My review of a 2008 CTS

[63GrandSport001]

One of my co workers has just gotten a 2008 Cadillac CTS black fully loaded I believe which stickered at $46,000.

He was looking at the Lexus IS and Mercedes C class (BMW 5 series, Mercedes E, and Audi A6 he says cost too much).

The IS and Mercedes C class got the thumbs down because he said they were not big enough (my coworker isn't the smallest guy). He was able to get $3,000 (AT&T discount) off and he got 2 years of free oil changes for 2 years.

This black CTS just looks sick, it has a mean stance and from the front end it looks very very mean. But since you all have read tons of reviews on the CTS Ill get to the objective things.

-Suspension

I dont know what suspension package he has but the steering is light in the center but gets nicely weighted as you turn. The car feels as if its connected to the ground yet it doesn't kill your back going over bumps in other words its a nice compromise IMO between ride and handling.

-Transmission

The 6 speed auto works very well, it shifts very smoothly as your just driving around but if you get into the gas it firms up the shifts a bit. I didn't drive it in manual mode but he did with me in the car and the delay isn't too bad, we work right below the Angeles Crest highway which is miles of twisty moutain roads that goes as high as 7,000+ feet but did not drive on it.

-Engine

The car only had around 70 miles when I drove it so I was not able to get into it so I really can't tell you about the engine. Its obviously the 3.6L directly injected version of the motor as this car stickered at $46,000. It honestly though felt like it lacked the low end grunt of my 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix but this most likely due to the added heft that the CTS has over my Grand Prix's 3800.

-Interior

The interior has the buttons in pretty much all of the right places, the design is great and it felt solid. This is not an interior that you would expect from an American car maker however it is the kind of interior that one should demand from the Worlds largest auto maker for a 76 year period.

-Features and toys

This is one area where the CTS does very well and for that reason is doing good in the market that i live in. People here love toys on our cars, the remote start which may not be a new toy however is still pretty rare as not every has an alarm on their car and most cars do not have this feature as of yet. The 8 inch pop up nav is a really cool toy that this car has, when its down you just see it as a small screen with some information on it. Most people probably would not expect to see, we then watched a DVD movie in the car (the audo system is Dolby Digital). We did not rip a CD in it though and we did not use all of the toys.

[CadiEldo67]

Pics would be great if you have the time...

[DuSpinnst]

If he has 18" Wheels and Xenon Headlamps he has at least FE2.

[GMfan1111]

Originally Posted by 63GrandSport001

One of my co workers has just gotten a 2008 Cadillac CTS black fully loaded I believe which stickered at $46,000.

He was looking at the Lexus IS and Mercedes C class (BMW 5 series, Mercedes E, and Audi A6 he says cost too much).

The IS and Mercedes C class got the thumbs down because he said they were not big enough (my coworker isn't the smallest guy). He was able to get $3,000 (AT&T discount) off and he got 2 years of free oil changes for 2 years.

This black CTS just looks sick, it has a mean stance and from the front end it looks very very mean. But since you all have read tons of reviews on the CTS Ill get to the objective things.

-Suspension

I dont know what suspension package he has but the steering is light in the center but gets nicely weighted as you turn. The car feels as if its connected to the ground yet it doesn't kill your back going over bumps in other words its a nice compromise IMO between ride and handling.

-Transmission

The 6 speed auto works very well, it shifts very smoothly as your just driving around but if you get into the gas it firms up the shifts a bit. I didn't drive it in manual mode but he did with me in the car and the delay isn't too bad, we work right below the Angeles Crest highway which is miles of twisty moutain roads that goes as high as 7,000+ feet but did not drive on it.

-Engine

The car only had around 70 miles when I drove it so I was not able to get into it so I really can't tell you about the engine. Its obviously the 3.6L directly injected version of the motor as this car stickered at $46,000. It honestly though felt like it lacked the low end grunt of my 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix but this most likely due to the added heft that the CTS has over my Grand Prix's 3800.

-Interior

The interior has the buttons in pretty much all of the right places, the design is great and it felt solid. This is not an interior that you would expect from an American car maker however it is the kind of interior that one should demand from the Worlds largest auto maker for a 76 year period.

-Features and toys

This is one area where the CTS does very well and for that reason is doing good in the market that i live in. People here love toys on our cars, the remote start which may not be a new toy however is still pretty rare as not every has an alarm on their car and most cars do not have this feature as of yet. The 8 inch pop up nav is a really cool toy that this car has, when its down you just see it as a small screen with some information on it. Most people probably would not expect to see, we then watched a DVD movie in the car (the audo system is Dolby Digital). We did not rip a CD in it though and we did not use all of the toys.

To correct you on one small detail Cadillac does not offer a Dolby system. The audio systems in the new CTS are either the 8 speaker BOSE system from the last gen CTS or the new 5.1 10 speaker cabin surround sound system also from BOSE. and If he has the cool little pop up nav screen he probably has the 10 speaker system. I saw one in Black when i was at a caddy dealership awhile back to look at some used previous gen CTS's and it looked stunning

[emh]

I also happen to think the Cadillac design theme looks best in dark colors (especially balck). I never understood why GM doesn't use more dark colors in print and TV ads instead of (the very common) silver etc., especially before the current CTS came out.

Originally Posted by GMfan1111

To correct you on one small detail Cadillac does not offer a Dolby system. The audio systems in the new CTS are either the 8 speaker BOSE system from the last gen CTS or the new 5.1 10 speaker cabin surround sound system also from BOSE. and If he has the cool little pop up nav screen he probably has the 10 speaker system.

I'm pretty sure the 10sp Bose system does support Dolby Digital.

[GMfan1111]

[quote=emh;1357939]I also happen to think the Cadillac design theme looks best in dark colors (especially balck). I never understood why GM doesn't use more dark colors in print and TV ads instead of (the very common) silver etc., especially before the current CTS came out.


I'm pretty sure the 10sp Bose system does support Dolby Digital.[/quote

i think your right on that emh I was reading an article from about a year ago and it could have been wrong about the stereo options. and I can't wait until I get my new car in a few years I'm actually looking at a used 1st gen CTS (with the 3.6 liter V6) as a possible replacement for my Bu. Both generations look great and they are fun cars to drive

[Bobby68]

I just purchased a 2004 CTS. I admit that I knew very little about Cadillacs when I went to the dealership (Randy Adams, Inc. in New Braunfels, Texas). I got a sales guy who really knew what he was doing, and I also got a great deal on the car.

I'm new to this discussion forum and am looking forward to learning more about my CTS. Thanks for all the great posts!

[FenwickHockey65]

Originally Posted by Bobby68

I just purchased a 2004 CTS. I admit that I knew very little about Cadillacs when I went to the dealership (Randy Adams, Inc. in New Braunfels, Texas). I got a sales guy who really knew what he was doing, and I also got a great deal on the car.

I'm new to this discussion forum and am looking forward to learning more about my CTS. Thanks for all the great posts!

Nice choice. Welcome to GMi, and trust me, you will learn loads here.

[cawimmer430]

Nice review.

I thought I would never see this car in real life but I did at Geneva and I was very impressed. Caddy is back!

Originally Posted by CadiEldo67

Pics would be great if you have the time...

Here you go.










And while we're at it, some Cadillac girls from Geneva.


Behind the wheel of the CTS...

[powervette]

Even Cadillac's chicks are worse than those of competition

[cawimmer430]

Originally Posted by powervette

Even Cadillac's chicks are worse than those of competition

Well the hottest babes were hands down at Alfa Romeo!

The Caddy babes weren't bad.

PS: Hope I am not hijacking the thread.

More babes here: http://www.germancarzone.com/off-top...%2A%2A%2A.html


ALFA ROMEO BABES

[LoveMyCentury]

My parents just took delivery (a month early to boot!) of their 2008 Thunder Gray CTS with black interior. It is fully loaded (everything but the engine block heater) with the all-season performance package. They came up for a visit the other day to show it off, and I got to drive it around town. I am still positively giddy over all the toys in it, though I sadly didn't get a lot of time to play. I personally enoyed the fact that even though there is no key, there is something to turn to turn the car on (and yes, it does return the favor ). I was immediately impressed with how smooth it shifted (big upgrade from the 4 sp auto in my Lucerne) and how comfortable the ride and seats were. Obviously the seats are much firmer and fit much more than big cushy Buick seats, but there is no sacrifice in comfort.

Merging onto the highway and doing a pass or two was an awesome and pretty exhilirating experience. The steering was nice and tight and quite responsive. And the fact that even my parents could figure out the technology on their own and explain how to work things says A LOT about just how well GM has set all of that up. Sadly, they didn't like my proposal of taking the Lucerne back with them...haha.

Sorry for the hijack/bad review. I'm not entirely experienced in these things, so bear with me. But I agree with everything that 63GrandSport had to say. Now I REALLY want the wagon!

[JBsZ06]

I enjoyed your review. I took ownership of an 08 CTS in october and although its not a race car. I'm very impressed with the power levels for a sports sedan.

[63GrandSport001]

Every day that I go into work and see his black CTS sitting at the entrance/exit to my yard it pushes me closer to buy a Pontiac G8 GT lol.

I believe that it says Dolby Digital on his radio but I could double check to make sure and Ill see about getting my Canon S3 IS back from my friend so I can take pics of his car.

The bad news is loser made the choice to key his car............ its only about a 1 inch scratch but still sucks.