What Improvements Would You Make to the Future DTS Replacement?

[kgm777]

Improvements to be made to future DTS replacement:

1) Resurrect Cotillion White (offered since 1969 -- I had a '76 CDV in Cotillion White) as the current “flashy” whites are not acceptable to me (one of these “whites” actually looks like a very light Mary Kay pink). Plain old black and white should always be available. The dealer did find me a Cotillion White DTS, but the salesman said it will shortly only be available on livery package cars.
2) A tilt and telescope steering wheel should be offered on all DTS models, even if it’s manually operated.
3) The next car should have the trumpet horn of the '70s not the current tone that sounds like its out of a 1971 Vega.
4) The next car should have the power trunk lid pull-down feature.
5) The next car should have the old vacuum parking brake release feature.
6) All models should have automatic dimming interior and exterior rearview mirrors as standard.
7) One of the most egregious omissions on the DTS is the lack of a remote fuel door release. I thought all cars now have this feature and was unaware the DTS did not until the salesman did the delivery walk-around with me. With fuel prices going up, fuel thefts will most probably increase.
8) Further reducing NVH levels and increasing refinement. I still find the levels of road noise to be excessive in the current DTS, especially when compared to the Town Car, Mercedes Benz S Class, and Lexus LS models. Also, there is still too much NVH feedback through the steering wheel, shift lever, and pedals.
9) A couple of times, when making a sharp U-turn, a surge was felt in the steering wheel as if the drive belt slipped resulting in the temporary failure of the power steering.
10) So far, the only annoyance in the DTS is a squeak caused by the front seat back rubbing against the stationary center armrest console when encountering road irregularities. Cadillac knows of the problem since the inside of the seat bottom cushion contacting the console is covered discretely in fabric. More clearance between the parts or maybe some additional strategically placed fabric will solve the problem. I stuffed a paper towel between the parts and it seems to work. This item should not be an issue with the front bench seat option.
11) The plug in offered for MP3 players is great, but it should also recharge the player while it’s operating. I have to take the player out of the car and plug it into my laptop in order to charge it. Better yet, make a 10-20 gigabyte hard drive with a USB port standard in the car and allow direct downloading from a laptop or from CDs containing MP3 files.
12) I would like a six disc CD/Mp3 player without having to purchase the sunroof which decreases headroom.
13) The automatic transaxle needs to be updated by featuring 5 or 6 forward speeds to be competitive.
14) The heights of the accelerator and brake pedals should be more close to enable heel and toe operation.
15) The aft end of the door armrests are 1-2 inches too low. I like to sit high so a sunroof is out of the question.
16) If Cadillac is not planning to resurrect a RWD “Fleetwood” or “Brougham,” I would like to see the current DTS wheelbase stretched 3-5”, equipped with nicer seats and door panels, and called the “Sixty Special” or “DSS.” This car might feature some retro touches from the Fleetwood Broughams of ‘60s and ‘70s, such as the reading lights, hood ornament, seat style with a brocade/leather combination, a more formal roofline, foot rests, rear tables, lamp monitors, etc. A RWD Brougham does not have to be as large as the previous iterations, just slightly larger than the current DTS.
17) I like the new Buick Park Avenue made for the Chinese market and will likely consider this car the next time if it makes it to the US. It should have the North Star V-8 as an option. I will also seriously consider the Lincoln MKS and the Town Car (if Ford ever decides to update it).

What would you want in the forthcoming DTS replacement?

[wescoent]

For starters, we can look at the Buick Park Avenue from China as a kind of "starting point" for the next Cadillac Large Sedan. It will be Zeta, RWD, and basically a stretched Commodore under the skin.

[schmallz]

The next Gen. DTS should have been on a streched Sigma II Chassis.

Like the Chinese SLS

The Fleetwood or FTS should be Cadillac's personal limo, on it's own platoform. designed to take on the LS600, 7xxLi, A8L and LWB S Class.

[plane]

I would manufacture it in Nagoya and put a Lexus emblem on the front and a big bowtie around it.
And then I would run condescending ads showing that women clearly have a deep sexual need for this vehicle, but are too afraid to purchase it, evidenced by the boyfriends and husbands that buy the damn thing at Christmas for the obviously clueless lady.

Other than that - 9 speed DSG, AWD, DI standard, more of the new world-class GM interiors.

Note to self: I'm trying to reach across the aisle even if it destroys our country and makes it look like greater Detroit.
At least then I can be friends with most people at GMI.

[2002 Caddy]

If it can't be had with a 32V V8... then don't IMO bother with the car...

[mgescuro]

Improvements to be made to future DTS replacement:

1) Resurrect Cotillion White (offered since 1969 -- I had a '76 CDV in Cotillion White) as the current “flashy” whites are not acceptable to me (one of these “whites” actually looks like a very light Mary Kay pink). Plain old black and white should always be available. The dealer did find me a Cotillion White DTS, but the salesman said it will shortly only be available on livery package cars.

Interesting. I remember the color. Cadillac should be able to customize ANY color you want -- but it will cost you. My buddy has a White Diamond XLR-V.

2) A tilt and telescope steering wheel should be offered on all DTS models, even if it’s manually operated.

I would consider it cheap and insufficient if the upcoming DT7 had a manually operated tilt/telescope feature. Tilt/Telescope should be tied to seat memory and be fully automatic. Seat headrests must also be power and tied to memory.

4) The next car should have the power trunk lid pull-down feature.

Not only that. It should be push button close -- like in XLR.

5) The next car should have the old vacuum parking brake release feature.

The car should have electronic parking brake -- as seen in the current CTS and Provoq concepts.

6) All models should have automatic dimming interior and exterior rearview mirrors as standard.

That should be a no-brainer. But this is GM we're talking about. Sometimes they don't think.

7) One of the most egregious omissions on the DTS is the lack of a remote fuel door release. I thought all cars now have this feature and was unaware the DTS did not until the salesman did the delivery walk-around with me. With fuel prices going up, fuel thefts will most probably increase.

Current DTS doesn't have remote fuel door release???? Really??
Unbelieveable.

8) Further reducing NVH levels and increasing refinement. I still find the levels of road noise to be excessive in the current DTS, especially when compared to the Town Car, Mercedes Benz S Class, and Lexus LS models. Also, there is still too much NVH feedback through the steering wheel, shift lever, and pedals.

Yes, interior NVH is excessive for the DTS. I was a bit surprised when I drove one. However, DTS is just completely outclassed by S-class and LS, where they spend significant amounts of time with NVH. I get the impression that Cadillac could really give a rats ass about caring about NVH -- especially on a car like the DTS, which is an obvious profit generator.
I have not drive or ridden in a current Town Car.

10) So far, the only annoyance in the DTS is a squeak caused by the front seat back rubbing against the stationary center armrest console when encountering road irregularities. Cadillac knows of the problem since the inside of the seat bottom cushion contacting the console is covered discretely in fabric. More clearance between the parts or maybe some additional strategically placed fabric will solve the problem. I stuffed a paper towel between the parts and it seems to work. This item should not be an issue with the front bench seat option.

I call that poor quality control.

11) The plug in offered for MP3 players is great, but it should also recharge the player while it’s operating. I have to take the player out of the car and plug it into my laptop in order to charge it. Better yet, make a 10-20 gigabyte hard drive with a USB port standard in the car and allow direct downloading from a laptop or from CDs containing MP3 files.

DTS is old. The DT7 replacement should rectify all this. (I'm crossing my fingers...)

12) I would like a six disc CD/Mp3 player without having to purchase the sunroof which decreases headroom.

Keep dreaming. GM loves it's "packages."

13) The automatic transaxle needs to be updated by featuring 5 or 6 forward speeds to be competitive.

It needs to be 6-speed or better. And it needs a manumatic option -- if not DSG/SMG and paddle shift option.

14) The heights of the accelerator and brake pedals should be more close to enable heel and toe operation.

One would also hope for adjustable pedals.

16) If Cadillac is not planning to resurrect a RWD “Fleetwood” or “Brougham,” I would like to see the current DTS wheelbase stretched 3-5”, equipped with nicer seats and door panels, and called the “Sixty Special” or “DSS.” This car might feature some retro touches from the Fleetwood Broughams of ‘60s and ‘70s, such as the reading lights, hood ornament, seat style with a brocade/leather combination, a more formal roofline, foot rests, rear tables, lamp monitors, etc. A RWD Brougham does not have to be as large as the previous iterations, just slightly larger than the current DTS.

Rumors are pointing towards a resurrection to "Fleetwood." But those remain rumors.
There is currently a DTS-L model for sale. It is usually sold to livery, but your Cadillac dealership can most likely order one for you. And as is standard practice at all Cadillac dealership -- they will customize the look of the Cadillac to your specifications. If you want a hood ornament and phaeton roof, they'll put on a hood ornament and phaeton roof.



The upcoming Cadillac DT7 will replace both STS and DTS in the Cadillac lineup and should be approximately the size of the current S-Class, but will not be competitive with the S-Class. It should be approximately the same size of the current Buick Park Avenue.





Rumors of a car that is competitive with S-Class has been circling, and apparently greenlighted. Whether or not Cadillac continues its development and actually sells a car like this -- one that it desperately needs -- is up in the air. All rumors of course.

[Butz]

Why are you calling DT7, don't do that or else it'll happen!
What kind of a sick name is DT7?
Other than that, I'm with mgescuro on everything

[mgescuro]

Why are you calling DT7, don't do that or else it'll happen!
What kind of a sick name is DT7?
Other than that, I'm with mgescuro on everything

I know I know... DT7...
But according to that article about Cadillac new and upcoming nomenclature, DT7 is apparently the new name.

[schmallz]

I know I know... DT7...
But according to that article about Cadillac new and upcoming nomenclature, DT7 is apparently the new name.

They won't do that, will they?

I mean what would they call the XLR? The XLZ8?

[NoNameDenton]

The next Gen. DTS should have been on a streched Sigma II Chassis.

Like the Chinese SLS

The Fleetwood or FTS should be Cadillac's personal limo, on it's own platoform. designed to take on the LS600, 7xxLi, A8L and LWB S Class.

Word is that the DTS/STS replacement will be on the Zeta platform. Anyways, they should use more direct injection engines, and maybe start looking at turbo engines like Lincoln is doing (that is the only thing Lincoln is doing right). The new car should take the interior of the CTS even farther, more luxurious. I know there was word of a V12 in the works with twin turbos, so I would like to hear more about that. AWD is suppsoed to be an option, so that is covered.

They won't do that, will they?

I mean what would they call the XLR? The XLZ8?

The XLR is supposed to be going away, and the DTS/STS replacment will be called DTZ

[mgescuro]

They won't do that, will they?

I mean what would they call the XLR? The XLZ8?

Possible new Cadillac naming scheme

I guess you haven't seen the new Cadillac naming scheme thread yet???

XLR is supposedly gonna remain the same? Assuming XLR survives at all.
Personally, I think it would be a drastic mistake for Cadillac to dump the XLR. They just need to improve it, so it doesn't look and feel like the interior was designed and engineered by Fisher-Price in cooperation with Bvlgari.

I mean, with what they've done with CTS, there is no reason why a car more than 2x the price of CTS can't have a better interior, right?

That being said, Cadillac's proposed naming scheme sucks balls.

Not only does it decimate all the marketing they've done on the names for the past 2 decades, it still doesn't involve a number scheme to designate engines like all other cars do.

[NoNameDenton]

Possible new Cadillac naming scheme

I guess you haven't seen the new Cadillac naming scheme thread yet???

XLR is supposedly gonna remain the same? Assuming XLR survives at all.
Personally, I think it would be a drastic mistake for Cadillac to dump the XLR. They just need to improve it, so it doesn't look and feel like the interior was designed and engineered by Fisher-Price in cooperation with Bvlgari.

I mean, with what they've done with CTS, there is no reason why a car more than 2x the price of CTS can't have a better interior, right?

That being said, Cadillac's proposed naming scheme sucks balls.

Not only does it decimate all the marketing they've done on the names for the past 2 decades, it still doesn't involve a number scheme to designate engines like all other cars do.

The XLR is too heavy and fuel inefficient, even though it is based on the Vette, the Vette is more fuel efficient, sportier, and lighter. A two seater sports car based on the upcoming Alpha platform would probably be better.

[mgescuro]

The XLR is too heavy and fuel inefficient, even though it is based on the Vette, the Vette is more fuel efficient, sportier, and lighter. A two seater sports car based on the upcoming Alpha platform would probably be better.

A 2 seat sports car, based on Alpha, which will base a goddam pontiac and chevy, would be runious for a Cadillac halo car that sells at $100,000.

And people who buy XLR and SL-Class and XK's could give a rats ass about fuel efficiency. Build the XLR to stand toe to toe with the world best roadsters, and it will sell.

Build the XLR as a cheap imitation of a luxury roadster, and expect it to flop.
Right now, XLR is teetering between cheap imitation and world contender. It's up to Cadillac to push it over to the right side.

Putting XLR on Alpha or Kappa or some other god forsaken cheapo platform is a dumb move. In that case, I would rather see Cadillac kill XLR, than have it fester on a cheap platform.

Besides, the BLS will need a coupe... best to put it on Alpha. NOT XLR.

[NoNameDenton]

A 2 seat sports car, based on Alpha, which will base a goddam pontiac and chevy, would be runious for a Cadillac halo car that sells at $100,000.

And people who buy XLR and SL-Class and XK's could give a rats ass about fuel efficiency. Build the XLR to stand toe to toe with the world best roadsters, and it will sell.

Build the XLR as a cheap imitation of a luxury roadster, and expect it to flop.
Right now, XLR is teetering between cheap imitation and world contender. It's up to Cadillac to push it over to the right side.

Putting XLR on Alpha or Kappa or some other god forsaken cheapo platform is a dumb move. In that case, I would rather see Cadillac kill XLR, than have it fester on a cheap platform.

I never said price it at $100,000. As for calling the Alpha platform cheap, it is technologically more advanced then the XLR platform, since that is the Vette platform, making the XLR to exclusive when you are trying to get more customers into your sow room.

[mgescuro]

I never said price it at $100,000. As for calling the Alpha platform cheap, it is technologically more advanced then the XLR platform, since that is the Vette platform, making the XLR to exclusive when you are trying to get more customers into your sow room.

XLR should sit on C7 -- NOT ALPHA.
Alpha is cheap enough to serve as a base platform for a Chevy. It shouldn't serve as the foundation of a performance roadster that is capable of keeping up with an SL55.

XLR should sell in the $80-100K segment.