Why (Not) the Cadillac CTS? Owner Reviews
Cadillac CTS reviews by car owners that get to the point: car buyers' reasons for buying (or not buying) the CTS
Non-members can see only five Cadillac CTS reviews per section.
Join us and see them all.Why the Cadillac CTS?
Powertrain performance: moves on the ramp like an express train, solid power, with no hesitation rockets to 60MPH/100KMH so quickly you need to watch the speedo, in Ontario where 30miles or 50 kms over the limit grants you an impounded vehicle yoand a huge fine
Exterior styling: edgy styling not run of the mill wind tunnel look alike vehicle,edgy in your face styling, sporty, yet with a classy look
Interior styling: fitr an finish superlative, leather like dash, wood grain, leather seating are top notch, well organised controls, no clutter,
Why the Cadillac CTS?
Exterior styling: Handsome without being derivative of other designs in the market
Powertrain performance: good performance plus good fuel mileage
Audio & nav systems: Best iPod interface I've used. In general plenty of features but its still easy to change common settings with a knob
Front seat comfort: supportive but comfortable for a long trip
Why Not the Mercedes-Benz C-Class?
Interior styling: Bland. Monochrome.
Powertrain performance: Underpowered for its class
Control design: too many controls combined in a single joystick
Why the Cadillac CTS?
Exterior styling: Distinct and sporty, looks aggressive without being tacky.
Front seat room: Size of the car gives it lots of interior room compared to comparably priced cars in segment
Available features: Like that most features available on the highline models were offered on my trim level (2.8L).
Why Not the Saab 9-3?
Quietness: Seemed like it had an above average amount of interior noise, especially road/tire noise. Also would expect to get some of that nice turbo sound but did not. I mean if you're going to have some interior noise, you should hear the turbo...
Front seat room: Seemed narrow and cramped.
Color choices: There were a limited amount of 9-3s around when I shopped. Many were equipped with the Gray interior which I despise. Believe it or not, that is a factor for me.
Why Not the Chevrolet Malibu?
Interior styling: simple
Control design: simple
Why the Chevrolet Corvette?
Powertrain performance: POWER!!!!!!!!!!!!
Brand reputation & image: Only American sports car
Exterior styling: Haven't you senn one?
Safety & braking: With big power comes big braking requirements, Z06 has that.
Past personal experience: Everything
Why the Volvo S80?
Interior styling: The seats are beyond comfortable, not to mention the vented seats are gonna be great in the summer. The styling overall is really impressive and just surrounds you in luxury.
Available features: The safety features of this car is phenomenal. Countless airbags and impact protection. Headlights that turn when I turn. And subtle things like front and rear parking sensors. Heated washer fluid is a nice feature as well.
Safety & braking: SAFETY IS AMAZING on this vehicle. I haven't been in an accident in my S80 and hopefully I never will. But if it does happen, I'm very confident that me and my family will escape with as little injury as possible.
Front seat comfort: The front seats are like sitting in a lazy boy. So comfortable on long trips and just a dream to drive.
Why Not the Cadillac CTS?
Interior styling: I test drove a base model CTS, so the interior styling had little to be desired. The dash looked cheap and very plastic. It screamed "cheap luxury"
Available features: Again it was a base model CTS that I drove, and I DO LOVE the exterior styling of the CTS, the features of the base model were lacking. I've seen more standard on a Hyundai.
Why the Audi A3?
Exterior styling: short, small, and a 5 door hatch/wagon fit my style. Car is not too overstyled like many cars these days.
Interior styling: Simple and clean surfaces with nice fit and finish and materials. Nice color choice with Gray and black. Simple and clean and not overstyled like the A6 and the new A5.
Materials & workmanship: Tight gaps and soft touch surfaces. Design was allowed to use nice materials to make the car inviting to customers.
Discounts & incentives: I bought the car as an Audi of America vehicle and 900 miles with a CPO warranty and several thousand dollars off the list price...nice deal.
Powertrain performance: DSG. I thought the direct injection would give better fuel mileage, since it was touted by Audi in it's racing activities to get one extra lap at LeMans. This is not true, my 1.8t has much better mileage.
Why Not the Cadillac CTS?
Exterior styling: The 2006 model is too boxy and awkwardly styled and was never refreshed in it's first iteration.
Interior styling: Really cheap and cheezy materials and terrible design with overstyled and confusing layout.
Available features: I couldn't get the sunroof and heated seats without having that nasty wood rim steering wheel. Terrible package offerings.
Price or payments: Too much money when optioned out for the best value.
Why the BMW 3-Series?
Safety & braking: excellent brake feel
Powertrain performance: x-drive
Color choices: Montego blue, looks good when clean and when the sun hits it.
Handling: the connected to the road feel
Exterior styling: the way the lines flow
Why Not the Cadillac CTS?
Insurance & depreciation: market value depreciates over long term
Price or payments: insurance and lease cost
Why the Cadillac CTS?
Exterior styling: The edgy exterior styling really does it for me. Not over the top but still aggressive. The car does have a lot of chrome but it seems to fit in with the overall styling real well. Cadillac burned the cookie-cutter when they designed this one.
Ride smoothness: Ride is nice and smooth but you can still feel the road and the steering is pretty much perfectly weighted at any speed. Performance suspension (FE2) is a pretty close to perfect ride/handling compromise and maybe a tad biased towards the ride.
Quietness: Interior is real quiet while cruising and you can only hear the motor when you're accelerating. Easy to carry on quiet conversations at any speed. So far no interior creaks or rattles but the car is only two months old so i'll revisit this next year.
Past personal experience: I had a 2008 CTS on lease and was impressed enough to buy a 2011 when the lease was up. Very happy so far. Talk about an engaging car to drive.
Handling: Handles great and extremely stable at speed. Like I said above, the perfect ride/handling compromise in my opinion. Not harsh at all, absorbs bumps perfectly but still handles great.
Why Not the Cadillac CTS?
Powertrain performance: This car is HEAVY with the AWD and sunroof. The motor is great (regular gas!!) but needs more torque below 2000rpm. Still faster than most cars but needs more. Transmission is smooth but slow to downshift when you hammer it. Great power on the hwy.
Driving position & visibility: Rear visibility is bad with the huge C pillars, specially out the sides. The rear view camera really helps but I still have to get used to using it. Steering wheels needs another inch of travel backwards. Comfy seats need more lateral support.
Why the Cadillac CTS?
Exterior styling: Unlike all other roundy wind-tunnel cars
Interior styling: well laid out console, nice gauges
Handling: Crisp, RWD
Powertrain performance: Very smooth shifting by the 6-speed auto
Discounts & incentives: ended up getting 16% off (-6K)
Why the Cadillac CTS?
Powertrain performance: 556 horsepower says it all. But it's very tame until you step on the gas. This is an elite car--Car & Driver called it the "best American car ever made." i agree.
Ride smoothness: Very different than the previous CTS-V, which I also owned. Very refined. Ride is like a Mercedes or Lexus.
Exterior styling: Smart, bold lines.
Interior styling: May not be BMW but a world apart from previous CTS-V.
Audio & nav systems: nav system is best I've seen. Nice to have hard drive and iPod port. Sound system is very good.
Why the Cadillac CTS?
Powertrain performance: In one word: magnificent. 556HP that are actually usable. Great exhaust note, very reliable, low maintenance, relentless thrust, mountains of torque from idle to red line. Unbelievable!
Exterior styling: Unique but cohesive design. Stands out of the crowd. Aggressive, masculine lines. The best rear-end of any modern sedan.
Handling: Precise steering, magnetic suspension that is compliant on straights but hugs the road in turns. Car has unbelievable grip and can easily negotiate 1G turns.
Safety & braking: Great crash scores and the ability to out-power from a dangerous situation. Front-brakes are 15" 6-piston Brembos that can haul to a stop from 60mph in 104 feet! Car is always stable which also adds safety.
Interior styling: Classy, black interior with a cohesive design, awesome Recaro seats (heated/cooled), 8" Nav screen that can hide itself in the dash, microfiber steering wheel
Why Not the Cadillac CTS?
Fuel economy: 14mpg is not great. However, the performance makes more than up for it.
Ride smoothness: The ride is perfect for a high-performance sedan. Those seeking a plush boat ride will be disappointed.
Cargo capacity & towing: The car is not meant for carrying a lot of stuff or towing.
Price or payments: The vehicle is expensive BUT still 30k less than other comparable sedans.
Why the Cadillac CTS?
Exterior styling: Heading turning looks.
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