Test drive: 2008 Cadillac CTS

Boy is this car a tough call. Both my wife and I loved this car at the Miami auto show. We said that if we were to have only one car, which would it be? We vascillated between the M-B 3, the Lexus is and this CTS. This car was #1 in looks. The M-B won for prestige and solid feel and classic stoic appeal. The Lexus was sexy, but we also knew it would be durable and cheap to keep over the long run. After reading your critique, we will be test driving all three. Off hand…it is really a total dead heat!

Hawaiian Don – There are 2 things that concern me about the CTS – too heavy (4,000 lbs) and depreciation. Outside of those two issues it is a terrific looking car and appears to be a very good package. The new MB C350 is quite nice and will not have the depreciation issue of the CTS. As for the Lexus, not a drivers car but very nice and reliable – be careful with the new GS350. I’ve read that Lexus is having issues with the engines (go to clublexus.com) according to some owners.

I’ve decided to adjust my name. I’ve been going by “Mike” here on the forum (cuz, ya know, that’s my name) only to find that I have a common name….who knew So now I’m Mike in Minn Anyway, yes the CTS is heavy, but if it can perform like its competitors and get similar mpg, the difference is academic. OK, yeah I’m a little biased. I like to vote for the underdog. But in this case I think that the underdog is running with the best in the pack. A noteworthy plus is that the last CTS was a reasonably reliable car in its last iteration. Hopefully GM will produce another winner here. There aren’t many German made rivals that can claim the same. Maybe, over time, Cadillac will be able to recover the prestige lost to years of badge engineering and thus get depreciation under control. Finally a Caddy may cost a bit less to start with (depending on where and how you buy and keeping the features list at rough parity with its competitors) which helps to offset some of the dollars lost to depreciation. Anyway, that’s my $.02.

Hey Don, how’s the new job going?

It’s a very small car, and the gas mileage is ridic.

Aaron, have you reviewed the CTS-V yet?

I also like the CTS(-V), but it does succumb to domestic depreciation… (I have seen 05 CTS-V’s with

(oops, continued)…under 50k miles going for around $25k). I was thinking that I might pick up a 2-3 year old -V and save myself a bunch of money, enjoy 400hp, and have the peace of mind of the remaining factory warranty.

Too bad they don’t come with AWD like the IS250 (Damn Chicago winters!)

Maybe the prestige will get better if Cadillac can prove themselves with this car. I still don’t hold it as high as a MB AMG C55 or BMW M3, but maybe someday…

Have you guys seen the pictures of the CTS-V coupe yet (I would think so or you probably wouldn’t read this web page)?
One word; bitchin!
I can’t wait to see this thing in person.

AndyS: Jason reviewed the CTS-V last year:

http://cars.about.com/od/cadillac/fr/jf_06cadctsv.htm

I think it’ll be a while before we get to drive the new one, but you can see pictures of it here:

http://cars.about.com/od/cadillac/ig/2009-Cadillac-CTS-V-pics/

Should be one hell of a car. I’ll be honest with you, if the CTS can approach the likes of the Infiniti G35 and Mercedes C-Class, I bet the CTS-V can take on the Lexus IS-F and the Audi S4.

Simple, It can’t compete in build quality, looks, recidual value and style to Lexus, Mercedes, Audi or BMW. And more important it does not have the class of these real icons.

Not quite that simple, Peter. The CTS’ build quality was rated by Consumer Reports to be better than most of the autos from any of the German makes. In regard to “looks” and “style”, both are subjective and I like the Caddy better than anything in this class from any of the makers you mentioned. That leaves residual value, snob appeal, and Lexus quality, all of which are real issues that should end any search in a Lexus showroom, right? Not so simple again. For someone like me who doesn’t care about what the Joneses think, who doesn’t like the Lexus products in this class, likes the performance to luxury ratio of this car, and who has seen the CTS as a reasonably reliable car year after year, the Cadillac may be the best choice not-withstanding depreciation. Plus, like Aaron said, BMW could be where the enthusiast would buy. Point is….you would still have to shop and test drive to decide which choice in this class was right for you.

Peter. Stop beating around the bush and say what you really think. You hate American cars plain and simple.

Aaron,
I was just looking at the 2009 CTS-V gallery (your link in post #8), and I see a photo (#6 of 7) of the interior of a car with automatic transmission… (auto shift selector & no clutch pedal)… is the “V” available with auto in 09?

Sorry Mike in Minn – I was the Mike with the second overall comment. In any event, all of us need to recognize that the CTS is a move in the right direction for GM. Looks good, appears to have nice quality materials, nice engine and, hopefully, reliability. If only it was 400 lbs lighter, it could have the moves and performance driveability of BMW, MB and Infiniti. For now, I still prefer the europeans, however, Cadillac is making a very nice comeback. The V and the coupe will be great additions to the line up.

How can yo compare this vehicle to the lower class segments of the luxo cars? This vehicle defies the norm in that it’s priced to compete against those cars but has the size of an E class, 5 series, gs, etc. IMHO this car is gorgeous. I live in Las Vegas and I’ve seen so many of them all around the valley it’s incredible that they didn’t sellout like they are(16 day inventory). This car is hard to define since it is priced lower than it’s true rivals and it’s size is also in there league as well. IMHO someone who says this car isn’t good or isn’t competitive should go back to the 90s where they belong.

It’s true that the Caddy is portly, but it still pops some impressive performance numbers. The weight may affect handling in a less empirical way. Only my butt will tell the way I feel about it. The price is good and I really like the way it looks.However, 90% of my affection OVER THE LIFE OF CAR OWNERSHIP is based on road manners, particularly handling. That’s why in my books the M-B should win (BMW’s are too expensive to keep over the long haul). As far as Caddilac’s crappy depreciation, if I keep the car for 7 yrs. as I plan, I’ll probably give it to one of my ungrateful kids!
Thanks for asking about my new job…we just drove 3200 miles in 4 days from Miami to the Big Valley (California) in our CRV and we’re setting up house so we can put on the “horse collars” on Monday.

Mike in Minn, looks like your new moniker is causing a bit of confusion. Maybe you should consider Minnesota Mike…but then everyone’s gonna shorten that to Mini Mike…and that certainly won’t impress the ladies…it’s gonna take a bit of thought Mike!!!

You’re right Don. I thought about Minnesota Mike but I don’t play pool (not well anyway) and mini Mike….hadn’t thought of that. That could be a liability. I guess I’ll just stick to Mike in Minn for now and allow other Mikes to fight for the “Mike”. I’m probably not the only Mike from Minnesota so I may get into trouble later and have to change my name again. I could maybe pick a name from “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Gallaxy” and be safe.

Anyway, I’ve done that drive before, at least from east Texas to southern California. Congrats on making it with your sanity intact.

Let us know your impression of the CTS when you drive it. I’m thinking it may be somewhat different than the CRV Good luck come Monday.

Aaron, there has been quite a number of blogs about how the CTS was aimed at the 5 series BMW, not the 3 series. The answer I’ve seen from journos has been that price puts the 3 series in the same class notwithstanding Cadillac’s intention. That has been an odd answer, though, because there are cars out there that are just good bargains in their respective classes. Does that mean that they will never get an honest review pitted against their intended rivals? It seems to me that both types of review are valuable. I’d really like to know how the CTS stacks up against the 5 series or any of the other brands in the class. In some ways it would be a fairer comparison than comparing a smaller, lighter car that should have more capacity for nimble handling to a larger, heavier one.

I’ve been seeing all this talk comparing the CTS to the 5-series, and I just don’t see it. I’ll be honest, I haven’t compared dimensions, but I recently took a long trip in a 5-series and spent plenty of time both behind the wheel and in the back seat. I still see the 5 as a rival for the Caddy STS, though the STS doesn’t drive anywhere near as well as the 5 (or the CTS, for that matter). Unless there’s a huge price difference, I tend to compare cars by size class, where they stand in the lineup, engine avialability and intended mission. As I said in the review, I see the CTS as going up against the 3-series, Lexus IS, Infiniti G, and Mercedes C, not to mention the Audi A4. Comparing it against the 5-series just doesn’t make sense to me.

Now if Caddy would just sprinkle a little of the CTS’ magic dust on the STS, Caddy would have a serious 5-series rival.

http://cars.about.com/od/cadillac/fr/08_sts_v6.htm

Thanks for the info.

The advantage of not having to use premium fuel is a significant one for the Caddy.