Picture Gallery: 2008 Cadillac CTS | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4
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Just from the photos, everyone was stumbling over themselves for a better look of the CTS’ redesigned interior, which from an observer’s perspective was the biggest visible change to the CTS. Having finally been inside the CTS to touch the interior and see it with my own eyes I understand why: it certainly is an exercise in excellent design.
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Perhaps it’s unfair to judge based on my tester, which is optioned out to just over $60,000. This model certainly is no “base” model Cadillac, but the basics carry over from the standard model just the same.
On top of the usual laundry list of features a standard CTS is equipped with, my tester adds the new 3.6Litre direct-injection V6 engine, producing 304 horsepower and 273lb-ft of torque with a 6-speed automatic transmission, putting the power to the ground with all four wheels using Cadillac’s all-wheel drive system.
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A base CTS starts at $38,900; with the direct injection 3.6Liter engine the CTS is priced at $41,400. My tester adds all-wheel drive for $4,325; a DVD-based navigation system for $3,900; 18″ polished aluminum wheels for $695; the sight and sound package for $1,735; the comfort and convenience package for $2,735; the performance package ($1890); the double sized ultraview power sunroof ($1660) and last but not least wood trim for $465.
2008 Cadillac CTS
MSRP as tested inc. destination & delivery: $60,325
For more information on Cadillac and the CTS visit GM Canada
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I’m not sure where to start with the interior: everything is just so well put together, easy to reach, easy to see, easy to use, I could go on and on about it. It really is one of the best interiors I have been in… ever. I would compare it to the Lexus IS350 which had a similar design and button feel with a nod to the Cadillac for edginess.
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The seating and driving controls are a perfect fit and with 8-way adjustable seats with lumbar and power tilt and telescoping steering, getting comfortable is not an issue. The CTS is a fairly long vehicle and it seems to all be in the second row, leg room is plentiful in the rear with the front seat adjusted for my driving position. Head room is slightly reduced from the front and the middle “hump” as in many sports sedans is not really a recommended place to sit.
The integration of the DVD-Navigation touch screen with on-screen audio controls into the dash is pure genius. Retracted into the dash a small screen is left visible to display radio stations, or song names being played from a USB thumb drive or the internal 40 gig hard drive. With the press of a button the full screen is revealed and with it the ability to scroll through multiple features, including a five-day weather forecast, sort your play-lists or use the navigation system.
The interior of the CTS is an excellent place to spend an afternoon of driving and the technology present in the DVD-based navigation system is impressive. I was extremely excited to learn I could just plug in a USB drive, copy the files from it to the hard drive and go. You can also rip CDs to the hard drive and using Gracenote technology, all the song names and information are updated onto the display.
All this is further proof Cadillac is attempting to lure the younger generation with their style, sophistication, luxury and technology.
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In the dry — actually in the wet and snow as well — the CTS takes off from the line like a bullet. With 304 horsepower at your toes it really is tempting to test it out at least once. The six-speed automatic transmission pulls off smooth and quick shifts going up, although going down it takes awhile to really kick down for some go-power.
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The question for me was: does it really handle as well as a BMW 3 Series? Perhaps the rear-wheel drive CTS does, but the all-wheel drive does hinder performance; you can feel it on corner entry the extra weight pushing you around. The suspension is softer than that of any German car I have driven and that is not a bad thing. The body roll seems considerable on hard corners, which does not mean it handles badly, but it certainly does roll a lot. The ride is excellent and the steering feel is spot on, but I still feel this car’s main purpose in life is to coddle you.
The traction control and Stabilitrac do just that (coddle you) and they do it well. Out of my driveway onto a snow covered road and the car cut power, instantly warning me of possible ice conditions. No slip is allowed while accelerating, which feels rather odd. Stabilitrac will also kick in if you start to slide out, and it kicked in just as I started to counter-steer — it works well. You can, however, turn off Stabilitrac and traction control for some major fun: I was able to induce a rather lengthy drift with full power on and counter steer. It was a hoot! (closed course professional driver, please do not attempt.)
What still has me in awe is a very similar trait I noticed in the previous-generation CTS and which seems improved in this generation: That is, road noise. No mater the weather conditions, there is none to speak of. The wipers make no noise, the tires make no noise; nothing makes a sound. It’s really quite serene when driving in the winter wonderland I drove in today.
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On the rougher roads in La Belle Province I noticed the CTS’ suspension isn’t really all that soft at all. It does exhibit a sporty-firm nature which was more difficult to discern on smoother roads. The suspension is certainly softer than some of the CTS’s competitors’ sports suspensions, which I was thankful for.
My only concern with the CTS is fuel consumption. I achieved much better consumption in the fall with the BMW 335i than I was capable of with the CTS. I averaged 13.5L/100km city and 10.5L/100km on the highway, the Natural Resources Canada ratings for the CTS are 12.3/8.0; pretty far off what I managed.
The bonus, though, is that the CTS takes regular fuel, so this does make up for some of the discrepancy. The NAV system worked well on my journey to Montreal and was a bonus to have. The entire vehicle was a joy — except for the tire pressure monitoring system that insisted my tires were under inflated. I double checked with a tire pressure gauge and filled them all up to spec yet the system still complained — go figure.
*Rating out of 5:
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*Rating based on vehicle’s classification
2008 Cadillac CTS
MSRP as tested inc. destination & delivery: $60,325
For more information on Cadillac and the CTS visit GM Canada
November 28, 2007, 10:39:34 am
According to Road and Track, it's faux leather.
Must be pretty authentic-looking to have stumped the esteemed Wing.
November 28, 2007, 11:06:11 am Yes I'm sure it is faux, but it looks and feels like leather which is what I originally said.
November 29, 2007, 06:17:42 am "My only concern with the CTS is fuel consumption. I achieved much better consumption in the fall with the BMW 335i than I was capable of with the CTS. I averaged 13.5L/100km city and 10.5L/100km on the highway, the Natural Resources Canada ratings for the CTS are 12.3/8.0; pretty far off what I managed"
I tried to look up the rated mileage on NRC site, they did not have a listing for 2008 CTS, could the difference be that you had the 2007 rating, not the 2008 rating will AWD
Also it was very windy of the weekend, could that have played into the mileage
November 29, 2007, 06:31:54 am ..finding FAUX wif tha Wingster.....never he's my HERO................guitar...I play him whenever.....
November 29, 2007, 08:28:50 am airbalancer, I have the 2008 ratings from the press information.
November 29, 2007, 07:12:32 pm
cool
November 29, 2007, 07:18:49 pm
According to Road and Track, it's faux leather.
Must be pretty authentic-looking to have stumped the esteemed Wing.
There MUST be trying to compete with the 3 Series with the fake leather. "Leatherette" was standard on BMW and real leather was an option.....
November 29, 2007, 08:01:22 pm Pretty sure the seats were real leather rocket, we are talking only about the dash.
November 29, 2007, 08:05:04 pm I've never been able to warm up to the turtle-like looks of these things, though I hear they are otherwise good vehicles.
November 29, 2007, 08:13:50 pm
The previous CTS did have leatherette seats in the absolute base model, at least in the States. I haven't heard any mention of leatherette seating with the second-generation CTS though.
rrocket, "leatherette" isn't just a BMW thing. I think Mercedes-Benz, for quite some time, sold cars with "MB Tex" seats, their term for leatherette.
November 29, 2007, 08:24:32 pm
rrocket, "leatherette" isn't just a BMW thing. I think Mercedes-Benz, for quite some time, sold cars with "MB Tex" seats, their term for leatherette.
Ya I know...was just making the comparison to BMW since everyone is so keen on pretending the CTS is a BMW....
November 29, 2007, 08:39:35 pm I recently ran across the following CTS promotional photo, and I have to say, worst person-in-car model EVER. I know you gotta play to your current customers, but come on:
November 29, 2007, 08:41:54 pm Heh...good one........I thought a funny one was the Lexus IS-F videos at Lexus.com. They are power drifting the car around Laguna with 3 or 4 people in the car, and in one vid you see the guy holding the grab handle........
November 29, 2007, 08:44:48 pm
Funny, I never notice the people in the car at all, unless its Eurofocus girl.
November 29, 2007, 08:50:11 pm
Do you mean the Verve gal?
Or did I miss another classy model somewhere along the line?
November 29, 2007, 08:59:26 pm Ah yes, thats the one.
Mitlov I must say you are very quick at coming up with references to new/upcoming/concept cars etc, basically anything in teh New Car Models forum.
November 29, 2007, 09:07:11 pm
The Verve gal is pretty memorable, yo.
November 30, 2007, 10:01:53 am
Faux or real leather, I just hope the CTS and 3 series don't end up with as many recalls as the Lexus IS.
December 01, 2007, 08:37:39 am Jan'08 Car and Driver pits the CTS against a few other manny-tranny sport sedans. It placed third behind the G35 and... 328i. I know, I know, it's BMW and was expected, but that's twice now that the 328i has been selected over the much more powerful G35. Just goes to show that the full package and driving experience is what matters most, not just power.
They really liked the CTS, but it just wasn't quite as lively as the BMW and its shifter wasn't as nice to use.
December 01, 2007, 05:40:30 pm
They really liked the CTS, but it just wasn't quite as lively as the BMW and its shifter wasn't as nice to use.
Surprise surprise….I read the same comparo…with Car and Driver the BWW would place first if it had a rubber band and two paper clips as a driveline.
December 01, 2007, 06:15:35 pm
They really liked the CTS, but it just wasn't quite as lively as the BMW and its shifter wasn't as nice to use.
Surprise surprise….I read the same comparo…with Car and Driver the BWW would place first if it had a rubber band and two paper clips as a driveline.
Actually C&D had a couple of comparos or articles in which the G35 came ahead of the BMW.
December 01, 2007, 07:42:20 pm
If we're talking E46 3-Series versus first-generation G35, true. But the E90 328i has beat the second-generation G35 on two separate occasions now in C&D tests--both in a one-on-one comparison and, in the new one, with the CTS coming in third and the C300 Sport coming in last.
Still, the first-gen G35 is just one example. There's a couple out there. But as a C&D subscriber, I can tell you that BMW almost always wins C&D tests. They like Bimmers A LOT, and their results show that.
December 02, 2007, 12:13:41 am ..and the Weird thing is they're based in ANN ARBOR.......Figure Volvo walkin' away with everything
December 02, 2007, 10:29:03 am
If we're talking E46 3-Series versus first-generation G35, true. But the E90 328i has beat the second-generation G35 on two separate occasions now in C&D tests--both in a one-on-one comparison and, in the new one, with the CTS coming in third and the C300 Sport coming in last.
Still, the first-gen G35 is just one example. There's a couple out there. But as a C&D subscriber, I can tell you that BMW almost always wins C&D tests. They like Bimmers A LOT, and their results show that.
Maybe I got my magazines confused. Which one had an article on the new G37 that turned to be a comparo because Nissan had also provide a 335 coupe? The BMW couldn't last more than a couple of laps and had to limp off the track because of (I think) engine oil overheating (apparently a frequent 335 concern when it came out according to a friend who races and live by BMWs). Maybe it was road&track...
December 02, 2007, 01:23:10 pm
That would be Motor Trend, if I recall correctly. C&D said they thought the G37 might be able to beat the 3-series when they first drove it, but when they had it back to back with a 328i (not even a 335i), they preferred the Bimmer for the smooth engine and the more refined suspension.