GMI Reviews: 2006 Cadillac DTS

[Ghrankenstein]

GMI Reviews: 2006 Cadillac DTS: Deville Reborn, or Just Re-Skinned?
September 14, 2005
A review by Ghrankenstein

Introduction

Normally I’d write this whole thing up, then submit it to the Moderators’ workboard for a few days, so that the other staffers could have the time to add their takes, and correct any serious miscommunications that I might have accrued.

Since the 2006 DTS is just starting to hit Cadillac lots, and other reviews are trickling in, I thought I’d speed things up a bit, and get a solid write-up posted while the need for accurate information is at its maximum.

You guys have seen the car for quite some time, and there has been plenty of debate on GMI already, but hopefully this article will serve to fill in holes, eliminate a lot of speculation, and serve as a platform for yet more spirited debate.

I’m not going to go easy on the DTS, because I know you guys won’t either, but I’ll try to be fair and objective between the neck-bolt jokes.

Enjoy!

Ghrankenstein

Continue: GMI Reviews: 2006 Cadillac DTS

[Ghrankenstein]

Exterior:

Cadillac’s goal for the DTS is much the same as it was for the whole division several years ago: full revitalization of the brand, broadening its appeal while keeping its loyal clientele from fleeing to Lincoln. After the Evoq show car proved that Cadillac could impress savvier high-end buyers, the current-generation Escalade was unleashed, creating the first modern, cool Cadillac.

Since then, ever model in Cadillac’s lineup has received the “Art and Science” treatment, with varying degrees of success, all positive. That only left the Deville, still a leader in its segment, but left behind in Cadillac’s drive to become something more than the cars peoples’ parents had.

The 2006 DTS replaces the now-retired Deville, mostly in name in terms of nuts-and-bolts mechanics, but more thoroughly in spirit in the car’s impact and appeal. If I had been saddled with the tightrope-walk that the Deville’s redesign was to be, I doubt if I could have done even remotely as good of a job as the DTS team did.

The DTS greets onlookers with a huge, toothy smile. One cannot fully appreciate just how enormous that chrome-bathed grille is, nor can I describe its impact without invoking the Escalade. The pentagonal Art and Science grille has been given its first taste of egg-crate tradition in a Cadillac passenger car, and it is flanked with the jeweled projector-beam flavor of Caddy’s traditional stacked headlights. The DTS’s grand entrance announces to everyone that it’s a big, luxurious, modern Cadillac, and it screams something that Cadillac has not heard since the advent of the second-generation Escalade: MORE!

Even though the profile barely differs from the old Deville, the grille and headlamp assemblies are clearly visible from the side, and larger wheels (17” in Luxury packages, 18” in the Performance package) make the DTS look more athletic and aggressive. The sharply raked grille also adds length, especially to the greenhouse, while reducing perceived mass.

The rear is all Cadillac. Members, I’ve heard your comments that something was missing from the tail end. What’s missing is the license plate mount, which has been moved to the bumper. In its place is the full-length midline crease and a large wreath and crest, with large vertical LED taillights on either side.

The overall styling of the DTS is a stand-up triple, if not a home run. The cool does not interfere with the familiar, in that it is largely based on the appeal of older Cadillacs. And a lot of Escalade owners currently driving Benzes and the like would, I’m sure, love to have a passenger car with a similar statement. Now they can get it from GM.

[Ghrankenstein]

Interior:

Despite the provocative exterior, the interior is where the DTS makes the most headway. Gone are the huge gaps and the clunky mish-mash of too many dash panels. In their place is a warm, welcome, and thoughtfully simple looking environment with very few nits for the picking. And don’t think for a second that I won’t pick them.

Materials:

The dash is subtly two-tone, in a low-glare olefin surface. It’s the same material used in the STS, but the DTS substitutes curves where the STS uses seams and edges. It’s much more successful here, and the grain and color are so well matched to the standard Nuance leather seats that one would not notice the difference if the dash’s grain were not slightly deeper. The hard plastic covering of the steering wheel column even matches the grain of the dash.

I’ve sat in Luxury I DTS’s at the nearby Enterprise lot and the fake walnut trim looks okay with one exception: it’s way too busy. The real walnut in my Luxury III is lovely, dark, and deep, and it shows up in most of the right places. Most, you say? Yes. Risking overreaction by the forum, it’s noticeably missing from the arm sill control surrounds. Why does that bug me? Because the surrounds are hard plastic that, while perfectly matching the interior color, are still hard plastic. They also match the barely-seen information center control surround to the left of the dash.

I have many guesses as to why. I think the main one is that they had so much wood and so many wood parts so that the DTS could fit at its lowered price point. Second would be that the fake wood didn’t match in comparison to the real wood. Third, those controls are generally out of eyesight, and they don’t look bad. The Malibu and G6 get fake wood in the arm rests, so I think it’s a combination of the first two. Just to see how hard I was being, I checked out a couple of vehicles which garner nothing but praise for their interiors, a Toureg and a GX470, and both had the same hard plastic in the same places. Keep that in mind.

Stereo and Controls

The gauge cluster in the DTS is simplified in comparison to the Deville. It’s more similar to the fine, attractive, and legible dials in the STS. Gone is the base Deville’s horrid green digital readout, though one can still dial up a digital readout in the DTS if one chooses.

My Luxury III had two sizeable clusters of controls on either side of the steering wheel, and I’ll admit that in my limited time today, I was unable to figure out some of them. I get the Chrysler-style backside radio volume controls, as well as the heated steering wheel, adaptive cruise, and up-down channel seek. But there are more, with ambiguous pictograms, which will take more time. What a strange and terrible future we live in!

The 252-watt 8-speaker Bose Surround Sound stereo system is very good. It’s not a rival of the brutal 15-speaker unit in the STS, but most will find it to be classy and powerful. The “simplified” interface is in a completely different “language” than any other previous GM unit, and it will take some practice to get used to. It uses a couple of hard buttons, and a lot of menus to get started. Once it’s set to an owner’s preferences it will be a cake walk, but for now, we attentive salespeople will need to take the time to learn it fully.

The biggest difference is in the pre-sets. Owners get six menus of presets, but get this: none is limited by band. Thus, I suggest one or two dedicated to multiband favorites, such as your favorite FM and XM stations, and one pre-set for Jim Rome. Outside of that, if you really need all six menus, perhaps set them for your out-of-town settings for various places you travel. One now has the ability to eliminate/block XM categories. In the past, one could have the “XL” (explicit lyrics) stations blocked by phoning XM. One can also reduce the number of preset menus if they aren’t needed.

The i-Pod jack and XM Radio add to the entertainment capabilities of the system, but one frustration will be the unavailability of a CD-changer with the navigation system. The Luxury III and Performance packages have the optional navigation system. I don’t know if they’re worth it for me, but for those that want it, it will be a relatively simple touch-screen, with thankfully fewer features than the crazy nav in the STS. Operation should be similar to the powerful, yet easy system in the Escalade. I’ll post an addendum once I get to immerse myself in this system.

Continuing the onslaught of features, the Luxury III (and Performance) have Intellibeam headlights, which automatically switch the high-beams on and off based on traffic encountered. Both of these packages also offer Radar Adaptive Cruise Control, which uses a set following distance when slower traffic is encountered while in cruise mode. The multi-page list of disclaimers in the owner’s manual reads almost like a Saturday Night Live advertisement for “Happy Fun Ball,” which makes me wonder even if it’s worth it. When I think of myself on the way to Kansas City, though, I welcome the idea.

One feature that debuts in the DTS is HotShot, a heated windshield liquid that clears ice and bugs with its 176-degree fluid spurts. Members, keep your comments family-friendly. The familiar adaptive remote-start that bowed on the 2004 Chevy Malibu is standard on the DTS.

Rounding out the high-tech features on the Luxury III are Rainsense windshield wipers, which respond to windshield water instead of time.

All in all, the ergonomics of the DTS seem well thought-out, but they’re different from other Caddy’s, meaning that salespeople reading this should spend a lot of time learning the new controls and interface.

Seats

Back to the strong points. The seats in the DTS are sublime. Cadillac touts the surface design as “twin-pillow,” with a cushy top layer, and a firm supportive second layer. It works, and better than I had expected. Overall, the front seats in the DTS are the most comfortable luxury seats I have ever experienced, even better than the Toyota Avalon’s. The cushions are long, with more-than-ample tilt and thigh-support, and with the power telescoping steering wheel, the perfect driving position is available to even freaks like me.

Cadillac desperately wants to lose the geriatric stigma of the front bench, so I'll avoid the term "outboard" here, in saying that the front seats are both heated and air conditioned with great force. You can make toast on them, or haul ice sculptures if you really wanted.

[Ghrankenstein]

Traditional customers who felt the seats in the STS were too Germanic-firm will love even the base buckets in the DTS. The outer “pillow” is squishy and soft, and its perforated Nuance leather surfaces are grippy despite the lack of side bolstering. It takes confidence to trust the new seats in sporting corners, but the trust pays off. Underneath, the firmer layer supports, and will be especially welcome for long trips, a job the Deville is used to taking.

Bonuses in the Luxury III package are heated and cooled seats, with individual heating and cooling units like the old Deville DHS and Deville DTS, and new simplified controls for the massaging front lumbars. Devilles had finicky controls nested in the seats’ lumbar knobs. A separate button now controls the massage feature. It seems minor, but keeping in mind the DTS’s continued role as the industry’s ultimate long-distance cruiser, the lumbar massage is one thing I’d definitely want to have on my side when I hit the halfway mark to Kansas City. Rear seats don’t recline, but have power lumbars, heat, and the obligatory rear climate control.

The DTS Luxury III and Performance Package offer two leather upgrades. I can’t really comment on the Tuscany leather option, even though it’s also offered in the STS, because the seats in that vehicle are already Germanic-firm. Whatever luxury in them is lost in the STS, but the leather should redeem itself in the DTS. From what I’ve heard, though, if you really want to treat yourself, the Tahama leather, which is barely treated after its dark cashmere (e.g. “Bomber Jacket”) anniline dye, is a uniquely personal surface akin to a favorite bomber jacket. You'll have to wait a few months if that's what you want.

Buyer’s Note: Cadillac recommends no aftermarket treatments to any of its DTS leathers. Follow the owner’s manual for best care.

I’ve picked apart this interior from top to bottom, and I feel that the minimal shortcomings are little more than what I could find in any vehicle. Overall, it’s pretty, comfortable, and functional. And I think that DTS owners will really enjoy the new upgrades.

[Ghrankenstein]

Performance, Ride, and Handling

What you think about the roadgoing manners of the DTS really depends on what you want. Starting things out slow, drivers are aided by front and rear ultrasonic parking assists, which eliminate the "parking by touch" technique that previous Deville drivers frequently relied upon.

The drivetrain is largely familiar, but it adds a couple of new tricks for 2006. The Northstar all-aluminum 32-valve DOHC V-8 still displaces 4.6 liters, and in Luxury form generates 275 hp and 292 lb-ft. New for 2006 are polymer coated pistons, dual knock sensors, a 32-bit powertrain control module, two onboard networks, and electronic throttle control. The four-speed electronic transaxle remains.

Performance packages get the slightly different Northstar NHP, set at 291 hp and 286 lb-ft, with a much different torque corve. The transaxle gains GM's well-known and well-liked performance shift algorithm, and the separate Performance Algorithm Liftfoot, which downshifts rather than upshifts when the driver lets off the gas under appropriate conditions.

The big liner will not disappoint in acceleration. The response feels like a 7.3-7.6 second 0-60 time, though the DTS continues the trend long after 60 mph has passed. Many will find that the DTS feels faster, due to a bit of torque-steer drama and the indulgent, ego-feeding new exhaust tuning. The new sound is boisterously old-school throaty, and much different from the finely-carved high-tech sounds that come from the STS V-8. It's another reason that I'll bet strongly in favor of the DTS appealing to current Escalade owners, who love to be reminded that they're piloting a machine of power.

I think that the long overdue electronic throttle control, coupled with the more powerful electronics, contributes greatly to the vastly improved passing response in the DTS. "Simulated passing maneuvers" yeilded instantaneous, crisp downshifts from the Hydramatic transaxle, that seem even a tad quicker than in the excellent 5-speed STS. It's certainly compensation for some lost ground until the six-speed arrives, but it's also welcome. Upshifts, on the other hand, are typical GM-Hydramatic in their smoothness.

One maddening inclusion is the flubbery “Louisville Slugger” floor shifter, as dubbed by Car and Driver. An heir from the days of the Seville STS, it feels clumsy and its action is much cheaper-feeling than that of the other Caddys' switchgears, as well as the new 2006 Impala.

When it comes to handling, long stretches of highway are the Luxury DTS's forte. A comfortable ride is the top priority, and I think it compares most directly with the settings in the 2005 Deville DTS. The front MacPherson strut and rear multilink (basically a strut plus a semi-trailing arm) are the weapons of choice for highway miles, but the spring rates are noticeably higher than those of the earlier base Devilles. Expect some float, but less than before.

You'll notice bumps, but hear them more than you'll feel them, unless you have the stereo tuned to XMLiquidMetal. Wait, XM dropped that, so I guess I meant to say unless you have the stereo tuned to the lame stuff you're settling for, like SquiZZ or the BoneYard.

Long sweepers give the Luxury DTS little trouble, but more sporting switchbacks are best taken at six tenths. When sport arrives, the soft spring rates and large-diameter hollow anti-roll bars conspire to lift the inside front tire, resulting in a greater load on an outside touring radial beneath a heavy vehicle. That means understeer, and a fair amount of mid-turn correction by us less practiced driving types. Fortunately, grip is good enough, and the tires don't voice their opinions the way they did in older Devilles. It's an overall handling improvement that increases the poise of a vehicle not likely to be pushed.

I've been careful, so far, not to mention anything about the handling of the performance package for two reasons: One, I haven't driven one yet, and Two, I'm completely sold on Magnetic Ride Control. It's not worthwhile in a Corvette, but what it does for an STS, an XLR, or an SRX is downright miraculous.

Magnetic Ride Control, standard on the Performance Package DTS, uses electric currents to vary the viscosity of the fluid in the shocks. The system monitors data from the DTS's various networked systems, including wheel-motion sensors, to change the shock fluid viscosity every one thousandth of a second, if necessary. One thousandth of a second, by the way, translates to one inch of road at 60 mph. First appearing in the 2003 50th Anniversary Corvette, the system, which has no moving parts, has repeatedly proven its reliability and its value.

Reviews of the Performance DTS, so far, have reinforced this system's contribution to the sporty handling of an intended luxury car. With my previous experiences with Magnetic Ride Control, in the other Cadillacs, such as impeccable body control, and great roadfeel without the sacrifice of smoothness, I won't even compare the Performance DTS with the Luxury DTS until I've driven them both.

[Ghrankenstein]

Final Thoughts

In a world where not everybody wants the fastest car, or the tightest handling, but many want a powerful visual statement and creature comforts that remind them of what they've accomplished, the DTS will be a success.

I think that Cadillac has accomplished the near-impossible, in creating a vehicle with traditional Cadillac appeal, while still addressing trends in technology and popular culture. Way to go, Hamtramk!

Strong Points: Escalade-style high-impact styling, great comfort, and plenty of bells and whistles not found on other vehicles.

Weak Points: Awful switchgear, non-sporting road manners in Luxury models, will require trend-setters to step up and over the Deville stigma. Savvy buyers will check out the Buick Lucerne V-8.

Overall: An effort that GMI armchair CEO's would be hard-pressed to improve upon. The 2006 could very much be the Deville reborn.


Thank you for reading!

Ghrankenstein

[nsap]

Excellent review Ghrank!! Best DTS review to date!

[dindak]

I'm not interested in a DTS nor will I ever likely be but for the grandpas and dad's out there that want a modern comfortable and more traditional sedan, Caddy needs this car. I saw one about a month ago and I was impressed with it's modern look and quality also.

[boblutzfan]

Looks like a fine vehicle. Its biggest competitors will be the Lucerne and Town Car. I hope GM is working on a new RWD replacement that will bring it to the level of the Lexus LS 430. That should be the target.

[nsap]

Originally Posted by boblutzfan

Looks like a fine vehicle. Its biggest competitors will be the Lucerne and Town Car. I hope GM is working on a new RWD replacement that will bring it to the level of the Lexus LS 430. That should be the target.

According to all the rumors, the DTS will be replaced by the $100K+ ULS.

[Ultra Magnus]

Definitely a good read. After having the chance recently to sit in one, I could see why the older among us would want one. Very comfortable.

[member12]

Nice car, but if it is sitting on the lot next to an STS at a similar price...I'd go for the STS.

I think Buick should get this platform. I know its the same as the Lucerne, but it is much longer with more legroom in back, and with the standard 4.6L it would make a good flagship car for Buick that is undoubtedly better than any Lincoln, and most Acuras.

The looks are softer than the CTS. I think the CTS would benefit from an update similar to the DTS. The only things I don't like about it are the rear tailights (they are too small, it makes the car look really wide), and the front over hang (too big, but all front drivers are).

[Ohmywrd]

I would say it is refreshed and unimpressive. I was expecting something revolutionary from Cadillac.

[b4z]

I'm interested in the Tahama leather.
Will that be available in the STS?

[member12]

Like most cadillacs, except the Escalade: If it were in my price range, it would be in my driveway right now. This car looks amazing. I know its cheaper, but look what I drive. It was a strech for me to buy a 30K Trailblazer- and I am loving that one now. Perhaps if I bought used....I can get an SRX. Those are neat.

Cadillac has come such a long way in the last 10 years. I think it is amazing how far they have come..

Its time for the next step. That is, to me, a high level sedan to go up against the Mercedes S Class that is larger and better than the STS. I'd call it the Fleetwood, but thats me. 60K, similar look as the DTS, but RWD, 6 speed auto and a V12 standard Equipment. Imagine the possiblities.