Cadillac CTS: The standard of Detroit, if not the world

[91 s-10baja]

Neither of Cadillac's cross-town luxury car rivals, Chrysler nor Lincoln, has a sports sedan that competes head-to-head with the all-new 2008 Cadillac CTS.

I need to say this right up front: I can't imagine anyone who owns a 3 Series BMW would be willing to get out of that car in favor of the new, second-generation 2008 Cadillac CTS.
That's not to put down the Caddy. After all, neither of Cadillac's cross-town rivals, Chrysler nor Lincoln, has a car that competes head-to-head with the CTS when it comes to providing both the amenities that Americans want in their luxury cars nor the dynamics that people expect from an upmarket sports sedan.
For that matter, neither, in my mind, does Lexus have a car that truly competes with the CTS, though I think a case can certainly be made that the Infiniti G35 doesn't shrink from comparison with the CTS.
But, as much as I like the new Cadillac sedan, as much as it is an improvement over the first generation just as the gen-1 was a mother-may-I giant step up over the Catera (you remember the Catera, right, the mildly modified Opel Omega launched with a little duck character as its mascot), I'd still take the BMW over the CTS.
Now that that's out of the way, let's talk about the new Cadillac. It's going to be another huge success for General Motors, because even though there will be no stampede of BMW buyers eager to drive this new CTS, people who demand a domestic but who also want an upscale and sporty sedan are flat going to love the new Cadillac.

For the extremists among auto enthusiasts, however, that love must be patient, because it will be probably a year or more before Cadillac rolls out the V-spec version, the one with a V8 engine and truly serious horsepower.
At its launch, the second-generation CTS comes with the buyer's choice of 3.6-liter V6 engines. The basic version pumps out 263 horsepower and 253 pound-feet of torque. The optional version is equipped with direct injection technology that boosts output to 304 horses and 273 pound feet and - get this - provides 3 percent better fuel economy, 25 percent fewer cold-start emissions and still runs on regular unleaded gasoline.
At 304 hp, the 3.6 DI is the most powerful naturally aspirated V6 that GM has ever offered to its car-buying customers. (The GM V6 provides 4 more hp than the BMW engine, but with twin-turbochargers, the Bimmer also offers 300 pound-feet and a much more responsive torque curve.)

http://www.izoom.com/auto.aspx?artic...lac%20cts.html

[Bravada]

Neither of Cadillac's cross-town luxury car rivals, Chrysler nor Lincoln, has a sports sedan that competes head-to-head with the all-new 2008 Cadillac CTS.

Yes, and?

[E. Haskell]

Originally Posted by Bravada

Yes, and?

Cadillac will gladly sell potential Lincoln and Chrysler buyers all the CTS goodness they can handle.

[MrJamesMc]

That guy isn't BMW biased

...







...ahem

[ronald mcretard]

Originally Posted by MrJamesMc

That guy isn't BMW biased

...







...ahem

it's his job to give his opinion about cars, what's the problem?

[MrJamesMc]

Originally Posted by ronald mcretard

it's his job to give his opinion about cars, what's the problem?

I find it unprofesional to be biased torwards something in a review.

[mgescuro]

Originally Posted by 91 s-10baja

Neither of Cadillac's cross-town luxury car rivals, Chrysler nor Lincoln, has a sports sedan that competes head-to-head with the all-new 2008 Cadillac CTS.

Neither do.. because they are not competitive with Cadillac. And they won't be without significant product shifts -- none of which are even on their current product pipeline.

Originally Posted by 91 s-10baja

I need to say this right up front: I can't imagine anyone who owns a 3 Series BMW would be willing to get out of that car in favor of the new, second-generation 2008 Cadillac CTS.

No one who owns a 3-series BMW will move to a CTS. The car is a draw on its own. CTS, other than price, doesn't compete with 3-series. It's a 5-series competitor. And I'm more inclined to believe that CTS would pull in 528 and 535 buyers and M35 buyers than 3-series and G.

[paul8488]

This pic of the CTS is probably the best picture I've seen of the car. Man that thing looks tough!

[paul8488]

He can't imagine anyone moving out of the BMW to the Caddy? Bah. If the CTS is as good as he says there will be a few jumping ship. He can be as dramatic as he wants... this is the best Caddy ever, and it's going to attract attention from all directions, even if it doesn't grab every BMW customer.

[Gm786]

The CTS is a stunning looking Caddy for sure. Love the stance, the curves, the design inside and out. The car's just a masterpiece from GM!

[63GrandSport001]

This proves that GM knows how to make a great saden and that they know that its in their best interest to do so.

[hrcslam]

Actually, there are already Bimmer owners trying to jump ship. The reason is because BMWs no longer have dip sticks. How do you check your oil? You take it to the dealer they drain the oil in to a beaker to make sure it is the right amount and if all is good they put the oil back in the engine. Stupid you ask? I think so too.

[MrJamesMc]

Originally Posted by hrcslam

Actually, there are already Bimmer owners trying to jump ship. The reason is because BMWs no longer have dip sticks. How do you check your oil? You take it to the dealer they drain the oil in to a beaker to make sure it is the right amount and if all is good they put the oil back in the engine. Stupid you ask? I think so too.

Yes, very stupid indeed. That makes me feel as if I don't own my car if that were the case with me. I drive a 99 Tahoe so i definatly don't have that problem, lol.

[mgescuro]

Originally Posted by paul8488

He can't imagine anyone moving out of the BMW to the Caddy? Bah. If the CTS is as good as he says there will be a few jumping ship. He can be as dramatic as he wants... this is the best Caddy ever, and it's going to attract attention from all directions, even if it doesn't grab every BMW customer.

It's gonna take a whole lot more than CTS to make hard core BMW owners jumps ship.
The reason they buy BMW is because they are built to perform and drive.
Cadillac needs to build a reputation first before they take notice enough to actually go any buy one.

It might be the best Caddy ever. I just don't believe it's gonna pull BMW owners without a reputation. Perhaps the 2nd Gen BLS will start turning heads over there in Bavaria. It just won't be the 2nd Gen CTS.

[Bravada]

I, for one, hate dip sticks. There was a whole article in my (local) car mag about how the car technology progressed so much in all areas, and we still have to use those dirty dip sticks. I would much more prefer to have some gauge or something.

Anyway-Z, the CTS looks great provided you only see in en face - one look at the profile and the Cadillac magic goes away substituted by vague memories of the previous Toyota Camry.

The CTS surely is the standard of Detroit, mostly because the rest have given up long ago, but this isn't saying much. They can't just rest on their laurels, there is still much work to be done.