2008 Cadillac CTS

rockylee · December 2006

Well I can just barely afford one but not as a toy but rather as a daily driver. If the price stays around the same as it is now I will be serious about getting a V. I do think whipping the X in her BMW 3 that Fabio bought her would be plenty of fun.

Rocky

readerreader · December 2006

Don't understand two things:

Why doesn't anyone here post images at all?
There are very few. Let me try:

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And the second thing I cannot understand is why nobody seems to be very excited about this car on Edmunds.
Do luxury car buyers avoid Edmunds altogether?

rockylee · December 2006

readerreader,

You gotta understand their isn't a huge GM fanbase here. The ones that are GM lovers do stick togeather.

Rocky

readerreader · December 2006

Wow. What kinds of cars do they like anyways?

Maybe if they actually looked at them, they'd see something attractive...

rockylee · December 2006

Well of course it's the The big 3 of asia Toyota, Honda, Nissan. The others like the big 3 of Europe Mercedes, BMW, Audi.

They say there problems with GM, Ford, Chrysler, products in the past will spur them to never buy an american vehicla again. :sick:

Rocky

readerreader · December 2006

So all their other cars have been perfectly flawless?

rockylee · December 2006

What you didn't know ???? Toyota and Honda, only make cars that are next to perfect.

Rocky

walterquint · December 2006

The CTS has always been sorta a "private-club" sorta car. It doesn't sell in huge numbers and its styling is polarizing (love it or hate it). Young professionals seem to avoid it, opting instead for Lexus, Bimmer and Infiniti. The high-point of the CTS was its appearance in The Matrix movie......I think its new styling makes it look like a Caddy SUV bling-mobile. but maybe that'll increase sales. :surprise:

pearl · December 2006

that Caddy does this right. If they have chosen to let the bean counters rule once again, and if the interior sucks, they nickle and dime the details, then after the die-hard surge, they will only move this car with huge rebates and 0% financing. Let us all hope that this is not the case and that Cadillac has a true entry level luxo car in the market. Adding some $ to the price is well worth it, IF they can counter the opposition in all the details - people will buy quality. We will know shortly.

1487 · December 2006

I for one cant wait to see the details on this car. 11 days and we should have all our questions answered.

The interior on this car will not be cheap so I dont think that needs to be a concern. Look at recent GM interiors and you see the direction they are going. The CTS interior has been praised by the automotive press who has seen it and that includes notorius GM bashers like Edmunds' own Karl Brauer. Even he said the car looks like a winner.

Based on the spy pics the interior of this car isn't like the SRX. It appears to have a unique look.

The typical Edmunds reader is much more likely to get excited about a new camry or Prius than the CTS. YOu find a lot of people on this site who would never buy a domestic product and coincidentally many of those people tend to not know much about current domestic offerings.

readerreader · December 2006

It does 60,000 per year, even with such a nasty interior.
I cannot wait to see the interior either.

Here is video from 60-Minutes:
http://www.cadillacfaq.com/faq/answers/2008/60min.html

And here is video of it lapping the Nurburgring:
http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/videos/spyshotvideos/203740/cadillac_cts.html

1487, it seems many people on this site have a weird animosity of sorts toward GM cars and I have no idea why that is so. Do you?

P.S. Brauer did say something along the lines of "Wow!"

1487 · December 2006

I know why people on this site hate GM products. Its a combination of bad experiences with domestic products in decades past, the assumption that intelligent people drive imports while rednecks drive domestics and the fact that many people base their knowledge of cars on publications like CR. If CR doesnt like a car than it CANT be worth anything.

Karl indicated he saw the CTS again at the LA auto show in private and he still believes it is a knockout. He believes that GM is well on its way back after seeing the CTS and the new crossovers. It must be good.

I dont think the CTS is going to be a disappointment. Look at the interior and features on the Enclave to see how GM is doing things now. It has a power tilt/telecope steering wheel which is a first for a non Caddy. HOnestly, I cant come up with anything worthwhile that isnt included on the Enclave, it even has swiveling headlights. Look for the CTS to have similar execution.

pearl · December 2006

We sure hope you are right, 1487. I think many people would like to buy this car, but Caddy and other U.S. manufacturers have taken the market place for granted for too many years. They have given us cars a generation behind their foreign competition in engines, transmissions, features, reliability, etc and wondered why they lost market share. Too often, it seemed that the "bean counters" ruled, trying to price their cars a few bucks cheaper but leaving out modern content. Toyota is ample proof that you don't have to be the lowest price to sell cars. If Caddy delivers the CTS with equal or better features than their foreign counterparts, this car will sell like crazy and Caddy won't need rebates to move it after the initial intro. Keeping the car in the ball park price-wise is all that will matter, not necessarily under-cutting anyone else.

readerreader · December 2006

Well, I hope attitudes change.

1487 · December 2006

You are kind of generalizing with your comments and I dont know how true that stuff is in 2006. Sure it was true 10 years ago but a lot changes in 10 years. aside from the Crown Vic and a few others you would be hard pressed to find domestic cars that are a decade behind in powertrains and features. I think you are reading a little too much anti-Detroit Press. Cars like the 300C, Fusion, Aura, STS, C6, XLR, CTS, Lucerne, etc. are a few examples of domestic cars that offer competitive power and styling. Even the new Chrysler Sebring offers a 6 speed auto (which Honda does not) and many impressive technology features. I think the "08 CTS and to a lesser extent the new Malibu will take it to the next level.

rockylee · December 2006

I agree 1487

Rocky

pearl · January 2007

We'll see. I hope you are right. I am hardly "anti-Detroit", but I note that many of their products still come with push-rod engines, four speed automatics, no tilt-telescopic steering columns (in the CTS), etc, when nearly all foreign manufacturers have moved ahead. My point is that it seems clear that given a variety of economic issues, Detroit bean counters have had tremendous say in what the engineers could actually put into some of these products. The average buyer probably wouldn't know variable valve-timed engine from a fruitcake, but they have been symptomatic of "cutting corners' in terms of features and modernization. Some of the "Detroit" cars you cite in your response have foreign origins (not Caddy). I want the new CTS to be a wild success. Caddy has a chance to do this, but needs to make sure that it comes with everything necessary to fully compete with the rest of the world, even if that means it costs a few bucks more.

1487 · January 2007

You are giving the imports a free pass. Trust me, many imports (Pilot comes to mind) do not have telescoping steering wheels. Toyota makes several vehicles with 4 speed autos including the best selling corolla. So does Hyundai. Pushrod engines are not found in Cadillacs except CTS-V and Escalade and being a pushrod engine doesnt make an engine low tech. VVt has been incorporated into many of GM's OHV engines while some OHC engines still lack this feature, especially at Ford and Chrysler. Meanwhile Ford and GM are moving aggressively to utilize 6 speed autos, in fact I believe Ford sells more 6 speed equipped vehicles than anyone else. Honda and Hyundai don't even have one yet and the $50K+ M45 has a 5 speed while the Malibu will offer a 6 speed for under $24k. Let's not even get into VW/Audi using iron blocks on DOHC engines or the low specific output of some of their motors. You also dont find many of the high tech foreign companies using variable displacement engines like GM and Chrysler. Only Honda has a similar set up.

As I said, I think you need to look at the Outlook/Enclave, Escalade, '07 SRX, "08 Malibu, Aura, C6 vette, etc. to see what GM is doing right now.

pearl · January 2007

I would never give the imports a free pass, but I would say that for the most part, in similar price ranges, they have more content that comparable U.S. cars. For example, mid-sized cars are but one example, where GM notably is lagging behind. Unfortunately, Detroit lived off SUVs and trucks while their foreign competition continued to modernize many of their smaller cars. U.S. companies are making a push now, particularly by rebadging and restyling cars from their foreign subsidiaries - good.
To get back to the original point a few posts back, Caddy needs to ensure that when the 08 CTS hits the showrooms it has all the bells and whistles, not just some of them because the corporate bean counters decided to leave out things the competition has just so the car could have an MSRP a few bucks less - that was/is my issue. I truly hope that Caddy hits a homerun with the CTS. I would like nothing better than to park one in my driveway.

1487 · January 2007

Actually most imports do not offer more for the money when compared to domestic competitors. In some cases they offer options (like navigation) that arent available but they offer them at substantially higher prices. Compare a loaded Camry, Accord or Altima to a Fusion or Aura. You may find a handful of additional features on the import cars but it will cost you thousands more. YOu keep talking about rebadginf of foreign vehicles, but the Aura is the only example of that I can think of so I'm not sure where you are coming from. The Fusion, G6, Impala, 2008 Malibu, Sebring, etc. are not rebadged foreign cars.

The only features the CTS may lack (and I hope I'm wrong) are bluetooth and power tilt/telescoping wheel. We already know its going to offer HIDS, powerful V6, stability, Bose, memory, DVD navigation, manumatic tranny, etc. so I dont know why you think the "bean counters" are going to decontent the car. Based on recent GM launches I expect it to have remote start, heated washer fluid, 6 speed auto, turn by turn navigation, cooled seats, automatic high beams and push button start. What else are you looking for exactly?

rockylee · January 2007

The only features the CTS may lack (and I hope I'm wrong) are bluetooth and power tilt/telescoping wheel. We already know its going to offer HIDS, powerful V6, stability, Bose, memory, DVD navigation, manumatic tranny, etc. so I dont know why you think the "bean counters" are going to decontent the car. Based on recent GM launches I expect it to have remote start, heated washer fluid, 6 speed auto, turn by turn navigation, cooled seats, automatic high beams and push button start. What else are you looking for exactly?

I'm almost certain the next CTS will have pwr tilt/telescoping wheel because I thought I read that somewhere like on a GM blog a few months back. I'd be very very surprised if it didn't have bluetooth also.

Everything else that you mentioned I would expect.

Rocky

P.S. I hope the bose system is the 5.1 system found in the current Escalade/STS and the STS's Voice Recognition system finds its way in the 08' CTS. :shades:

albook · January 2007

Well, have you guys noticed that GM quality has gone waaaayy up? All editors say so. And as this happens, Toyota has been experiencing blows to the bread and butter of their name. You can't get much style from them, but you will get quality and reliability. Well- not so as there have been countless recalls in the past year.the playing field's leveling. Some close friends are diehard toyota people. THey have talked of how they don't like GM in the past. But this year, she traded in her Avalon for a brand new Caddy STS! Must I say more?

pearl · January 2007

not sure why you want to persist in arguing, doesn't look like you are reading the posts, but you just made my point in your last post. The CTS through 07 lacked features that their foreign competition either had as standard equipment, or as options. Why? I have said repeatedly that I hope/want Caddy to have them on the 08 CTS. If they do not, because they believe that by leaving them out they can save few bucks and advertise a lower MSRP, I think they will have made a huge mistake. You claim that everything will be on th 08 CTS - GREAT! I hope so, but I have no official info to that effect. All I have been saying is that Caddy needs to ensure that they measure up in all phases, even if it costs a little more, so that the CTS will sell well out into the future and not just at launch. We will know in a few days. I am cheering for Cadillac. Peace.

rockylee · January 2007

albook, sound like she traded up

Rocky

rockylee · January 2007

Pearl,

If the 07' GMC Acadia has options like the Bose 5.1 what do you think a car like the 08' CTS will be like ?

Rocky

1487 · January 2007

aside from safety features most foreign luxury cars dont come with much standard. Most of them dont even have leather standard (acura is different of course) so I'm not so sure the CTS was lacking a lot of features that were supposedly standard on the competition. I find the levels of standard equipment on most luxury cars, especially German ones to be very disappointing and the option prices to be ridiculous. If you look at the current CTS the primary features it's lacking are telescoping wheel, 6 speed auto (which G35 and TL lack) and bluetooth. Other than that it has the bases covered considering it's price range. I didnt say "everything" will be on the CTS, but I did say based on recent GM offerings like the Enclave, Lucerne, STS, etc. I expect it to be well equipped. My point was that your suggestion that domestic cars dont come with appropriate levels of technology or features isnt necessarily accurate.

readerreader · January 2007

Even then, the Aura is not a re-badge.
It does not share one single panel with the Opel Vectra, even though it looks like it.
It is even bigger than the Vectra.

1487 · January 2007

I agree, to call the Aura a rebadge is really misusing the term. The media has widely noted that the Aura was just a saturn vectra, but that doesn't do it justice.

I wish someone would break the embargo on the CTS info. We have seen info about virtually every other new car coming to Detroit.

rockylee · January 2007

It's GM's Top Secret car isn't it.

They are holding all of us in suspense aren't they.

I can wait much longer though. :shades:

Rocky

thebug · January 2007

Rockylee: You're right, many others have revealed what's to come for their 08 models. Cadillac is holding back for whatever reason (I don't know what the big deal is).

Maybe they haven't decided completely, and they are waiting for us to tell them what we want it to be. They do have a full year to make any changes or add ons.

Anyway, we'll find out this month what they,re offering to this point after the Detroit Auto Show. I sometimes think manufactures simply produce a sample and make adjustments after the buying public weighs in, (hopeful thinking). I just hope it's worth the wait.

I have pretty much decided to buy the 08 anyway, because of all the improvements they made from 03 to 07, (if you have read this thread through the years) it seems as though they have listened and made the changes that people have suggested over the four year period.

I bought one of the early 03's in 2002, and even the 03 was improved later in the model year. This time I plan wait until later if it doesn't offer all the creature comforts that other manufactures are offering. The Detroit Auto should tell all.

thebug...

1487 · January 2007

well its obvious they havent given the press a lot of advance info and photos. No undisguised photo of the whole car has been seen yet so they have done a good job of keeping it secret. It's obvious they want this to be GM's star at the show since they released the Malibu info a few days ago.

rockylee · January 2007

Well perhaps our long wait will be worth it

Rocky

blkcadillac · January 2007

You'll we see the new CTS on Jan 8, 2006. Monday at 9:40 a.m.
I already know that the CTS will have all new six speeds and more power.

jpenn · January 2007

OK, does anyone know what the hell is going on at Cobo Hall. I've been waiting all day, checking every hour and still no 08 CTS as of 6:40 PM. I think Caddy is pushing the suspense a little too far, which is exactly what they want but I'm getting annoyed.

Sorry for venting.

readerreader · January 2007

OK, does anyone know what the hell is going on at Cobo Hall. I've been waiting all day, checking every hour and still no 08 CTS as of 6:40 PM. I think Caddy is pushing the suspense a little too far, which is exactly what they want but I'm getting annoyed.

Sorry for venting.

Did you read the thread?
Why would you be looking for pics of the car on the 7th when it will be debuting on the 8th?

Sit tight!

rockylee · January 2007

So readerreader, the link I posted or should I say found isn't what the 08' is going to look like ? :surprise:

Rocky

sevenfeet0 · January 2007

No pics yet but at least somebody has sat in one and written about it.

http://www.thecarconnection.com/Vehicle_Reviews/Luxury_Cars/2008_Cadillac_CTS_Pr- eview.S183.A11488.html

rockylee · January 2007

Thank-you pal !!!!

Rocky

readerreader · January 2007

merc1 · January 2007

Those pics don't make it look to different from the outgoing car. I expected the grille to be much bigger. Need to see more pics and the interior.

M

readerreader · January 2007

Edmunds has video!

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Features/articleId=119071?tid=edmunds.il.ho- me.photopanel..2.*#6

mediapusher · January 2007

Pearl-

Everyone including me is saying, "Duh, it's a Cadillac, isn't it supposed to have the creme de la creme and nothing less?" The fact that G.M. skimps on Cadillacs is beyond embarrassing.

-mediapusher

mediapusher · January 2007

Readerreader-

I just saw those photos of the soon to be released 2008 Cadillac CTS and I must say I am impressed. Up until now I hadn't seen the rear of the car or the interior. Now, if G.M. would just do what they done with this car to all their cars we could all be singing --"Bravo"!

--mediapusher

readerreader · January 2007

Only time will tell.

Let us hope they learn their lessons.

rockylee · January 2007

mediapusher,

WOW, I'm in shock. :surprise: mediapusher, didn't rip this car a new butt. Glad you respect it.

Rocky

rockylee · January 2007

Me 2

Rocky

1487 · January 2007

No press release has been issued yet but we can see a lot of the basic info already.

My guess is that merc1 and others who are not Caddy fans will not be impressed. No surprise there.

pearl · January 2007

Thanks for the link. Looks pretty good so far, but I agree with some other posters that we need to see more pics and tech info, plus get the results of some car mag road tests which should be coming over the next couple of months. Same for any new car. I think Caddy definitely improved quite a few things. When we get some more info hopefully it will come together in a home run!

rockylee · January 2007

pearl, good post......we just need details.

Rocky

plekto · January 2007

Quite honestly - you'd think they borrowed the test driver from Top Gear - The guy on that track was hammering it as hard as it could go with zero fear. Must have motor oil for blood.

Yeah - it's fast. GM should take that video and put it up at the convention. Seriously... are *any* of us ever going to need to drive like that madman? Complaining that the car isn't as powerful as a M3... well, it's definately no slouch, either. I can guarantee you'll never get an IS350 to go around that track like that. It's too soft and sloppy to be driven that hard.

The suspension also looks properly set up for running it as well. GM has to push this - that it isn't about HP numbers but how the thing *drives*. And from the looks of it, it pummels most of the competition where it counts.

I also love how it stormed up on the rear bumper of the other car - what was that? It sure went a *lot* slower than the CTS.

Now... if only GM can keep every last beancounter out of the boardroom. Seriously - FIRE ANYONE WHO SAYS TO CHEAPEN THE INTERIOR EVEN $1. Make the car as nice to sit in as a Boxter, Mini, Volvo S80, or the rest of the competition's no-holds-barred offerings.

And, yes, if the car is a joy to sit in and drive, nobody will care if it is a little less reliable than the competition. Oh - wait... Since the BMW seems to be the only competition it has on the track, it's *way* more reliable.

Darn it.. I wanted a used CTS... Now I have to wait a couple of years to get one of these used...

P.S. If anyone from GM is reading this... Forget how it competes against the STS. Make the best car you can and forget about this. IMO, it's half of the problem, in fact. Stop being worried about what segment it's in/what it might compete against in terms of sales and create a great car instead.

2008 Cadillac CTS

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