I Finally Drive the 2008 CTS

[mgescuro]

It's taken a couple weeks longer than I would have liked, but I finally got a chance to drive the illustrious 2008 Cadillac CTS.

I must say, I didn't expect much from this car.
I have driven the 1st generation CTS, and while it was a great drive, it really was nothing to write home about.
I have driven a number of STS's. And while there are number of STS owners/fans on GMI, I'm sorry to say, the STS is still quite a dog. It's the ultimate wannabe.
So I haven't held out too much hope for this CTS.

I've read the articles. I've read what has been said on here. And I remained skeptical. I have a more discerning eye than most people I know. I look for the subtleties in design and how they all fit together in the overall package -- whether it's clothing, homes, cars, whatever. And seeing GM's recent attempts at better design, I have to say there's a lot of promise, but GM always seems to get tackled on the 5 yard line, never making it into the end zone. There's always something missing.

All that being said, I must say, I'm more than impressed with the 2nd generation CTS. Cadillac has really done an admirable job getting much of the details down in this car. Kudos to them. I believe this is the FIRST car GM has put out that has all important details coming together. And since it's been over 6 years since Lutz has been in control, it's just been a long time in coming.

The Exterior
The car is big. The car is chunky.... in an athletic sort of way. The rear is large -- in an athletic sort of way. The lines are clean and they blend and flow with the car's sharp edges. Of all the Cadillac's with fender vents, the CTS has the only one that looks like it belongs there. They look inappropriate on the STS. They're out of place on the Escalade. If fender vents are to be de rigeur on Cadillacs on the future, they best look like those found on the CTS -- not look like a tacky, 3rd party add-on like STS and Escalade.
The exterior panel fits are flawless. They fit better and closer than STS' I have seen, and it gives the car a "hewn from metal" look.
The one glaring issue I have is the grille. From a distance, it's big and aggressive. The closer you get, the classless, grey plastic is evident. It is unfortunate. The grille is better designed than the previous CTS. But the materials are all wrong. It should be metallic or all chromed.

The Interior
It is quite impressive in person. Better than I had expected. And Better than I had hoped. The salesperson said the interior is "real leather." It looks and feels otherwise. But OK, whatever.
One of my major concerns were the ergonomics of the interior, primarily the window controls and the small temperature guages on the lower corner of the center stack, especially since I"m 6'3". I was plesantly surprised that all controls were reachable and all sightlines were un obstructed.
The tacky, immature, cartoon fonts from the previous CTS interior are gone. The VT100 display font that is common in all GM cars is also non existent on the CTS's instrument cluster screen.
The front center armrest still looks like a tackle box. It's a dual-compartment tackle...err... compartment. The hinges provide a very smooth, tight feel. Very high quality. Too bad the latches are cheap plastic and flimsy.
The wood accents on the car are high quality and robust. It's not flat and non-descript like Escalade or STS. There just isn't enough of it in this car.
The door panels are detailed and high quality. It's a bit unfortunate that the lower part of the door uses hard plastics, as is common with all GM cars. The aluminum accent is a nice touch. And it's real aluminum too. You can feel it's cold to the touch.
The front cupholder is 10x better than the tacky, 3rd rate piece of plastic in the STS. And its better hidden and blends into the overall look of the interior. The major issue I do have is the rear cupholder. Goodness gracious, how tacky can you get!!!??? This is a issue that needs to be addessed.

The switchgear is high quality. I was like "WHOA!" Where did THAT come from!!! Flipping on the signal was solid. Not flimsy. Not plasticky. It was a solid, resounding, thunk. That's right up there with Mercedes. The gear selector was equally as high quality. Putting the car into gear from P to R was a solid feeling. But slamming the gear into D was a shock. It was a solid "thump" into D. The only drawback? The shift knob looks cheap. And no paddle shifter is available on CTS. And the question remains whether or not this switchgear will appear in cars outside the Cadillac lineup. I hope it doesn't. But that's just wishful thinking.
The steeringwheel is well designed, but the wheel itself isn't thick to grip.

I don't know if it has been stated anywhere before, but the interior is actually quite nice, but it's VERY busy. There are angles and curves that go every which way. There's aluminum... wood... plastics... rubberized plastics... various colors... It's too much -- a jumble.

The Drive
The car drives better than I expected. The suspension (I don't know which one this car had), absorbed all the bumps, road imperfections, and freeway lane buttons the car rolled over.
The overall feel of the steering is loose. Almost flimsy. But it's also fairly precise steering. I expected far tighter steering feel from this car and was disappointed when it didn't have it.
Cornering at speed, the car exuded confidence and there was decent feedback from the car. THough, the loose steering bugged me.
I'm impressed by the ride and the drivability of the car.

A major problem I do have is with the engine. This was a base engine CTS. 258HP. The car had the typical GM V6 grumble. In fact, I'd say it was almost athsmatic and grumbly. It wasn't a good sound. Nor was it becoming of a luxury car. I would expect a more refined sound... not the grumble.

Final Thoughts
So, would I buy this car? The short answer is, "No."
The car isn't up to where I think it can be. There are features that I require that just aren't available in this car. Perhaps in the future, they will be available -- bluetooth, adaptive cruise, front parking assist, push button start, power headrests, more attention to rear seat design, rear sunshades, improved front grille.

But the bright spot is, Cadillac finally has all the pieces in place to make the CTS great and to make the Germans, British, and Japanese nervous, assuming all its new cars from this point on are equivalent or better than the CTS.

If Cadillac can get equivalent (not near-equivalent) feature set in the MCE of the CTS, refine the interior design aspects, and fix some of the minor miscues, Cadillac will have an uncompromising product on its hands.
But right now, the CTS is competent. It's not even half-baked. Cadillac just didn't apply the frosting on the cake correctly.

[JBsZ06]

"HALF BAKED" because it was missing these items?

adaptive cruise, front parking assist, push button start, power headrests, more attention to rear seat design, rear sunshades, improved front grille.

Interesting review.. Thanks (even if I don't agree.)

[mgescuro]

Originally Posted by JBsZ06

"HALF BAKED" because it was missing these items?

adaptive cruise, front parking assist, push button start, power headrests, more attention to rear seat design, rear sunshades, improved front grille.

Interesting review.. Thanks (even if I don't agree.)

DId you read it? I said, "It's not even half baked. Cadillac just didn't apply the frosting on the cake correctly."

I did not say, "the CTS was half baked."

[Squachy]

Originally Posted by JBsZ06

"HALF BAKED" because it was missing these items?

adaptive cruise, front parking assist, push button start, power headrests, more attention to rear seat design, rear sunshades, improved front grille.

Interesting review.. Thanks (even if I don't agree.)

Are those even optional?
For one push button i think is prett much standard across the board for all other luxury makes.

BTW Does the CTS feel like a 3 series competitor or does it feel more like a 5 series competitor?

[Tomko]

Many thanks for this mgescuro.

Any thoughts on how quiet the interior was?

[jlmartin99]

mgescuro,

Thanks for the review. My Cadillac dealership has just received the new CTS in stock and I hope to review soon for myself.

JLM

[Pucks]

mgescuro

Wow I'd say that's a pretty positive review coming from such a tough judge.

A couple of questions. The comment about the leather not feeling or looking like leather - you are talking about the dash right? Not the seats?

On the engine grumble - what RPM's were you hitting? Was the window open? When I drove the base 263hp engine, it sounded like a church inside the car. Granted I didn't get over 4000 RPM's.

[JBsZ06]

Half baked or missing the frosting...?


Half the things many people discuss as being needed are quite subjective.

adaptive cruise, front parking assist, push button start, power headrests, more attention to rear seat design, rear sunshades, improved front grille.

I don't want cars that have too much nonsense.. thats why I said thanks for the review even if I don't agree...


Peace out.

[rhvfd10]

So, will you try the CTS-V when it's available? (that might alleviate the steering issue and certainly the engine issue)

[JCS30TH]

Originally Posted by JBsZ06

"HALF BAKED" because it was missing these items?

adaptive cruise, front parking assist, push button start, power headrests, more attention to rear seat design, rear sunshades, improved front grille.

Interesting review.. Thanks (even if I don't agree.)

what a queen. just need a v series with a six speed auto and then it would rrock

[CrunkedRL]

Originally Posted by mgescuro

The Drive

A major problem I do have is with the engine. This was a base engine CTS. 258HP. The car had the typical GM V6 grumble. In fact, I'd say it was almost athsmatic and grumbly. It wasn't a good sound. Nor was it becoming of a luxury car. I would expect a more refined sound... not the grumble.

I would have to agree with you there. GM's 3.6 V6 is much improved over it's predecessors, however it is still a lil' loud and not as smooth and subtle sounding as some of the competition. This was my one and only gripe about the 08' Vue I test drove in relation to mine. But all in all I think this was a pretty fair review....well considering who wrote anyway.

[mgescuro]

Originally Posted by Tomko

Many thanks for this mgescuro.

Any thoughts on how quiet the interior was?

I thought it was fairly quiet and well isolated. It's not Lexus silent. But it's more than acceptable, and you can carry on a conversation at highway speeds. It is comparable to 5-series and A6.

Originally Posted by Pucks

mgescuro

Wow I'd say that's a pretty positive review coming from such a tough judge.

A couple of questions. The comment about the leather not feeling or looking like leather - you are talking about the dash right? Not the seats?

On the engine grumble - what RPM's were you hitting? Was the window open? When I drove the base 263hp engine, it sounded like a church inside the car. Granted I didn't get over 4000 RPM's.

Yes. I meant the dash not feeling/looking like leather. It's like the SRX's interior. It's much better than what it was before. But it's not real leather... or it's real leather that comes from a very grizzly cow.
The seats aren't 100% leather. It's only leather seating surfaces. And the seats are quite comfortable and hold you in place during mildly-aggressive cornering.

I don't recall the engine RPM. It was mostly during acceleration from stop or attempting to pass at highway speeds. The interior IS quiet. But the brash, athsmatic rumble from the engine is there. And it's a very bothersome sound. it could be just a matter of isolating it better... or just engineering a better sounding V6. I don't know how the DI engine sounds.

[GMFreak8]

Originally Posted by JBsZ06

Half baked or missing the frosting...?


Half the things many people discuss as being needed are quite subjective.

adaptive cruise, front parking assist, push button start, power headrests, more attention to rear seat design, rear sunshades, improved front grille.

I've learned to take all his reviews with a grain of salt. He reminds me of the typical journalists. Every time the car doesn't have all the features he wants, it's half-baked, and not good enough.

[mgescuro]

Originally Posted by JBsZ06

Half baked or missing the frosting...?

Half the things many people discuss as being needed are quite subjective.

adaptive cruise, front parking assist, push button start, power headrests, more attention to rear seat design, rear sunshades, improved front grille.

I don't want cars that have too much nonsense.. thats why I said thanks for the review even if I don't agree...

Peace out.

These are optional or standard on E-Class, 5-series, A6, XF, and GS.
These should be available on Cadillacs at the MCE; otherwise, it becomes uncompetitive.

I understand the fact that CTS has to straddle the line between 3-series and 5-series. So it might not have all the bells and whistles the competition has at this point. BUt once BLS arrives, there can be no more excuse.

it's the price of entry into this segment.
Cadillac just needs to tweak the CTS a little to get it up there.

[haleykeek]

It's a beautiful car (the CTS that is).I hope Cadillac sells a ton of these cars.it would be nice if they(Cadillac) could offer a roots style supercharger option for the DI V6.