2006 Cadillac DTS: FULL TEST DRIVE.

[pagemaster]

Highs:Nice Interior. lots of room, very well thought of radio/hvac controls.

Lows: Average powertrain, strange noise inside the interior, compicated information centre.

A few weeks back I sat in a new Cadillac DTS and was left with a good impression of the interior. Things seemed to fit well and it felt luxurious. I was tempted today to test drive the new 2006 DTS while I was waiting for service at my local Toyota dealership (there is a Cadillac dealership next door). Lets just say I was impressed with the interior but read on I was not impressed with the car.

Overall the car felt like “yesterday’s” model. Perhaps it is because it really does feel like a re-skinned 2000 version. The model I test drove was cashmere in color and was the DTS luxury I version.

Ride was average and nothing really to brag about. To bad I didn’t test drive model with the magnetic ride control. Braking was decent with significant front end dive when braking hard. I liked the front cornering lights but personally I think the integrated mirror turn signals are a distraction and could result in an accident as it is hard to see out of the mirror when the lights are activated.

Probably the most disappointing aspect of the test drive was the powertrain. I am sorry Cadillac, it seems like nothing was changed from back in 1994 or so when the first Northstar appeared in De Ville Concours. The DTS has 275 hp which felt like it but only 292 lb pounds of torque. It felt like this car was underpowered for the size of the vehicle. Perhaps a 5 speed transmission could help out? But I forgot, nothing really has seemed to changed since the 1994 De Ville Concours.

Acceleration was average. Again it could have been better if had 5 speed transmissions, or perhaps a 6 speed. Another thing that was annoying was that the stabilitrak engaged twice with semi hard acceleration. The 32V northstar was somewhat smooth but not as smooth as my 2003 Toyota 4.7 engine or my parents Cadillac STS engine.

Inside controls were somewhat easy to use. What I mean by that is that the radio and hvac controls were easy to use but the information center next to the steering wheel and the heated/cooled seats controls were are little difficult to use. Overall the HVAC system is one of the most intuitive systems ever made and that is achieved by using a combination of up/down buttons for heat/cool temperature and a rotary dial for the fan and area setting. Good job Cadillac. Another really interesting and useful feature that I noticed was that the radio preset buttons listed both AM and FM on the same screen. No need to switch over to AM when you want to hear the news or FM when you want music. The analog clock was not a useful feature when the car was moving as it was difficult to tell what time it was without having your eyes off the road.

The rear seats area was very spacious but with a rear climate control system. It is too bad that the Lexus LS430 rear seat area really puts this car to shame, however, I don’t see many older folks really worry about all the rear seat stuff.

Two very annoying things I noticed in this car. First was when I went to changed the lights to high beam there seemed to be some strange mechanical noise coming from the engine compartment. Second, after adjusting some controls in the information center, the car honked twice I drove away.

Well after my test drive was over. It seemed that there was a lot left to be desired. For $55,000 CAN the new 2006 DTS is not worth the price when basically it is just a re-skinned slight warmer redesign of a previous model. To sum it all up, it really seemed I was driving a previous Cadillac (ala 2000) and not a new 2006 Cadillac.

[ocmdog]

Dam*, that sucks. GM has some serious work to do.

[member12]

That sucks.

I really like the look of the DTS. The Cadillac style goes much better on a longer car. They look so good on the road, much better, cleaner, yet edgier than every other car.

[Vintalage]

This is what happens when you half step.

As far as the noise you heard from the engine compartment when you switched to high beam, that is the motor aiming the HIDs higher. The HIDs are Bi-Xenon so a motor moves it up and down for low beam and high beam.

[pagemaster]

As far as the noise you heard from the engine compartment when you switched to high beam, that is the motor aiming the HIDs higher

Good to know but it didn't sound all the nice.

One other thing about the headlights. The hi beams don't really do much once when you put them on, that has more to do with the reg lights lighting up the road very well.