[tripowergto Jan2003]

I was randomly watching a video of a tuned CT4-V BW last night, and the wife looked at me and asked, “Will you buy that car for me?” I said yes, but my wallet says no lol! It was the light blue with Carbon package, great looking car. She likes how quick it is, she’s always stoplight racing. . . . part of why I rarely let her drive my car. . . .

But.... at least you got permission from the Mrs. Step one complete. Now your inner motorhead will attempt to connive the means to procure said desired device. That's exactly how I managed to purchase our unnecessary Hot Wheels 50th conv. The wife said "I want that" looking over my shoulder at my desktop during the dark dreary winter daze.

 

[bmwboy2007]

I’m not trying to be rude or snide, but have you ever driven a manual transmission?

I drive because I love driving. I go to the track because I want to be involved in and be the reason for my lap times. I love heel-toeing into a corner, grabbing a gear and pulling out of that corner and having the satisfying feeling of knowing I did that. I was involved. I could mess that all up, or do it perfectly, or pretty good lol. There is a sense of accomplishment. Yeah, missing a shift at the drag strip or racing your buddy sucks, but that’s part of it, working to do better the next time. Improving your launch, etc. All of it is involvement and driving joy.

It has NOTHING to do with fastest, quickest, top speed. It is about driving. I am so sick of the hyper focus on the fastest shifting tranny, the best launch control with perfect RPMs, and traction control aided launches. The fact is, anyone can hop in a new performance car, turn on all the launch control stuff, hold brake, hold gas, lift brake, and point car straight. Zero skill or driver involvement needed.

I want to drive the car. Who cares about the fastest this or that?? I’ve driven a Tesla Plaid, yawn, I’ll take the wife’s manual Honda Accord over that Tesla any day. Everybody talks about the fastest shifting this or the fastest accelerating that, but who ever tests those metrics? Who actually uses their car to that level? Almost nobody. So what does it matter? But start looking at the cars at a local track day or autocross event, almost every one is a stick. These are enthusiasts that love driving, that love their cars, and actually test them at their limits and sometimes beyond. It’s so fun to talk with guys about shifting strategy, when they are changing gears, ways to cut fractions of time off of their lap, and they do that by driving better.

I could go on all day. But the point is, I want to be involved in driving my car, and that gives me satisfaction.

You would be hard pressed to find anyone my age that's unfamiliar with a standard shift transmission. I've been there and done that, and yes, there's some appeal to be had there, but for me, it's not really worth the inconvenience, compared to being able to put the car in drive and forget it. Urban stop and go traffic and freeway stop and go traffic do not lend themselves well to a positive experience with a standard transmission. I'm not a race car driver, What I like is strong performance and ease of operation. I use cruise control whenever feasible.

I never felt the need to create "doughnuts" or excessive tire wear from burninig rubber. It seems wasteful and pointless to me to engage in that sort of thing. I only offered up "fastest shifting" as I thought perhaps that was the point. I never felt the need to explore the limits of performance of any vehicle I'm driving. I always felt that if I'm driving correctly, I won't find myself at the limits of performance, nor should that be an objective. If you're driving your vehicle at or near the limits of its capabilities, that doesn't leave much room for error, does it?

Anyway.. All of this is outside my wheelhouse.. I was simply trying to gain insights as to the motivations for preferring a standard shift today, considering all the advances in automatic transmissions recently.

 

[hoser]

but for me, it's not really worth the inconvenience, compared to being able to put the car in drive and forget it.

I'm not a race car driver, What I like is strong performance and ease of operation. I use cruise control whenever feasible.

I never felt the need to explore the limits of performance of any vehicle I'm driving. I always felt that if I'm driving correctly, I won't find myself at the limits of performance, nor should that be an objective. If you're driving your vehicle at or near the limits of its capabilities, that doesn't leave much room for error, does it?

Anyway.. All of this is outside my wheelhouse.. I was simply trying to gain insights as to the motivations for preferring a standard shift today, considering all the advances in automatic transmissions recently.

These are the points that greatly differ in our view of driving and the reason I prefer a manual transmission. To me, there is no inconvenience in driving a stick, only satisfaction, yes even in traffic, it doesn’t bother me. And not leaving room for error is the point. Yes guys go off the track, yes guys spin out, but that’s why we do it at the track, it’s safe, there’s very little risk of damaging your car or yourself, and you are surrounded by other drivers that are hyper-focused on driving and the people around them, not their cell phone. I feel much safer at the track than I do on the public roads.

But to answer your curiosity, it is about the drive, the experience, and the satisfaction, and even reward from driving a manual and operating it properly. It’s not about absolute fastest lap or drag time.

 

[Cphelps]

You would be hard pressed to find anyone my age that's unfamiliar with a standard shift transmission. I've been there and done that, and yes, there's some appeal to be had there, but for me, it's not really worth the inconvenience, compared to being able to put the car in drive and forget it. Urban stop and go traffic and freeway stop and go traffic do not lend themselves well to a positive experience with a standard transmission. I'm not a race car driver, What I like is strong performance and ease of operation. I use cruise control whenever feasible.

I never felt the need to create "doughnuts" or excessive tire wear from burninig rubber. It seems wasteful and pointless to me to engage in that sort of thing. I only offered up "fastest shifting" as I thought perhaps that was the point. I never felt the need to explore the limits of performance of any vehicle I'm driving. I always felt that if I'm driving correctly, I won't find myself at the limits of performance, nor should that be an objective. If you're driving your vehicle at or near the limits of its capabilities, that doesn't leave much room for error, does it?

Anyway.. All of this is outside my wheelhouse.. I was simply trying to gain insights as to the motivations for preferring a standard shift today, considering all the advances in automatic transmissions recently.

For me it's all the things already stated, it's just more fun and engaging. I also live in a rural area where heavy traffic is very uncommon, so it's easier to enjoy the stick. If I had to sit in parking lot traffic daily I might have a different outlook, at least for a DD.

I'll also say that a few times I've decided to "play" with manually shifted automatics and it's always one of those things that I do once or twice and then just give up and let the car do it, b/c it just seems sort of "pointless", but I never feel like that when driving a manual. Granted the cars I have driven weren't the most sporty cars ever anyway, but I just feel like there's something missing without the 3rd pedal involvement. I don't make a living based on laptimes (and haven't been on a track since my kids were born due to time and money), and try to be sane on the street, so I don't really care if the best autos are faster, they are just less fun to me.

I also haven't driven a high end DCT yet like PDK or in the C8 so it's possible that could win me over.

 

[CaptainDan]

I can’t seem to find any Camaros with the Sedan option. . . . .

Sorry, the SS sedan went out of production after '17.

 

[LowRider]

Sorry, the SS sedan went out of production after '17.

Nice car but the SS was on Zeta and the current Camaro is on Alpha.

 

[CaptainDan]

Nice car but the SS was on Zeta and the current Camaro is on Alpha.

And if an Alpha Camaro could be made, then an Alpha SS (or whatever Chevy sedan) could have been made.

 

[hoser]

And if an Alpha Camaro could be made, then an Alpha SS (or whatever Chevy sedan) could have been made.

It was and is being made. Previously called the ATS and CTS, currently called the CT4 and CT5.

 

[CaptainDan]

It was and is being made. Previously called the ATS and CTS, currently called the CT4 and CT5.

I had not heard about any Chevy versions of those. Any word on when?

 

[hoser]

I had not heard about any Chevy versions of those. Any word on when?

I guess I misread your post, thought you were implying that there wasn’t an Alpha sedan at all, but realized you were talking about one that specifically wears a bowtie. With the decline of sedan sales, we can be almost 100% sure there will be no Alpha sedan wearing a Bowtie. . . Which is sad.

 

[6cylinder]

It's semantics but the 6th gen being too much of a Cadillac was a problem. I don't think luxury cars appeal to enough Americans looking for a fun car. I could also see the Mustang continue to wither like it mostly has since their 5th gen.

 

[dannyg]

Caddy Society is talking about a 2024 CT4 prototype with EPA certification equipment, suggesting it needs to be re-certified for 2024. They say that means either engine mods or perhaps a new/updated tranny or weight changes within various parameters. Can't wait to see what it is.

Is This Cadillac CT4 Prototype Testing A More Powerful Engine?

We spotted a Cadillac CT4 testing with the EPA Portable Emissions Testing System, signaling that powertrain updates could be coming.

cadillacsociety.com

Personally I'm hoping it's a 2.0T with more power because that could be used in many other GM vehicles. The 2.7T hp/torque has already been increased for the truck program.

 

[tripowergto Jan2003]

Caddy Society is talking about a 2024 CT4 prototype with EPA certification equipment, suggesting it needs to be re-certified for 2024. They say that means either engine mods or perhaps a new/updated tranny or weight changes within various parameters. Can't wait to see what it is.

Might you have a have any insight on when the Lansing factory changes over to 2024 models? I'm trying to perfectly time my '23 CT4-V BW purchase to leverage below MSRP on an outgoing model.

 

[rockyspaw]

Might you have a have any insight on when the Lansing factory changes over to 2024 models? I'm trying to perfectly time my '23 CT4-V BW purchase to leverage below MSRP on an outgoing model.

I was just at my dealer Wednesday to have my ATS' 52k checkup and oil change. They had 4 CT4 V Blackwings! Beautiful cars (for 4-doors). It felt very "familiar" inside, despsite all the changes from the ATS. I don't have a fat a**, but I found the performance seats very uncomfortable and hard, pinching me into the seat. Also, it was difficult for me to enter and exit, due to the short doors (compared to my coupe).

 

[dannyg]

Might you have a have any insight on when the Lansing factory changes over to 2024 models? I'm trying to perfectly time my '23 CT4-V BW purchase to leverage below MSRP on an outgoing model.

The Authority talks about July as the start of production for 2024s. With the updated interior in the 2024s, I expect regular 2023s should be discounted at least a bit...not sure about BWs. Good luck!!

gm authority dot com/blog/2023/01/heres-when-2024-cadillac-ct4-production-will-start/