Participated in Automobile Focus Group Today

[blee]

The Impala, while not exactly the pinnacle of interior quality, is not a bad mid-size family car. The problem, of course, is that there is LOTS AND LOTS of competition in that segment, and just being "solid" is not enough to win. I do like the new Impala SS, although the concept of putting that supercharged engine in the W-body is about seven years old already. I really liked my GTP, despite the Duplo interior.

One thing's for sure - the Cavalier and Sunfire have GOT to go. They were fair-to-middling in the late 80s, but they've declined ever since. The new models are in the enviable position of both looking horrible and actually being horrible. You can't even say that about BMW!

[lemming]

Originally Posted by blee

The Impala, while not exactly the pinnacle of interior quality, is not a bad mid-size family car. The problem, of course, is that there is LOTS AND LOTS of competition in that segment, and just being "solid" is not enough to win. I do like the new Impala SS, although the concept of putting that supercharged engine in the W-body is about seven years old already. I really liked my GTP, despite the Duplo interior.

One thing's for sure - the Cavalier and Sunfire have GOT to go. They were fair-to-middling in the late 80s, but they've declined ever since. The new models are in the enviable position of both looking horrible and actually being horrible. You can't even say that about BMW!

i agree with most of the people in this thread. i am still in shock that GM has funded cadillac to actually benchmark BMW. that's truly audacious for that corporate culture.

these are bean counters people. they cancel cars and shut down plants if they cannot sell more than 30,000-40,000 cars a year of a certain model. that's why the firebird/camaros died.

i'm not sure how they even keep teh corvette, but clearly the XLR being around guarantees life in the car --i'm sure that it's been closer than we know, ax'ing the corvette even though it's their halo car.

the 3.6 litre DOHC engine in the CTS is pretty decent if you consider that a 993 engine is 3.6 litres (285hp/250ft#'s) versus this output of 260hp. the CTS V is just gravy.

but no, i don't think the CTS V is "better" looking than the E60, more cohesive and more consistent in its design philosophy, though. and i'd sure as hell buy a V series before i bought any E60 short of the M5.

[TD]

Originally Posted by Plaz

Surely none of you E60 haters think the CTS/CTS-V are better looking than the E60, do you?

MUCH better, in fact. Honest. I'm not just saying this.

[glaws]

Originally Posted by blee

The CTS steering wheel has a bit of that Mack truck appearance to it, mostly due to its size. And the stack of climate control and stereo controls aren't bad, but they do not strike me as looking particularly "rich." However, the overall effect is quite good, and I would definitely give the CTS interior a solid 8 out of 10. I'm kinda partial to American cars to begin with, but I truly believe that Cadillac is increasingly representative of GM at its best. Once the Cavalier and Sunfire finally disappear from the lineup, I'll have to look around the rest of the family for a good example of GM's worst.

You are partial to American cars?? :awe:

[JST]

Originally Posted by pDz

but no, i don't think the CTS V is "better" looking than the E60, more cohesive and more consistent in its design philosophy, though. and i'd sure as hell buy a V series before i bought any E60 short of the M5.

What he said. I don't think "Art and Science" works particularly well on the CTS--the SRX and XLR are much better realizations of the theme. And I prefer the softened "Art and Science" look of the Sixteen to the current knife-edge styling (as is true of Lutz, so I understand, which means that's where Cadillac design is headed).

Like Infiniti, I think Cadillac has shown that they are on a remarkable roll. The CTS is an excellent car. The SRX is an excellent SUV. The XLR is a damn nice spendy roadster. None of them are clearly best in class, but you could make a legitimate argument for each one--and that's coming a looong way from where Cadillac was just 3 or 4 years ago.

And I think the Sixteen shows that Americans can still out-audacious anybody. Honestly, if GM were to build the Sixteen, who would buy the milquetoast Maybach or the goofy Phantom instead?

As with pdz, I will consider a CTS long before I consider an E60. Partly this is styling, and partly it's that for the cost of a 225 hp 530 Cadillac will sell me a 400 hp CTS. I'm no scientician, but that sounds like a good deal to me.

[lemming]

Originally Posted by JST

What he said. I don't think "Art and Science" works particularly well on the CTS--the SRX and XLR are much better realizations of the theme. And I prefer the softened "Art and Science" look of the Sixteen to the current knife-edge styling (as is true of Lutz, so I understand, which means that's where Cadillac design is headed).

Like Infiniti, I think Cadillac has shown that they are on a remarkable roll. The CTS is an excellent car. The SRX is an excellent SUV. The XLR is a damn nice spendy roadster. None of them are clearly best in class, but you could make a legitimate argument for each one--and that's coming a looong way from where Cadillac was just 3 or 4 years ago.

And I think the Sixteen shows that Americans can still out-audacious anybody. Honestly, if GM were to build the Sixteen, who would buy the milquetoast Maybach or the goofy Phantom instead?

As with pdz, I will consider a CTS long before I consider an E60. Partly this is styling, and partly it's that for the cost of a 225 hp 530 Cadillac will sell me a 400 hp CTS. I'm no scientician, but that sounds like a good deal to me.

all i'm saying is that i sat in (didn't drive) the CTS V locally. for $49k (and i could get GMS pricing off of that), it's a really nice car. i'm not hugely into interiors, so it was "okay". still some GM content here and there, but overall, i like the CTS interior --although, i would argue that they could improve things if they sent their interior people off to trollhattan for a semester or sabbatical.

then it would be a rather complete package. am sure that as the model run continues there will be improvement. unlike BMW, which come out of the box as USUALLY decent.

[Rob]

Well, since this thread has turned into a CTS comparo -

My brother has a CTS. Well, actually, he has a pie wagon now and my sister in law drives the CTS. Regardless - it's nice. It's not like a typical cadilllac at all. It handles fairly well, it has decent torque and power (he has the six), it's very large inside and - well, I ran out of compliments. It is 5 series size I think. It doesn't handle like a BMW. It has what I consider to be a somewhat goofy interior, but then so does the new 5.

It does not have the road feel or steering feel of a 3 series. It is not as fast off the line as a 330i. I bet the V fixes that.

I wouldn't trade either of the BMW's I have owned for one. On the other hand, my brother looked at everything, including BMWs and decided on the Caddy.

Is the V available for purchase yet?

[blee]

Originally Posted by glaws

You are partial to American cars?? :awe:

Surprised?

[lemming]

Originally Posted by rwg

Well, since this thread has turned into a CTS comparo -

My brother has a CTS. Well, actually, he has a pie wagon now and my sister in law drives the CTS. Regardless - it's nice. It's not like a typical cadilllac at all. It handles fairly well, it has decent torque and power (he has the six), it's very large inside and - well, I ran out of compliments. It is 5 series size I think. It doesn't handle like a BMW. It has what I consider to be a somewhat goofy interior, but then so does the new 5.

It does not have the road feel or steering feel of a 3 series. It is not as fast off the line as a 330i. I bet the V fixes that.

I wouldn't trade either of the BMW's I have owned for one. On the other hand, my brother looked at everything, including BMWs and decided on the Caddy.

Is the V available for purchase yet?

the V series is, in fact, up for sale now at dealerships nationwide.

if it's in new england, it must be everywhere.

[JetBlack330i]

Why did they waste your time by throwing in a Jetta and an Impala in the comparo? Why didn't they use an Audi or Volvo, for example?