Cadillac CTS Impressions (sorry no CTS-V)
10-02-2004, 06:49 AM
#1
Cadillac CTS Impressions (sorry no CTS-V)
Friend of a friend of mine just picked up an 04 CTS Caddy. Numbers on it are something like 240hp 250 ft/lbs on a DOHC Variable Valve Timed 3.2L V6. I noticed it used dual throttle bodies as well.
I've never been impressed by a general motors sedan. Cavaliers, sunfires, luminas, the new malibus - they're all crap. They had some nice power out of the SSEI line of the bonnevilles, and the new GTO is no slouch, but none of them are anywhere nearly well assembled, dependable, or as refined as our CLs....
His first gripe was that he's only got 10k on the odometer, and it's had 5 weeks of shoptime already fixing electronic issues. Jeez America, we used to know how to design a car......
Anyway....
I sat down in this thing, and didn't have any legroom (I'm 6'2'' 250). Slid the seat back an inch or two to it's maximum, still, if I didnt turn my legs sideways, they were in the dashboard, which came to a sharp angle right at the knees.
The inside felt cheap - the paneling was a resin plastic material. The lines on the inside were very nice, very well sculpted. Impressive for a caddy. It was not plush. The seats weren't soft. The leather was hard, the carpets were standard issue GM, as were all the plastics and trim. The onboard computer in the center console, which controlled everything from the radio, to the air conditioner, to the traction control with a selector wheel and a text LCD readout screen was pretty slick.
The whole feel of the car was very BMW 3 series. They've made something to go after the 3 series with. The backseat was non-existant, and I don't think the rear seat flipped either. The sound system was impressive, probably more so than the Bose in my 01 CL.
He took me for a spin, couple of nice straighaways, and through some switchbacks. (I live in Kentucky, we have some nice roadways for real driving).
It held the road tight. I couldn't tell it was an RWD car. The traction control made the car idiot proof (the guy couldnt drive, braking at the wrong points in hard corners, not going fast in fast out..etc.)
The transmission was what I was most impressed with. It was an auto / sequential tranny. When he wound it out and then let off (even without being in sequential shift) - as long as he wasn't at the top of the RPM range, it didnt upshift. It kept it in the hightened RPM range until you wound it out all the way. OMG - the races I'd of won in my CL if my tranny behaved like this......
It cornered fairly nimbly, again, reminding me of a 3.25 or 3.30 i BMW. I asked him if he'd broken the backend of it loose. He turned off the traction control, and we hit a cul-de-sac street at the industrial park. It didn't have enough ass, or the traction control really never is turned off. It came loose, but only for a split second before hooking back up. I dont suppose this is a bad thing, but it makes me think the car is underpowered.
The car got up to 70-80 pretty quickly, but it didn't have that "stick your ass in the seat" feeling, even when he was nailing it.
We went back to our starting point, and I took him for a ride in the CL. He was thoroughly impressed (and I only have an 01 CL-P with AEM V2, OBX Headers, 2in drop, 17x7 wheels and sticky rubber)
We decided to go back out to the industrial park and run them.
I've discovered that the tiptronic blows when running in a straight line. If you sequential shift the tranny, you get more ass out of first gear, and as long as you time it right, you never hit the rev limiter.
I shifted into 1st and we went on three honks. He hung with me through the top of 1st. Shifting point on the cars from 1st to 2nd wasn't identical, but pretty close. I pulled on him so that my mirrors were even with the front of his car in 2nd. After I made the switch from 2nd to 3rd, I saw the caddy jump and switch from 2nd to 3rd. We're now at 80mph or so. The pillar between my windows is at his front bumper, but I'm not pulling on him as much anymore. 100 mph, my pillar is in front of his car, but still not quite a length on him. Knowing my 4th and 5th gear are friggin cruisers, i hit the blinkers. I didn't have that great of a launch, and might have been able to get a full length on him if I had. His traction control ensured he got off to a decent start - but I don't know if it hindered him or not.
He was astonished - even more so when I told him that I had the base model - and the S would smoke him.
Type-S 2nd gen owners - the CTS should be no challenge from light to light. Watch out for the CTS-V however, it's a 4 door Z06 corvette....literally.
This car, is a move in the right direction for Caddy - but would be no match for the new TL, the new RL, or probably even the TSX.
I've never been impressed by a general motors sedan. Cavaliers, sunfires, luminas, the new malibus - they're all crap. They had some nice power out of the SSEI line of the bonnevilles, and the new GTO is no slouch, but none of them are anywhere nearly well assembled, dependable, or as refined as our CLs....
His first gripe was that he's only got 10k on the odometer, and it's had 5 weeks of shoptime already fixing electronic issues. Jeez America, we used to know how to design a car......
Anyway....
I sat down in this thing, and didn't have any legroom (I'm 6'2'' 250). Slid the seat back an inch or two to it's maximum, still, if I didnt turn my legs sideways, they were in the dashboard, which came to a sharp angle right at the knees.
The inside felt cheap - the paneling was a resin plastic material. The lines on the inside were very nice, very well sculpted. Impressive for a caddy. It was not plush. The seats weren't soft. The leather was hard, the carpets were standard issue GM, as were all the plastics and trim. The onboard computer in the center console, which controlled everything from the radio, to the air conditioner, to the traction control with a selector wheel and a text LCD readout screen was pretty slick.
The whole feel of the car was very BMW 3 series. They've made something to go after the 3 series with. The backseat was non-existant, and I don't think the rear seat flipped either. The sound system was impressive, probably more so than the Bose in my 01 CL.
He took me for a spin, couple of nice straighaways, and through some switchbacks. (I live in Kentucky, we have some nice roadways for real driving).
It held the road tight. I couldn't tell it was an RWD car. The traction control made the car idiot proof (the guy couldnt drive, braking at the wrong points in hard corners, not going fast in fast out..etc.)
The transmission was what I was most impressed with. It was an auto / sequential tranny. When he wound it out and then let off (even without being in sequential shift) - as long as he wasn't at the top of the RPM range, it didnt upshift. It kept it in the hightened RPM range until you wound it out all the way. OMG - the races I'd of won in my CL if my tranny behaved like this......
It cornered fairly nimbly, again, reminding me of a 3.25 or 3.30 i BMW. I asked him if he'd broken the backend of it loose. He turned off the traction control, and we hit a cul-de-sac street at the industrial park. It didn't have enough ass, or the traction control really never is turned off. It came loose, but only for a split second before hooking back up. I dont suppose this is a bad thing, but it makes me think the car is underpowered.
The car got up to 70-80 pretty quickly, but it didn't have that "stick your ass in the seat" feeling, even when he was nailing it.
We went back to our starting point, and I took him for a ride in the CL. He was thoroughly impressed (and I only have an 01 CL-P with AEM V2, OBX Headers, 2in drop, 17x7 wheels and sticky rubber)
We decided to go back out to the industrial park and run them.
I've discovered that the tiptronic blows when running in a straight line. If you sequential shift the tranny, you get more ass out of first gear, and as long as you time it right, you never hit the rev limiter.
I shifted into 1st and we went on three honks. He hung with me through the top of 1st. Shifting point on the cars from 1st to 2nd wasn't identical, but pretty close. I pulled on him so that my mirrors were even with the front of his car in 2nd. After I made the switch from 2nd to 3rd, I saw the caddy jump and switch from 2nd to 3rd. We're now at 80mph or so. The pillar between my windows is at his front bumper, but I'm not pulling on him as much anymore. 100 mph, my pillar is in front of his car, but still not quite a length on him. Knowing my 4th and 5th gear are friggin cruisers, i hit the blinkers. I didn't have that great of a launch, and might have been able to get a full length on him if I had. His traction control ensured he got off to a decent start - but I don't know if it hindered him or not.
He was astonished - even more so when I told him that I had the base model - and the S would smoke him.
Type-S 2nd gen owners - the CTS should be no challenge from light to light. Watch out for the CTS-V however, it's a 4 door Z06 corvette....literally.
This car, is a move in the right direction for Caddy - but would be no match for the new TL, the new RL, or probably even the TSX.
10-02-2004, 01:03 PM
#4
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long, but a good throrough review 
sucks how american cars are so unreliable these days... and that coming from a guy who's had 3 trannies on the cl-s
sucks how american cars are so unreliable these days... and that coming from a guy who's had 3 trannies on the cl-s
10-04-2004, 11:20 AM
#6
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CTS-V is my next car. The Base CTS is probably a good match for a stock CLS in a straight line...but in the twisties, the CTS will kill a CL. They already make a blower for the CTS, and I think it adds about 100HP. magnussen is getting a M112 IC blower CARB legal through the certification. Should be ready shortly. When I get my CTSv, I will most likely blow it. Would be nice to run 12s in a Caddy.
As for the quality...I don't know anything first hand, but from what I have read the JD Power stuff puts Caddy ahead of both Mercedes and BMW(the target for these cars). Actually, IIRC, Caddy might have beat out Acura as well. I know Buick did.
As for the quality...I don't know anything first hand, but from what I have read the JD Power stuff puts Caddy ahead of both Mercedes and BMW(the target for these cars). Actually, IIRC, Caddy might have beat out Acura as well. I know Buick did.
10-04-2004, 12:58 PM
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Let's not go calling American cars unreliable, when your cl's go through trannies quicker than a fat man with a box of donuts. 
One more thing, get your info right....it has a 3.6 V6 with 255 hp, and 252 LB FT TQ.
One more thing, get your info right....it has a 3.6 V6 with 255 hp, and 252 LB FT TQ.
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10-04-2004, 01:26 PM
#8
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Originally Posted by GS Dave
CTS-V is my next car. The Base CTS is probably a good match for a stock CLS in a straight line...but in the twisties, the CTS will kill a CL. They already make a blower for the CTS, and I think it adds about 100HP. magnussen is getting a M112 IC blower CARB legal through the certification. Should be ready shortly. When I get my CTSv, I will most likely blow it. Would be nice to run 12s in a Caddy.
10-04-2004, 02:01 PM
#9
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OT: punkemall, I noticed you're in chatsworth; where abouts in chatsworth are you located? And what ride have you got?
and btw, stock for stock, cl-s will beat the CTS in a straight line...twisties are a diff story and also, I saw a CTS-V on the highway the other week, and MAN was it fuckin sweet. The front just screams "I'm comin for you motha fucka!"
and btw, stock for stock, cl-s will beat the CTS in a straight line...twisties are a diff story
and also, I saw a CTS-V on the highway the other week, and MAN was it fuckin sweet. The front just screams "I'm comin for you motha fucka!"
10-04-2004, 08:27 PM
#11
Senior Moderator
Originally Posted by Dem1K
I saw a CTS-V on the highway the other week, and MAN was it fuckin sweet. The front just screams "I'm comin for you motha fucka!"
If Darth Vader had a sports sedan, the V would be it.
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