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I'm sure that you remember as I do the number of people we've seen nearly burning out clutches by trying to release them half-way while accelerating on hills to keep the vehicles from rolling backwards at a stop sign, stop light, or in heavy traffic. Please don't tell me you've never killed the engine in such a situation.
BTW, I've also had to go out to the garage to release the hand brake on my wife's Honda when I've done my gorilla impression setting the brake. I've also had to do the same thing for her when I stomped the foot brake too hard on a '70 Malibu and a '72 Impala.
You claim that anyone who needs a hand brake on a hill has a problem with their foot coordination. You later say that your legs are too old and too tired for the clutch dance.
Sir, that is exactly the point of the entire discussion in favor of the console area hand emergency brake versus the foot pedal brake on the CTS (and other vehicles) with a manual transmission. Everyone is not as skilled and coordinated as you and I might have been when we were in our late teens and twenties. Many drivers today have not grown up using clutches on tractors, trucks, lawn mowers, cars, and everything else with a gasoline engine as some of us old goats did. There simply is no reason for any automobile manufacturer to build cars that increase the risk of an accident because of a stupid design feature such as another pedal that requires humans to have three legs and feet to operate them safely in a common driving situation.
I'd like to think that Cadillac is listening to the several voices who think the current emergency/parking brake design/location is less than optimum rather than a few voices who say they were once good enough drivers not to need better technology or design features. Just because we like or are satisfied with what we have, doesn't mean the car can't be improved.
I enjoy your comments and perspective, but in this instance, I merely happen to think you are behind the rest of us. I hope you continue to enjoy your CTS as the rest of us enjoy ours.
Cheers!
OK, now I'm gonna get flamed. Tee hee.
The foot operated parking brake is much more efficient, and can apply a much greater force for holding a car than can a handbrake. Personally I hope that Cadillac sticks with the foot brake, certainly for the majority of CTS owners, those who have automatic transmissions, I believe the preference is for the foot brake.
With the future addition of the paddle transmissions the need for the handbrake is eleiminated while the ability to control the transmission without a clutch is maintained.
But to each, his/her own choice, and I certainly wish all those with manual transmissions a great ride and pleasure in their cars.
P.S. I should have add lol to my comment about the clutch dance. I really didn't mean to be take so very seriously, and I apologize if anyone feels insulted by my remarks.
In a stick, though, I do prefer a handbrake. In my younger days of driving sticks I lived in Seattle and you NEED a handbrake on those hills. They are good for rotating the back end, too. When I had a new '71 Capri, I was taking a co-worker to work on a snowy morning. The long hill ahead was blocked and there was no way to turn around except to rotate right where we were. I told him to hold on and pulled up the brake while cranking the wheel. We neatly swapped ends, but he thought I was trying to kill him.
Any word on a true AWD platform? I think I read that AWD will be an option on the '05 STS, and is already in the SRX. Considering it's the same chassis, you'd think they might be able to configure in the CTS as well without a huge difference in the ground clearance.
The '04 that I drove in July vibrated quite a bit.
I think they have talked about the reflash on the other the caddy site you participate in.
Has anybody asked their dealer about the leather stretch or maybe padding problem in the seats? I am now beginning to think the problem could be with the padding.
I noticed that the dial back lights are now white instead of the orange of the 03, I liked the orange one better. And at last they have a temperature gauge.
Still no parking sensors, no auto release hand break and no power steering tilt coloumn.
Asking price for a full loaded lux sport CTS with Nav and Sunroof is $41,333, periodic maintenance is still free for 3 years.
Take care all
does anyone know whatever happened to GM's Shortstar V6 engines?? it was the V6 version of the Northstar V8s. i remember that they used one in the Intrigue for one year only
The Holdens are not Omegas, they use Omega sheetmetal (stretched 2" from the Opel) and some chassis bits (heavily revised) from an earlier Omega design but they are not Omegas. Holdens for instance have rack-and-pinion steering, which no Omega ever did. Powertrain is US-derived (Buick V6, Chevy V8, next year the CTS's 3.6 V6) and nothing like the Omega/Catera.
Holden is doing a new RWD platform for future Aussie-built cars, they decided the Sigma that the CTS is based on is too expensive for their use.
The demise of the Omega left Vauxhall and Opel with no big car to sell; Vauxhall is looking at importing Holdens to fill that gap.
The redesigned '00 Aurora had the 3.5L as the base engine. It was available until '02. In '03 all Auroras came with the 4.0L only.
,
Interestingly, 3.5L production was stopped in 2001, with engines stockpiled for 2002 production of the Intrigue and Aurora.
So it was produced for 3 years and available for 4 years.
It was a great engine with a lot of midrange, but was expensive to build.
AS FAR AS THE COMPASS GOES I READ IT WILL NOT BE IN THE MIRROR ON THE 04-ON THE 03 IT IS ANOTHER NEEDED GUIDANCE PLUS EVEN WITH THE NAV. SYSTEM.
Has anyone found a way around this?
Now one on hte list mentioned this problem which makes me wonder if it is export related, which I doubt.
BingoMan: I do not know how accurate is the nav system, I know they have special CD or DVD that is for Saudi, but I do not know any thing more, I do not have it.
The manual states that their is a speed limiter set to the tyres speed rating, which is a V rating. V rating = 135mph. So I was indeed surprised when my speedo passed the 140 mark without a hitch.
The very next day the dealer customer service rep called with tons of appologies and gave me a next day appointment with a promise of a 1 day fix. And that is what happened. They zoomed the car into the service bay as soon as they filled the service card, and the customer retlations manager him self drove me from the dealership to my work and sent a car to pick me up by the end of the day.
It was abvious that GM did give the dealer a brush. GM is all serious about the satisfaction of its customers.
BTW, I had experienced similar super GM support once before on another issue I had with my 2002 Chevy Lumina (the rear wheel drive holden made, but this is the v6 variant, not the super SS one).
I am impressed by GM support, it is a reaon why I buy and recommend GM to my friends.
You Americans should be proud about what GM is doing overseas.
tmacguy - I can attest to your findings on service. My dealership is first rate. I've been getting phone calls after I bring my CTS in for service asking if I enjoyed my experience. I've also been getting satisfaction surveys in the mail from GM. I phoned the dealership recently to find out what they knew about delivery schedules of the CTS-V. As we spoke he mentioned Cadillac headquarters made it very clear to the dealers that they wanted the most successful new car launch possible. If any of you reading this are not getting first-class attention for your CTS, contact the Cadillac zone manager.
For months I have been posting how SRX production ramp up had slowed CTS production.
They finally got CTS production back on track last month.
But the months of lower production has finally shown up as a reduction in sales.
3,844 CTSs were sold in October vs. 4,848 last October. A 20% reduction.
However for the year they are still way ahead. 41,073 vs. 29,180.
A 40% increase.
52,000 CTSs have been produced this year vs. 41,000 last year.
2002 saw 37,000 CTSs sold.
Will we make to to 50,000 this year?
Anybody want to start a pool?
To put things in perspective. Cadillacs target was 25,000 CTSs per year.
50K would be 100% over target!
Brian