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Cadillac STS/STS-V: What's New for 2007?
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The voice command "Phone Dial Name" will have VR prompt you for the name which you assigned to a particular number. VR will repeat the name and require you to state "Yes" to have number dialed. Remember to listen forVR's beep before talking.
I have succeeded in having the car recognize the phone consistently on startup, if phone is already on and broadcasting on Bluetooth when car is started
I was surprised at the smooth torque of the V6 - heads and shoulders above every other V6 I have test driven. I love the steering and smooth ride. But here's the thing...
My Eldorado had a lot of electrical and computer problems. Cadillac were not interested in accomadating or compensating me in any way. The dealer, Casa de Cadillac in Sherman Oaks, CA. was downright offensive about it, despite the many trips to their service department. Knowing that I cannot rely on Cadillac to rectify such situations, I am wondering if anyone has had any odd experiences with the STS? Any things consistantly breaking down or going haywire? I love the drive of the STS and can't find anything else like it, but am nervous about returning to Cadillac.
Thanks in advance.
But has anyone here driven or own an STS-V? How do you feel the interior, engine, power delivery handling is? How does it stack up to its competitors? I'd be interested in knowing, thanks.
I do have an excellent dealer and I am confident they will
help me if the time comes.
Because of past disappointments with GM, I chose to lease this time.
My only regret is I didn't load the car up more.
Like you, I find the V6 to be an excellent engine.
And the trans - same as BMW's - is smooth and shifts properly.
Do yourself one favor.
Test drive the actual car you will lease/own.
Drive it for a least an afternoon.
I test drove several and one - only one - did not shift to my liking.
So I they got me another - no questions or problems.
It's been "spot on".
Looked at the STS V8 w/ nav, and thought it was for me. I liked the ride, hated the blah interior, but w/ the nav i thought i looked techy enough. I then stopped at a Infinity dealership and checked out the M45. WOW. I was blown away by that car. The outside was so so IMO, the interior was one of the nicest i've ever seen.
After talking to my brother, he promptly said "your thinking of paying 50+K for an infiniti / caddy - what are you nuts??? Go look at a benz first"
So I did. I drove the E320, and was amazed at the tank-like ride. The dealer then gave me an e500 to drive over to the new car lot and i was really drooling. Anyway, quality issues aside- i picked up a e500 4matic (awd) for 55K. What was it missing:
Nav (addable for 1100, xm/sirius, and bluetooth). The interior fit/finish and exterior fit/finish were superb. The biggest selling point (outside of the price) was the ride.
I would rate the benz first, the STS second, and the M45 third in terms of road noise/firm feel.
Anyway, i really like the caddy, BUT when you can buy the benz for the same price w/ AWD as the caddy w/ nav, i thought it was a no brainer. I did look at consumers and MB has made strides every year w/ respect to their quality issues on the E since 03.
I think the STS needs to be about 50-55K when you can get a E for 55K. They can't afford to be in the 60+ range w/ this car - its just way overpriced IMO. It should be competing w/ a V8 & nav in the high 40's IMO.
Aceman
WSJ has run a series of articles this year about unhappy German car owners - Benz in particular. One guy had the color come off his driver's seat in 6 months!
Another owner returned his car for squealing brakes multiple times with no satisfaction. Got rid of it in less than a year. Do a search on the WSJ for details.
Benz sales are way off because of reports like these - look at the monthly sales figures.
I owned two Benzes in the late 80's early 90's (mine and wife). Good-looking, comfortable vehicles for that time.
But the service and upkeep costs were astronomical. Never again for me.
It was not only the money, but the time consumed and dealer attitude as well.
As far as CR is concerned, I have bought several recommendations of theirs - from a car to toilets and sinks for remodeling and was less than happy with my purchase. I no longer use their recommendations. There are too many other places on the web to get comments and reviews from users in real life situations.
I can think of one car right now that they recommend, yet if you look at that car's discussion board right here on Edmunds you will see a list of gripes.
I too was somewhat impressed by the M35/45. Like you, I thought the exterior was way, way too plain for a high-end car. But a lot of toys for the money.
Good luck.
Thanks,
Jeannine Fallon
Corporate Communications
Edmunds.com
Black is also the traditional cadillac exterrior, especially here in NY and around the madison ave/wall st. The blue on black looks nice too. If they have a midnight blue option you should check it out.
BTW, dark red isn't too bad either. I don't mean to make it more frustrating lol!
Click here to go to the comparison
In the safety section:
Security 2006 Cadillac STS V8 2006 Infiniti M 45 Sport 2006 Lexus GS 430 Base
------------------------------------STS----------------M-----------------GS
Automatic Notification
of Airbag Deployment------Standard---Not Available---Not Available
Emergency Services-------Standard---Not Available---Not Available
Remote Door Unlock-------Standard---Not Available---Not Available
Stolen Vehicle Tracking---Standard---Not Available---Not Available
Roadside Assistance------Standard---Not Available---Not Available
Hands-Free,
Voice-Activated Phone----Standard---Not Available---Standard
There is more, Why doesn't Cadillac advertise this?
There is more, check it out!
It pulls like a jet engine, and sounds like one too. You get pressed into your seat and can hear the supercharger whine as it pulls to redline.
The brakes are fantastic also, repeated hard use and no fade, a little smell and brake dust are expected.
This car performs better than I expected, and much better than the M3 and 911 guys thought it would. Both stopped me to ask what it was, after they caught up at the light.
Great Job by Cadillac and General Motors in producing Corvette performance in a 4 door car.
I love the XM radio, Onstar, and the navigation system. :shades:
When, where (and why) were you allowed to drive an STS-v?
Just curious, since I have seen no other reviews . .
Thanks,
- Ray
Thinking that (at the MSRP) it certainly ought to be a thrill ride (drive) . .
Addition \ edit:
And if these estimates are correct . .
http://www.gmbuypower.com/vehicleList.bp?make=Cadillac&model=All&modelId=all&makeId=006&id- entifyThumbnail=showAllMake
Well - yikes!
- Ray
Expecting the 6th gear in the auto trans to have helped more . .
You think 469 HP with low ratio gearing should get 30 mpg?
This car is for performance people that know they'll pay for both the car and the driving - and can afford it.
If they offered a 1 year lease, I'd do it in a heartbeat.
I just don't need that much car all the time.
I have a 2005 Luxury V6 model and it has plenty of punch - and decent mileage - real world 24 mpg on the hwy.
If that's not enough, you can always buy an Avalon and pretend.
No – I do not expect the STS-v to be rated at 30 MPG in the EPA highway test.
The v’s final drive ratio is published as: GU5 = 3.23:1.
This is the same final drive ratio as the ‘regular’ V8 in 1SF form.
I do not consider this to be a very aggressive ratio.
(I presume that is what you mean by ‘low’, in this context.)
The STS V8 with 1SG (without AWD) is GU6 = 3.42 – somewhat more aggressive, regarding acceleration.
The 6 speed automatic (6L80) highest gear ratio is 0.67.
The 5 speed automatic on all other V8 STSs highest gear is 0.76.
This means that with the new 6 speed (with a substantially wider ratio spread) the STS-v has a more aggressive launch gear (v = 12.98 to 1) than the V8 1SG, and still has a significantly taller overall high gear ratio (v = 2.146 vs 2.60) and thus (all other things being roughly equal) ought to allow something close to a 15% reduction in engine RPM at cruise in top gear.
Weight of the V8 AWD = 4295 on caddy’s web site.
Weight of the STS-v is shown as 4233.
My point here is only that with similar weight, better gearing and identical acceleration traces required for the EPA ratings, I’d expect the STS-v not to be significantly worse than the STS V8 AWD, at 16 / 23.
Interesting that another source (Automotive Information Center’s online comparison data) actually shows EPA 15 / 23 for the STS-v. I find those numbers somewhat more plausible than 13 / 17 – and this would not be the first time that I have seen where GM’s web site published information has been incorrect or inaccurate.
Oh. And thanks so much for the suggestion about the Avalon.
- Ray
Finding a V8 with 300+ HP & TQ and EPA highway rating of 27 to be somewhat more fun . .
The 2006 EPA MPG ratings do not show anything for either the STS_v or the XLR_v. Cadillac's websites also do not show any estimates either, although the build it youself does.
One (apparent) attempt at dealing with this issue is, the STS-v rear tire size: P275/40R19 - on 9.5" wide wheels. (vs. 255/45 x 18 max.)
- Ray
Ready for my test drive (yuk)
Better tires may help with the traction problem, but my basic point was that the choice of axle ratios on the STS seems to be one of existing hardware (the 3.42:1 from the V6, the 3.23:1 from the SRX) rather than something that for the V8 STS would improve overall performance.
Chuck
Some auto parts places (i.e. Autozone) will read the code and tell you what the problem is, for no charge.
Otherwise, if you know why the light is on (i.e. loose gas cap - very frequent reason), you could disconnect the negative terminal from the battery for about 30 minutes. This should cause the computer to reset - the code may be stored, but the light should go out.
--Robert
STS-V
0-60 4.8
0-100 11.9
1/4 Mile 13.3@105.7
60-120 13.3
100-140 15.7
130-0 553 ft
100-0 317
Skidpad 0.90
mpg 17
CLS55
0-60 4.3
0-100 9.8
1/4 Mile 12.5@114.5
60-120 9.7
100-140 10.4
130-0 546 ft
100-0 320
Skidpad 0.91
mpg 18
- Ray
Pondering . . .
The difference in base price will be about 11-14%, favoring STS-V.
The difference in the "out the door" price will be 17- 20%,
favoring STS-V.
The difference to the American economy in buying an American vehicle is about 99.99%, favoring you if your paid in US Dollars.
1. What fuel does it use--premium or regular unleaded?
2. Is this year model STS well insulated against outside noise like GM ads say the 2005 models are?
One thing to monitor carefully is the coolant level. Any loss of coolant needs to be checked out sooner rather than later, as a leaky head gasket can result in engine failure. The most probable cause will be a failing water pump that should be repaired before the engine overheats. An overheated engine might result in a head gasket failure.
They also report STS-v Quarter Mile as: 13.3
(Comparison test with MB and BMW M5.)
- Ray
Unable to recall any other numbers . . .
And they quote the EPA rating as 14 / 20.
C+D just received last night:
They also report STS-v Quarter Mile as: 13.3
(Comparison test with MB and BMW M5.)
- Ray
Unable to recall any other numbers . . .
2006 STS-v is now reported here.
- Ray
Thinking at least 20 is better than 17 . . over 17% better, in fact . . and given the (relatively) small STS fuel tank size . .
The STS-V is not a bad car. Not nearly. But the driving dynamics do not justify the MSRP, IMHO. Not nearly. And I in no way mean to disrespect the V.
The interior is quite nice. Fit, finish, materials and ergonomics on the Black over Gray example I drove were acceptable. The seating is comfortable.
The issues for me were the drivetrain and the suspension. The dynamics.
First, the motor. I do not doubt the published acceleration numbers. But in about 10 miles of driving – from busy4 & 6 lane surface streets to just over 90 MPH on the Interstate, the engine just does not feel that powerful and the car does not feel as quick as the numbers would suggest. In 2nd and 3rd and 4th gear, the acceleration seemed quite ‘flat’.
The exhaust is very quiet – allowing the predominant noise at all times to be the supercharger whine. From outside (as the salesman was backing it in against the dealer’s showroom, there was a bit of burble – and the whine seemed less pronounced. But I would be (much) more concerned with what I hear while driving.
The 6 speed automatic trans. is (as stated most everywhere) a bit slow to respond – particularly on downshifts. I drove exclusively in Manumatic mode – as I almost always have in my current and past 3 sport sedans. It does not rev match on downshifts – making downshifts to 3rd or 2nd rather more jolting than I’d hoped. Upshifts are executed reasonably quickly and are well managed – but again the pause between request & shift is long enough to be annoying.
I found the suspension to be rather irritatingly stiff & harsh over many surfaces. Again, surprisingly so. (They did dump the Magnaride. Interesting.) The handling seemed OK – I did not push the cornering much, with the salesman in the right seat. But the ride did not impress me. I did check the tire pressures – 31 or 32 PSI in each.
Now, a bit of background, to help put this in some context. The last really high performance sedan I drove was the 2004 Jag S-Type R the general manager of the local dealership ‘forced’ me (of please, no) to take for 36 hours. At roughly the same time I test drove several other $50 – 60K Sport Sedans – Audi S4 and A6 V8s, etc. Prior to that I have driven a couple of Lincoln LS V8 Sports for a total of over 50,000 miles. (A Y2K and a 2003.) I currently am driving a 2005 Grand Prix GXP.
My GXP feels quicker than the V. I realize that it is not. Published numbers peg the GXP at low 14s in the Quarter. It sounds better than the V – to me. (Essentially no mechanical engine noise – and Pontiac engineered the exhaust to allow some of the heterodyne V8 beat through.) The (rather) old style 4 speed automatic with TAPShift manumatic control actually feels much better (to me) when it shifts up and down that the V. And the pauses before shift execution seem shorter. Weird. And the GXP’s ride (I drove it on most of the same test drive loop immediately after I left the dealership) is actually a better compromise between ride and handling. Again – for \ to me.
Odd. Very odd.
More to the point: Although in some respects one could argue that the S-Type R is not a direct competitor to this V, if those were my only 2 choices – I’d pick the Jag – in a heartbeat. The acceleration feel was better in the 400 HP Jag. The J-Gate is not a wonderful substitute for a true manumatic, but the trans. overall was superior to the V’s. The Jag’s ride was much better. Etc.
I have no intention of driving a car such as the STS-V or the Jag on a track. I am thus only concerned about what it can do under real world conditions – and particularly how it ‘feels’ while performing at well below absolute cornering limits. From a Car and Driver test of the S-Type R: “ . . handling remains in a league with the M5 and Mercedes E55 AMG, but the ride is considerably more plush.”
I took the test drive (I had not initially intended to even ask to drive the V) largely because the current limited supply, and initial allotment in some areas apparently being sold might limit test drive access – for a while. Thus my attempt to offer some insight from a potential buyer’s perspective. My only goal here is to try to provide readers with another point of view – typically at least slightly different from those who test drive for a living.
My focus here on acceleration is largely because I would use all of the acceleration available every day I drove it. Since I can do that, at least for some duration, with most anything short of a Corvette Z06. Safely, legally, and without annoying other citizens too much. In contrast, I do not exceed 7 or 8 tenths of absolute cornering capability, for instance, in my street driving. Leaving room for the unexpected. But acceleration – there I feel that I can use all of it – and much more often.
Part of my point here in specifying the sedans I have driven is actually that since I have ** not ** owned a directly competing sedan, my expectations were that I’d be extremely impressed. (The term "blown away" comes to mind here.) If I drove one of the direct competitors daily, I would likely have been even less impressed than I was. But I think Caddy is looking for potential buyers among those that currently own sedans that one could classify as ‘one rung down’ from the V. Those with an STS V8 (1SF or 1SG) class sedan, for instance, or one of the many competitors in that class, now looking to step up. And again, I in no way mean my car ownership & test driving experiences to impress or qualify me – only to provide background and context.
So. Just my $0.02 . . .
YMMV.
- Ray
Crossing the V off the shopping list . .
The six speed automatic is new, and may need some refinement before it performs as it should. When it comes to ride and handling, you can have one or the other, but the best combination of both is very difficult. Cadillac has used the variable shock absorber to try to get the best of both and I am not sure they were very successful in the past.
If you felt the acceleration flat it was b/c compared to your car this is a vault of solidity and I am sure in the MB and BMW you would get the same feeling. This is why these cars cost 75K and not 35K. Its one thing to make it go fast, its another to make it do so effortlessly.
I don't understand why this forum is so dead. This car is NOT in any way outclassed by its competition. What gives?
That latter comment Automobile may have been a little overboard though. It is an impressive car though still.
If nothing else the STS-V is easily "outclassed" when it come to performance.
M