the 328, I find great seat comfort (lumbar support would be nice), superb handling, great road feel, tight steering, nice breaks, ample trunk and interior room.
As many have mentioned, there is room for improvement and here are a few of my ideas:
- rear seat controls for the lights there (my 9 year old figured that out)
- a weather band button on the radio - I miss that from the Beamer already
- light in the engine compartment
- trunk lid that pops higher/lifts easier
- more holders for sunglasses and such (with no sunroof, the control box for the roof could be made into a glasses holder).
All in all - I'm a very happy camper!
Keep us posted !............geo
One thing we do agree on is that this engine made a terrible diesel!
There are some reasons for not taking the DTS upmarket, all of which aren't good enough in my opinion not to do it.
First, the DTS is priced for its traditional customers. Fine, but they can also buy smaller Cadillacs or Buicks. Cadillac has stagnated in its market position while other marques progressed.
Second, it would be too expensive for it to be used in rental fleets. Good!
Third, it may raise of the cost for coach-builders to make hearses and limosines. I think Cadillac can continue to make a commercial chassis based on the DTS that is price competitive for this important market. Besides, Maybach is making high zoot limos...why not Cadillac?
In my unscientific test the last few days to see the difference in MPG between Sport shifting and reg shifting on my CTS auto, I have determined that there is about a 1.5 MPG difference. My "test" was a combo of highway and city commuting to work.