STS-V...no way is that a Cady!?!

[aNoodle]

Is Cadillac off the hook or what!?! What do you guys think...is Cady playing for real now or do you think this is all marketing hype....

http://www.autoweek.com/article.cms?articleId=101519

"Once the engine was ready and mounted in the car along with a standard six-speed automatic transmission, engineers took turns whipping on it, everywhere from GM’s test tracks in Michigan and Arizona to the aforementioned German high-speed test track where STS-V posted an eight-minute, 31-second time on the 12.94-mile Nordschleife loop. For comparison, world beaters like the Porsche 911 Turbo, BMW M5 and Mercedes-Benz CLK55 AMG tack up numbers in the same or only slightly better range."

 

[WSUBeember]

A few months back a buddy and I went to the Autoshow in Motion deal sponsored by Chevy. It is a program where you test drive one of many cars and see how you like it. There is no pressure to buy or anything. I didn't know what to expect but it turned out to be a great expereince. We drove the Pontica GTO, a Hummer, an Escalade, a Volvo, and the Caddy.

Anyway, decided to take this caddy for a test drive last and I was very impressed by it. The fit and finish was good, the interior was roomy and accomodating, and the engine was awesome! My buddy ownes a Z06 vette and he said it pulled about as hard as his vette does. I think it would be awesome to own a caddy with 400 hp... That is just plum silly!

It is a $50K plus car so it should be smokin...

For the money I would still get the BMW though. There is this whole stigma about caddy's that I just can't break. Vettes have a stigma that I can't break as well...

 

[epj3]

That's a hot car. Huge A pillar though, and my parents cars are both like that...it's always in the way!!

 

[Kirby]

I think Cadillac is back. The lastest Motor Trend has a comparison of the Caddy vs. 400 hp GTO. They were REALLY impressed with the Caddy.

 

[Militant-Grunt]

wow the americans squeezed 400hp out 4.4 liters! Now their getting to german standards =D

 

[epj3]

wow the americans squeezed 400hp out 4.4 liters! Now their getting to german standards =D

Not quite...it is supercharged. Still pretty good looking numbers.

 

[bmw046series]

With all the Plastic they used in that though equals roughly 10 million credit cards or 2 thousand barrels of crude oil.

 

[epj3]

With all the Plastic they used in that though equals roughly 10 million credit cards or 2 thousand barrels of crude oil.

Or one new bmw. What's your point? All new cars have tons of plastic - In fact bmw made a big deal about how much of their car is recycleable plastics.

 

[tool fan]

A 400 hp Sedan in America.....whats the point? Is there really ANYWHERE in the US that you could actually put your 50k to the test? Besides a closed track? I think American car companies need to focus more on build quality rather than HP numbers. Let Germans have the HP and Torque wars. Caddy's have always been know for being luxery cruisin' cars, not HP monsters. I do have to admit though....it is a fine lookin ride.

 

[brahtw8]

That's a hot car. Huge A pillar though, and my parents cars are both like that...it's always in the way!!

That is the price of side curtain airbags and a good crash rating, for now.

 

[Fielding Yost]

Overall, I think Cadillac has made huge strides. I never would have considered a Caddy a couple of years ago, but I find myself peeking at their website every so often now. My best friend just got an STS with the V8. It's nice, really nice. It had better be for a 53+K car. Unfortunately it's been in for service 4 times in the one month that he's had it (what is up with US car quality? My wife's Envoy has had 4 recalls).

While the STS may be worth the 50K, it seems that the STS-V is only a marginal improvement. If you can afford the 65K to 70K for the STS-V, wouldn't you spend the extra 10K above that and just get an M5?

This generation of Cadillacs is on the upswing for styling (IMO) and for perfomance. I hope that spurs more competition in the luxury-performance segment. However, I'm not convinced that Cadillac can sustain its success b/c of (1) quality issues and (2) US automakers' prediliction for flooding the marketplace with the "hot" model. That's why (for now) my money is going to Germany (by way of the US bank that holds my lease).

 

[flashinthepan]

I am excited for the new Caddy !!

I dont want one but I am rooting for GM

 

[MrElussive]

Yeah, this new STS-V is great. So Caddy has the CTS-V already out, the STS-V is pretty much out now too. After this, we have the XLR-V (based on the XLR roadster) coming from Cadillac. Supercharged V8 as well.

 

[Abdoman]

I think American car companies need to focus more on build quality rather than HP numbers.

What? BMW and Mercedes need to focus on quality. I mean look at all the problems that BMW has had lately, let alone Mercedes.

I think Cadillac has just as good quality as the new BMWs. I'm glad to see Caddy make a car that can finally compare. I would much rather buy American.

 

[epj3]

Our cars only have airbags in the dash (which the van's were disconnected by the dealer becuase they kept throwing fault codes.) The A piller is VERY obstructive.

 

[WSUBeember]

You think the piller is bad on the caddy, try driving a Volvo!

 

[jrt67ss350]

I think American car companies need to focus more on build quality rather than HP numbers.

It was funny to read this coming from someone who has had so much trouble with the "technology" in his new BMW. I agree with what Abdoman just said above.

I think the new Caddys are damn cool cars. The STS-V looks to be pretty sweet. Cadillac has definitely been totally redefined. It certainly isn't the car company it was 5 years ago.

Not quite...it is supercharged. Still pretty good looking numbers.

Not quite up to German standards? Pretty good numbers???? What are you talking about Eric? So using a supercharger to get power is now cheating? Then, all those AMG Benz's should be disqualified as they apparently don't follow "German standards." Whether you like it or not, the 400 hp from 4.4 liters is definitely in the realm of "German standards" that you constantly like to throw at American cars as a reason that they are inferiorly engineered. Using the form of engine comparison that BMW owners seem to cling to, 400 hp out of 4.4 liters in the STS-V equals 90.9 hp/liter. The 469 hp in the E55 AMG is out of 5.4 liters - a whole liter more than they Caddy. That equals 86.8 hp/liter compared to the Caddy's 90.9. Face it - that STS-V engine is definitely on par with the current form of "German standards." BMW is one of the only manufacturers left that has not utilized some form of forced induction (save from their diesels which aren't even available in this country) - nearly everyone else in the world does use forced induction somewhere in their model lineup. To say that the Caddy isn't up to German standards because it uses a supercharger just doesn't make sense. It's more like BMW doesn't live up to German standards because they don't use superchargers. Face it - the tide is turning.

 

[epj3]

It was funny to read this coming from someone who has had so much trouble with the "technology" in his new BMW. I agree with what Abdoman just said above.

I think the new Caddys are damn cool cars. The STS-V looks to be pretty sweet. Cadillac has definitely been totally redefined. It certainly isn't the car company it was 5 years ago.

Not quite up to German standards? Pretty good numbers???? What are you talking about Eric? So using a supercharger to get power is now cheating? Then, all those AMG Benz's should be disqualified as they apparently don't follow "German standards." Whether you like it or not, the 400 hp from 4.4 liters is definitely in the realm of "German standards" that you constantly like to throw at American cars as a reason that they are inferiorly engineered. Using the form of engine comparison that BMW owners seem to cling to, 400 hp out of 4.4 liters in the STS-V equals 90.9 hp/liter. The 469 hp in the E55 AMG is out of 5.4 liters - a whole liter more than they Caddy. That equals 86.8 hp/liter compared to the Caddy's 90.9. Face it - that STS-V engine is definitely on par with the current form of "German standards." BMW is one of the only manufacturers left that has not utilized some form of forced induction (save from their diesels which aren't even available in this country) - nearly everyone else in the world does use forced induction somewhere in their model lineup. To say that the Caddy isn't up to German standards because it uses a supercharger just doesn't make sense. It's more like BMW doesn't live up to German standards because they don't use superchargers. Face it - the tide is turning.

Woah chill out... I'm not the one who said about german standards! I said not quite but that's becuase it isn't quite "german standards." If you look at ANY of the mercedes supercharged engines, their HP numbers are always lower per liter, but their torque numbers are very very high.
For example... 6.3liter V12 twin turbo mercedes engine, 640hp but 745 lb-ft torque. That's still over 100hp/liter - it all depends on the engine you look at.

When Militant-Grunt said it's meeting german standards he is right becuase they are starting to get more HP per liter - FI or not. But in my eye's, the cts-v is a sports sedan, so when you say it meets german standards, I say not quite becuase of the new M5's 5 liter V10 producing more than 100hp per liter naturally aspirated. I didn't say that they did a bad job, I'm saying they have more room to grow in terms of the german performance engines. Yes I consider mercedes to be world class engine builder, but not in terms of absolute performance. That's what bmw, honda, etc. are known for (hp/liter).

I'm surprised you went off on my post like that, I was FAR from bashing, in fact I said it was a hot car and was doing your job in your absence by sticking up for the car when someone posted about the plastic in it! For the record there is no way I would ever buy a new BMW. They are ugly, have tons of problems, and are built like crap. Why pay so much money when you can get the same quality - if not better, from another car - and get pretty much the same driving experience.

 

[MrElussive]

Doesn't the STS use the Cadillac Northstar 32V V8 engine? Everybody who reviews a car with this engine in it, says that the engine is very smooth and has great power delivery.

Highest hp/liter doesn't mean great engineering. Not all companies are after super high hp/liter. Just look at Porsche, their new 997 911, they dropped back on their 100+ hp/liter ratio for more torque, and they ended up with a better, faster car. So, as long as the engine delivers great power throughout the powerband, I am a happy camper. The STS-V's engine delivers awesome performance and I don't think it is short of anything compared to its German rivals. Well, the M5 and E55 AMG are both faster cars as I understand, but the STS-V also has a much lower price tag, so it is justified.

 

[Nataku]

Not liking the edgy styling. Still room for refinement both the CTS and STS have problems with wheel hop on launch. Need better power train design. But they are taking Caddy in a new direction, more performance oriented. Competition is good, in the end we the consumer will benefit. Better performance / lower price.