Cadillac XTS: Beauty and High Tech Come in Bundles

[Guest]

Several weeks ago, I was given a tour of Cadillac's new Mercedes E-class fighter, the XTS sedan. Until this week, I was allowed to put some miles on the car and to learn what Cadillac's CUE entertainment system achieves in a real-world setting.

Cadillac XTS: Beauty and High Tech Come in Bundles : Read more

 

[eternalkp]

but would you buy one?

 

[cknobman]

But it is still a Crapillac.

 

[zubikov]

The interior is tacky, it still bears the Cadillac name, it costs an additional 10-15K above a similarly spec'd Acura TL and looks like a boat on the outside.

As far as tech features, CUE must be nice, but I doubt it's worth the difference. Also, I don't feel comfortable having a car correct me beyond ABS, slip and some suspension adjustments. I've been driving for 15 years and think that I'm doing just fine on my own.

Worst of all, I don't trust GM after decades of stories from friends and family about Pontiacs breaking down and Chevys blowing transmissions. The story about how GM discontinued EV vehicles and recalled all of them back makes me cringe, too. Sorry, you won't see my money unless it comes in the form of another gov't bailout.

 

[freggo]

Samsung gets sued for copying the iPad style... How about Cadillac getting very 'inspired' by the E-Class lines ?

Still, anyone who has owned a Mercedes knows there is NOTHING GM can do to get the same 'status' of their products outside a selected group of the US Market. That's why Benz' are sold worldwide and GM needs a bailout to sell their overpriced products in the USA.

And before you (Guys) tell me that 'status' is not important... let's be honest.. we buy cars to get chicks. And I assure you from own experience, that 'Star' on the Hood gets you more than the Cadillac emblem (unless you are looking for a Lady in her 60s; not that there is anything wrong with it !).

 

[deadlockedworld]

[citation][nom]freggo[/nom]Still, anyone who has owned a Mercedes knows there is NOTHING GM can do to get the same 'status' of their products outside a selected group of the US Market. That's why Benz' are sold worldwide and GM needs a bailout to sell their overpriced products in the USA.And before you (Guys) tell me that 'status' is not important... let's be honest.. we buy cars to get chicks. And I assure you from own experience, that 'Star' on the Hood gets you more than the Cadillac emblem (unless you are looking for a Lady in her 60s; not that there is anything wrong with it !).[/citation]

This is actually not true. GM is making huge profits selling Buicks in Asia. That's part of how they paid back the bailout money so quickly. I agree that europe is a tougher nut to crack, but with this and the ATS I think they are coming a lot closer (also the more favorable exchange rates). Also, just in case you dont know, Benz has made some pretty crappy vehicles too over the years (along with some truly awesome ones).

 

[nebun]

what an ugly looking car...really...Americans like junk like this?

 

[danwat1234]

If you want more power then try to get Cadillac to make a hybrid version of the car that has more acceleration than this model with the same engine, and better MPG.

 

[freggo]

[citation][nom]deadlockedworld[/nom]This is actually not true. GM is making huge profits selling Buicks in Asia....Benz has made some pretty crappy vehicles too over the years (along with some truly awesome ones).[/citation]

We are talking luxury segment/Cadillac. Not Buicks.
And yes, the 190 Series for example was crap for a Mercedes. However, it was -like the "Porsche 928" not built for the European market but -just like Lexus- for the US market. A German would not get caught dead in a 190, 200D (Taxi cab) or a 914/928.
Ah yes, and neither the 914 nor the 928 where actually Porsches to begin with; they where VW designs!

 

[freggo]

[citation][nom]danwat1234[/nom]If you want more power then try to get Cadillac to make a hybrid version of the car that has more acceleration than this model with the same engine, and better MPG.[/citation]

Yeah, because you need a huge engine to get up to US Highway speeds...

 

[kcorp2003]

[citation][nom]nebun[/nom]what an ugly looking car...really...Americans like junk like this?[/citation]

hey i'm an american. and that hurt my feelings. However i would prefer a CHARGER R/T 2012

But we have other US car manufacturers you know like:

Buick
Cadillac
Chevrolet
Coda
Chrysler
DeLorean Motor Company
Dodge
Fisker
Ford
Global Electric Motorcars
GMC
International Harvester
Jeep
Lincoln
Navistar International
Scion
Tesla
Jay Leno
Callaway
Chaparral
Saleen
Panoz
Readied
Mosler
Leading Edge

 

[mrmoo500]

I actually got to drive one of these two days ago and can say it certainly looks and drives great. Mine didn't have the 12" screen for the instrument panel, but it still had a smaller lcd screen under the gauges. The cue system itself works pretty good for being a first gen product, but it sure does take a learning curve to get used too. But after that it works wonders. Now I never found it to be under powered at all for its needs, unless you're trying to be a drag racer it's totally fine. The ride is great and the stopping distance is amazing for its size, oh and don't think that it's a small cart, because it's not. There is tons of room inside and the back seats are huge, heated, and have plenty of amentities. It really does feel like a very expensive car, but in reality it costs a lot less than comparable models. I would certainly, as a mechanical engineer, recommend this car for anyone looking for a very distinctive and highly advanced car in that price range.

 

[deadlockedworld]

[citation][nom]kcorp2003[/nom]hey i'm an american. and that hurt my feelings. However i would prefer a CHARGER R/T 2012 But we have other US car manufacturers you know like: BuickCadillacChevroletCodaChryslerDeLorean Motor CompanyDodgeFiskerFordGlobal Electric MotorcarsGMCInternational HarvesterJeepLincolnNavistar InternationalScionTeslaJay LenoCallawayChaparralSaleenPanozReadiedMoslerLeading Edge[/citation]

LOL JAY LENO.

But seriously, like half are defunct or owned by foreign corporations... and Delorean, really?

 

[deadlockedworld]

[citation][nom]freggo[/nom]We are talking luxury segment/Cadillac. Not Buicks. [/citation]

I was responding to the "image" thing -- Buicks in China are the status equivalent of a Benz in the US. It's all perception. When I was there last in 2005, it seemed like VW was the only European brand to have serious market penetration there and its mostly taxis.

 

[schnitter]

For that amount of money, you could buy an Audi A6 or a BMW 5 series. You would have to be a complete car illiterate and an "America fuk yeah" type to buy this over the superior European counterparts.

 

[Guest]

Its actually a very nice car, but I am not about to pay that amount for a V6.

Freego, your an idiot. Cadillac/Buick are the dominate luxury brands in China. All the europeans combined are not even a fraction of what Cadillac and Buick do there. Its the Europeans that have a long way to go....not to mention the european issue of making cars that suck big time on reliability.

 

[teh_chem]

Central control/integration of features is the worst thing for a car. The lady's earlier-model Prius was one of the models that had ALL controls through the touch-screen interface (thank god they came to their senses and at least separated the climate control to physical buttons/dials). Nothing more infuriating than having to back out of your current view (let's say Nav.), enter the climate menu, find the touch-button to, say, adjust the temperature, then repeat the process in reverse to get back to your previous screen. Whereas you can just turn a dial to accomplish the same feat. You want things to be tactile so you don't have to take your eyes off the road. But no, it's not "advanced" enough-looking... How retarded.

 

[Guest]

@zubikov
Except that this copetes with the RL; In fact, it's larger than the RL in every dimension(interior and exterior).

it starts at $4000 less than the RL; and for the price of the "Base" RL you can get the "Luxury" edition of the XTS

and at that price ($49K) the XTS is better equipped( Rainsense wipers,Active Magnetic suspension,Park Assist, Remote Start, Panorama Roof, Hands Free, Nav,Telmatics(onstar) are missing on the RL)

this also gets better Milage than the RL
24MPG vs 28MPG

Now, yes, this is NOT a competitor to the lux-sports like BMW or MB E Series. This IS a Acura Competitor. BUT Cadillac does have a real competitor to the BMWs and the Mercedes of the world; The CTS/CTS-v/ATS these are as good if not better performers than their couterparts in the german brands.

 

[alextheblue]

[citation][nom]schnitter[/nom]For that amount of money, you could buy an Audi A6 or a BMW 5 series. You would have to be a complete car illiterate and an "America fuk yeah" type to buy this over the superior European counterparts.[/citation]A lot of people looking for a big comfy luxury car might not like the ride of a BMW 5 or Audi A6. They'd be looking at Mercedes, Cadillac, etc. The XTS isn't my cup of tea though, bit too big and I do prefer a more aggressive handling vehicle. But to each their own, even the outdated DTS had is fans, and the XTS has its place in the market.

 

[blakbird24]

Alot of people here don't have a clue what they are talking about.

Quality - Both Cadillac and Buick have consistently ranked in the top 5 of all automotive brands in quality for almost a decade now. That puts them well above both Mercedes Benz and Audi (who haven't once made the top 10, let alone the top 5) and even above the mighty Toyota and Honda. In fact, only two other brands have managed to rank as highly as Cadillac and Buick consistently do - BMW and Lexus.

Image - Cadillac was voted "most desirable automotive brand of 2011" by Fortune magazine. The CTS is one of the best selling cars in it's class, and Cadillac and Buick have become far bigger status symbols in Asian countries than Mercedes Benz. They still have work left to do, but there's no question that Cadillac is returning to it's original place of prominence in the automotive heirarchy in this country, and even gaining attention in europe, where GM would not even dream of having Cadillac out-lust MB and BMW.

You can dislike the XTS if it's not your thing, but to say that it's worthless shows everyone you clearly are not qualified to comment. Those comparing it to Acura again are showing their ignorance... Cadillac is not targeting the likes of Acura and Infinity, that's what Buick is for. This car is for Lexus and Benz buyers. Like it or not, the XTS is a VERY nice car, and thanks to it's price, it is going to take alot of business from Lexus and MB.

 

[schnitter]

[citation][nom]blakbird24[/nom]Alot of people here don't have a clue what they are talking about.Quality - Both Cadillac and Buick have consistently ranked in the top 5 of all automotive brands in quality for almost a decade now. That puts them well above both Mercedes Benz and Audi (who haven't once made the top 10, let alone the top 5) and even above the mighty Toyota and Honda. In fact, only two other brands have managed to rank as highly as Cadillac and Buick consistently do - BMW and Lexus. Image - Cadillac was voted "most desirable automotive brand of 2011" by Fortune magazine. The CTS is one of the best selling cars in it's class, and Cadillac and Buick have become far bigger status symbols in Asian countries than Mercedes Benz. They still have work left to do, but there's no question that Cadillac is returning to it's original place of prominence in the automotive heirarchy in this country, and even gaining attention in europe, where GM would not even dream of having Cadillac out-lust MB and BMW. You can dislike the XTS if it's not your thing, but to say that it's worthless shows everyone you clearly are not qualified to comment. Those comparing it to Acura again are showing their ignorance... Cadillac is not targeting the likes of Acura and Infinity, that's what Buick is for. This car is for Lexus and Benz buyers. Like it or not, the XTS is a VERY nice car, and thanks to it's price, it is going to take alot of business from Lexus and MB.[/citation]

All this, in USA.

CTS is inferior in every way to it's European counterpart. I know more about cars than all you downvoters know about computers so keep on down voting, it shows how little you know about cars. Stick to tech if you actually think the CTS is good in any way.

 

[alextheblue]

[citation][nom]zubikov[/nom]The interior is tacky, it still bears the Cadillac name, it costs an additional 10-15K above a similarly spec'd Acura TL and looks like a boat on the outside.

The story about how GM discontinued EV vehicles and recalled all of them back makes me cringe, too.[/citation]First of all, you're comparing this thing to a TL? A TL is closer to a CTS, although not as nice or as attractive. I bet you'd compare Civic to Taurus too.

Second, regarding EV1? There was no big conspiracy. That's all a load of bologna, it was strictly the only logical business choice to make after the CARB Mandate ended. Why is the internet so absolutely filled with people that know how to load up a browser, but seem unable to use Google for obtaining useful facts?

http://www.greencar.com/articles/20-truths-gm-ev1-electric-car.php

Keep in mind, this article is written by a green car enthusiast and a guy who drove an EV1 for a year and liked the car. But he wanted to publish the truth, and not some conspiracy BS.

 

[kcorp2003]

[citation][nom]schnitter[/nom] I know more about cars than all you downvoters know about computers so keep on down voting, it shows how little you know about cars. Stick to tech if you actually think the CTS is good in any way.[/citation]

Um, i'm a DBA and a java programmer and also majoring in computer engineering. when i was 18 i was car mechanic for 2 years and before that i was a carpenter & plumber in High School. where does that put me?

oh and before high School i use to shovel snow and make model planes out of wood sticks. And play tons of arcade games lol

 

[blakbird24]

[citation][nom]schnitter[/nom]All this, in USA.CTS is inferior in every way to it's European counterpart. I know more about cars than all you downvoters know about computers so keep on down voting, it shows how little you know about cars. Stick to tech if you actually think the CTS is good in any way.[/citation]

ORLY?

How many cars have you designed and built from the ground up?
How many Cadillacs/Benzes/BMWs have you owned?
How many sanctioned racing events have you competed in?

If you answered 0 to anyone of these questions (and I know you did to at least two of them), then I am more qualified than you are to speak here.

You say that the CTS is inferior "in every way" to european competition...i'm going to put aside the FACT that this absolutely incorrect, and ask, where's your basis? What objective proven points have you used to come to this conclusion?

 

[nebun]

[citation][nom]kcorp2003[/nom]hey i'm an american. and that hurt my feelings. However i would prefer a CHARGER R/T 2012 But we have other US car manufacturers you know like: BuickCadillacChevroletCodaChryslerDeLorean Motor CompanyDodgeFiskerFordGlobal Electric MotorcarsGMCInternational HarvesterJeepLincolnNavistar InternationalScionTeslaJay LenoCallawayChaparralSaleenPanozReadiedMoslerLeading Edge[/citation]
and how many of these companies are still in business???....wait, how many are actually still making a profit without the governments help? if it weren't for the taxpayer's money America would have no car makers...wait they don't, most of the parts are made by kia, mercedes, fiat, honda and toyota...then installed on these so called american cars.