CADILLAC STS: Sedan exceeds expectations

[91 s-10baja]

July 14, 2005

Description: Rear- or all-wheel drive five-passenger sport sedan.

Price range: MSRPs run from $40,525 for a rear-drive V6 STS to $59,990 for an all-wheel drive V8, excluding destination charges.

Reality check: GM's Employee Discount for Everyone incentive lowers the actual price for a V6 STS to $37,040.

The numbers: The STS has met or exceeded GM's goals. Cadillac sold 3,719 in June and 17,477 in the first half of the year. The sport sedan is on track to top GM's annual sales goal of 30,000 cars by a wide margin.

Bottom line: The STS is a critical and commercial success. It racked up positive reviews when it debuted last year. Its performance and technology have made Cadillac a legitimate competitor to Mercedes-Benz and BMW for the first time in decades.

"The car has impressed all of us," said Frank Markus, technical editor of Motor Trend. "The V6 has such good performance that it's almost preferable to the V8, the design is good and the ergonomics are excellent.

"It's a pretty popular package."
http://www.freep.com/money/autorevie...e_20050714.htm

[ZillaZ]

Originally Posted by 91 s-10baja

The V6 has such good performance that it's almost preferable to the V8

I agree, drove one for a week before I noticed it had a V6, the performance is unbelievable for a V6... I usually pop the hood and checkout the engine but I had no reason to think it wasn't a V8 until I found the window sticker archived in the glove box and read V6 on it. After a brief highway on-off with a friend, I had to pop the hood to convince him it was not a V8.

[mgescuro]

No doubting the Cadillac has the performance credentials. IT actually went to a gunfight with a gun for a change. Unfortunately... in that gunfight, everyone is wearing a suit and tie, while the Cadillac is wearing khakis.

In short.... the Cadillac's interior lacks the detail and refinement of the Germans and Japanes.

[plane]

Originally Posted by mgescuro

No doubting the Cadillac has the performance credentials. IT actually went to a gunfight with a gun for a change. Unfortunately... in that gunfight, everyone is wearing a suit and tie, while the Cadillac is wearing khakis.

In short.... the Cadillac's interior lacks the detail and refinement of the Germans and Japanes.

Can you add a few details? It would be interesting to hear why/how the STS interior falls short.

Hopefully, GM is committed across the board to continuous improvement and that problem will diminish.

[tgagneguam]

...The numbers: The STS has met or exceeded GM's goals. Cadillac sold 3,719 in June and 17,477 in the first half of the year. The sport sedan is on track to top GM's annual sales goal of 30,000 cars by a wide margin...

Don't get me wrong, I'm pleased as punch that the STS seems to be doing well in a crowded, competitive field.

However, the above quote makes me wonder if GM has changed to sandbagging the press a bit. It's interesting that the STS was slated to sell 30,000 units, but they magically possess the capacity to build more. I wonder if GM is taking the same approach with the HHR sales predictions, too. In that way, you get the best of both worlds: if a vehicle sells slowly, then you point out that it wasn't meant to sell well. If it sells well, you get to headline with more robust sales than predicted.

It seems a few Japanese makes engage in the same type of predictions. As one example, the new Avalon was supposed to sell 80,000 units per annum, yet recent sales figures suggest a 120,000/year sales rate - and they've been meeting the demand. Funny that!

Even if my theory is correct, I prefer the new mindest to GM's former overly optimistic sales projections.

[saturnsteve]

I just bought one of those for my parents, I really like this car a lot, I might get one myself

[Ghrankenstein]

Originally Posted by plane

Can you add a few details? It would be interesting to hear why/how the STS interior falls short.

Hopefully, GM is committed across the board to continuous improvement and that problem will diminish.

The STS's interior is best described as austere. The dash is uncluttered, and the trim pieces (brushed aluminum or eucalyptus) are tasteful and high quality. The feng-shui use of spring-loaded covers for various controls, an ergonomic disaster, is fortunately lacking in the STS. Everything is intuitive to use, at least for me anyway.

The STS is not a wash of the shapes and shiny things that a lot of people attribute to a "nice" interior. Where the nitpickers have their heyday is with the partsbin foot parking-brake, with its clunky foot release. The cupholder covers are also thin plastic that likes to collect dust.

The dash materials, while having returned to an "animal" grain from the CTS's crosshatching, still feel better than they look, though the low-glare surface has already won me customers over the Infiniti M. To get really picky, the upper and lower dash have a larger fit-gap than I'd like.

I'll save the rest for a longer review, but that's where you can find fault in a car where you really need to look to find it.

Ghrank

[GM-10]

This is one solid car. A car that would not embarass its owner in the front of any of its stated competitiors. It hasn't quite yet made Cadillac the Standard of the world.

But this car puts a crooked smile on my face because I knowthat Cadillac is well on its way...and the next time around I just get the sneaking suspicion Cadiilac will be a game changer.

Just hearing the glowing reports of the next Generation CTS has me excited.

As a GM fan...Cadillac finally makes you able be proud.

[asim]

Originally Posted by 91 s-10baja

"The V6 has such good performance that it's almost preferable to the V8.

I rode in a V8 with AWD before, but never in the V6. But to hear this news is great.

[powervette]

I finally saw one when I was a few days ago in Barcelona-Spain,It looks awesome!
I was driving a rented Citroen Berlingo about 140 km/h on the highway and a dark grey STS overtook me on the left lane.I wish I had more time to look for a Cadillac dealership,I even saw a dealership called "Multi-Marca" from a train,but it had also Ferrari and..Peugeot banners on it.

[megeebee]

Originally Posted by ZillaZ

I agree, drove one for a week before I noticed it had a V6, the performance is unbelievable for a V6... I usually pop the hood and checkout the engine but I had no reason to think it wasn't a V8 until I found the window sticker archived in the glove box and read V6 on it. After a brief highway on-off with a friend, I had to pop the hood to convince him it was not a V8.

...if you think the 6 is great in the STS (and you're right, it is), try it in the CTS. I just love mine!

[GMObsession6]

My dad is getting an awd V8 tomorrow. cant wait

[stevecmh]

I have sat in the STS and I think it's interior is perfect. I think it was the best one that GM has.

[AdmiralViscen]

Originally Posted by tgagneguam

Don't get me wrong, I'm pleased as punch that the STS seems to be doing well in a crowded, competitive field.

However, the above quote makes me wonder if GM has changed to sandbagging the press a bit. It's interesting that the STS was slated to sell 30,000 units, but they magically possess the capacity to build more. I wonder if GM is taking the same approach with the HHR sales predictions, too. In that way, you get the best of both worlds: if a vehicle sells slowly, then you point out that it wasn't meant to sell well. If it sells well, you get to headline with more robust sales than predicted.

It seems a few Japanese makes engage in the same type of predictions. As one example, the new Avalon was supposed to sell 80,000 units per annum, yet recent sales figures suggest a 120,000/year sales rate - and they've been meeting the demand. Funny that!

Even if my theory is correct, I prefer the new mindest to GM's former overly optimistic sales projections.

There is nothing magical about GM's ability to buil dmore cars than planned. It's built on Sigma, at the same plant as CTS and SRX. Flexible manufacutring allows them to tweak production depending on demand.

Only a totally stupid company would set a sales goal, and then make sure that that model was built at a factory that could only build PRECISELY that number of units each year.

[SSrevolution]

Originally Posted by saturnsteve

I just bought one of those for my parents, I really like this car a lot, I might get one myself

Who are you? Jerry Seinfeld?