British don't seem to like CTS

[Chaz_23]

I've concluded that the English are incapable of making reasonable value judgments. They're stuck in some non-existent world of English luxury. Ever since they stopped being good at anything all they can do is whine about the faults of others.

[A Bum In A Bus]

This guy must have driven the CTS from his sofa, with a hot dog in one hand and his ---- in the other, he has certainly missed the mark on his assessment of a very good automobile.

[SSJ]

Can someone please remind me how well the British Auto Industry did...


Thats what I thought.

[JerryL]

I did a GM/Car and Driver "Ride and Drive" with the CTS and a 5-series .......I very much preferred the Cadillac.
But the "shopping bag" they gave us was kind of cheesy.

[FireFox89]

Originally Posted by zete

God forbid anything American stacks up.

I could understand if he moaned about some techno-stuff (push button start, Bluetooth) but the fact he can't even get the size right is just shocking.

Or maybe the cts magically shrinks on their way across the pond to the size abit bigger then the 3 series.....<sarcasm>

[BigThreeForever]

The reviewer sounds like an utter fool to me and, moreover, one who displays a truly profound ignorance of the product.

It comes as no real surprise, though. Please bear in mind that there is no shortage of Jeremy Clarkson wannabees in the UK (and doubtless many other places) . . . glib, loud-mouthed, know-nothing braggarts who think they're comedians, in other words.

Clarkson has single-handedly trashed the standards of automotive journalism over there and has become a wealthy man doing so. I met (and argued with) him back in 1998. Not a pleasant experience.

Dismissing US vehicles out of hand has been the M.O. in all of Europe for decades. It's not just the UK. I mean, have you Read Car & Driver, Automobile or Motor Trend lately? Or viewed TTAC, etc?

[tgunnd39]

Originally Posted by zl-1

I think it's a few details here and there, but mostly a perception issue.

Not to be snarky, zl-1, but it is not a few details.

This car is definitely an example of GM's best, wherein the details have definitely not been overlooked.

I own an '08 CTS, as you can see, and there is not a thing wrong with this care; NOT A THING!

Yes I am screaming that loudly. Is it my perception? Most definitely. But I will tell you this: The engine is smooth and quiet, and may I add, more powerful than the 5.4 liter V8 in Ford's Mustang GT. The interior is far and away the best in class and the build quality, (at least in my car) is first rate. Everyone who sees the car is taken by its styling and appeal, and those who ride with me are impressed with the product.

Am I biased? I will admit to that, however, I am not looking at this car through rose colored glasses. I am justifiably proud of what Cadillac/GM has done with this vehicle.

So, GM can produce world-class products, if they put their hearts and minds to it, (as I believe most of their engineering and styling staff want to do)? And if this particular reviewer can get past his Britain-no-longer-has-an-auto-industry-worth-speaking-of bias, then perhaps he will give the car a fair shake. Until that happens, I would not put too much credence in what he writes about the CTS.

My .02

[t-rex]

Just can't admit the CTS is good, but not 100%, can you?

Maybe if GM quit thinking like you people, and strove to SURPASS the competition, instead of sadly running behind yelling "hey guys, wait up for me...".

And yes, I've driven the CTS and the transmission didn't feel jerky at all, but who's to day the export models don't have a different shift program? And the power window switches ARE cheap (one of the first things I noticed when I got in the CTS), and they're in an awkward position too.

The reason so many of you are miffed is because you simply can't grasp the concept of objectivity. Like everybody else in this country, you're not happy unless somebody's kissing your asse.

Get over it.

[tkrelston]

Originally Posted by boblutzfan

Why can't GM design a 5 series competitor that isn't so portly. It seems that every entry GM has weighs more than the competition. Yes - the CTS is 5 series sized...but comes with the weight of the driver already built into the car. I could drive the 5 series and it would still weight less than the CTS...

Do you really want to pay the difference for GM to swap the steel to aluminum like BMW?

I recently heard somewhere that:
Aluminum is fetching roughly $0.75 per lb
Steel is fetching roughly $150.00 per Ton

[Xenon]

The review would be different with the diesel. And I'd admit, the 3.6 is not a good sounding engine.

[mbukukanyau]

Do not forget that these guys are children of oppressors. They were left on the islands after the oppressed fled to new lands. Their values are not exactly the best, handed down from generation to generation. Look at that clarkson guy for example. He is a self abosrbed moron who cannot even hold a spanner, yet he papports to know everything about cars.

[usa1]

We have to remember that the CTS costs a lot more in UK than in the US. You expect more when you pay more.

Mark

[mbukukanyau]

Originally Posted by usa1

We have to remember that the CTS costs a lot more in UK than in the US. You expect more when you pay more.

Mark

why would it cost more? US $$$ is down.

[mgescuro]

Originally Posted by patrickbec

Cadillac's second-generation CTS, now available in the UK in right-hand drive. Like its predecessor, it's sized approximately half way between the BMW 3-series and 5-series, with its appeal based around distinctive style, copious standard equipment and generous prices.

Well... that's wrong, because CTS is identical in size to the 5-series.

Originally Posted by patrickbec

What's it like?
Good in parts. In terms of its talents, this is the most complete Cadillac yet to reach these shores - although that's hardly glowing praise.

Yes... "in parts." And that shouldn't ever be the case in a Cadillac.

Originally Posted by patrickbec

GM has decided to re-engineer the CTS for right-hand drive despite the fact that only a few hundred examples a year will be sold in the UK, believing that it will help to win hearts and minds to the brand's new, sportier direction.

But that's a good thing for GM to actually make the effort to build and engineer a RHD car. Remember, the UK isn't the only country in the world that uses RHD. India is a Huuuuuuge market. And CTS could make a good impression in highly image conscious Japan too.

Originally Posted by patrickbec

Visually it looks far better than the slabby previous-generation CTS, with neat details (including a very intricate front wing stamping) and plenty of what the design team refer to as 'bling'.

CTS is still slabby. It's just more athletic.
The intricate front wing stamp is great. Unfortunately, it doesn't carry over into a single other Cadillac.
"Bling" is a very tacky word. It is also not very "luxurious" and "sophisticated." It's simply unbecoming of a Cadillac. CAn't Cadillac marketers call it something else? Something better than "bling," but not as stupid as "brightwork."

Originally Posted by patrickbec

The interior is very good for an American car, too, with a UK models getting a standard leather-stitched dashboard top and a well designed instrument fascia. An advanced touch-screen satnav and multimedia audio system is standard.

It is very good for an American car. I think it can be better.
Now... wait... The CTS uses stitched leatherette. Is this an error on the reviewer's part? Or does the UK version of the CTS actually get leather??

Originally Posted by patrickbec

Yes, there are still some patches of cheap materials - the electric window switches lack the premium feel that GM has strived for - but you have to look for them. As a static proposition, it's an impressive package.

Yes. the window switches are something GM just hasn't been able to get right. Plus the door handles. And yes, you do have to look for them, but they're there. It is unlike the last CTS, when you sat down and could go... cheap cheap cheap cheap cheap....

Originally Posted by patrickbec

Unfortunately the range-topping CTS's driving dynamics conspire to let it down slightly. The engine has to be worked hard to deliver on its performance claims, and sounds thrashy when you do so, and the gearbox software lacks much in the way of finesse, kicking down aggressively in response to requests for overtaking urge.

Thrashy? Abso-friggin-lutely. Cadillac needs to refine that engine so it doesn't sound like it has a cold.
Driving dynamics are not what I would consider a "let down." I would say that there is a certain "numb precision" about the CTS. The CTS is very compliant. It will track precisely. But the steering is loose and doesn't give as much confidence in steering as I would like -- or would expect from a sports sedan.
Gearbox software can use some tweaking, but I wouldn't say it lacked finesse. Nothing a DSG option couldn't correct.

Originally Posted by patrickbec

The 3.6 also gets sports suspension as standard, which seems to have been set up with little regard for Britain's jagged road surfaces, over which it feels too stiff.

THey get FE3 standard?

I thought this was a pretty fair assessment of the CTS.
We need to understand that the European press isn't going to be as kind as the American press on the CTS. The Europeans simply have better driving cars, and they are used to it. The fact that the CTS is being recognized as quite a competent vehicle, with "american bling," is already a complement in and of itself.

Whether or not that is enough for CTS to gain in sales and recognition is an entirely separate discussion.

[mcool]

Originally Posted by rueben44

The British are just sore at America in a lot of ways. They feel castrated as a world power by us and they often show it in car reviews or in other ways. Anyone that has even sat in the CTS know that interior is not only world class it outclasses the C and E class Benz's and matches or best up to the 5 series in every detail. The engine is also very refined and not trashy I mean come on.

I agree with your perspective of the Brits. Apparently when the only major industry you have left is finance, and you've largely sold off other major "actual product"-making inudstrial entities such as automakers and the like, that earns you the ultimately elitist megaphone.

Truth be told, GBR is fast on its way toward irrelevance with its massive contraction from its imperial days and its present desire not to project itself as a world power in the physical sense. But I guess their shrunken naval power still out does their presence in the automotive world... how many kit car brands does it take to make a national presense in automobiles? How many other countries own their premier marques?

All I know is the more the US acts like the UK, the worse off we'll be.

As to the CTS... it's their sour grapes. The CTS is competent if not class leading in many ways, and no way does a BMW 3 or 5 ride better in Britain with similarly sized wheels and tires than a CTS.