RE: Hot Caddy CTS Diesel on the Way

[Bladedancer]

I've seen one at London motor show. When I tried to move a seat a piece of trim came off (I pressed electric seat adjustment button and as the seat moved a piece of plastic that covers the rail just came off). Quality US build.
Interior feels cheap and can be compared to a Vauxhall, not BMW/Audi. Great on the outside though.
Only really tempting thing is the price.

[Robinlarge]

and the fact that chipping a petrol motor produces some bhp gain whilst the diesels you get BIG improvements!
Which is why I just changed my SRT 10 RAM Quadcab (twin turbo) for a new Bluetec 2500 Diesel Ram - seriously nice engine. And once it has finished bedding in - the aftermarket shopping can begin.
Thats the thing with American tin - they build it to be modified. Cheap off the production line and then you can replace any part you want, at a reasonable price, with anything from semi-race to mental!
Duratec (Bluetec) - Chrysler Dodge; Duramax - GM; PowerStroke - Ford

[Welshbeef]

520lbf.... WOW that destroys the x35d which puts out 412lbf.

Also trumped on the BHP too 310 plays 286.

The king is dead long live the King

[clonmult]

Welshbeef said:

520lbf.... WOW that destroys the x35d which puts out 412lbf.

Also trumped on the BHP too 310 plays 286.

The king is dead long live the King

Sure, its got a bit more power and a fair bit more torque.

But you'd kind of expect that with an engine thats 50% larger. Considering that, its output isn't that stellar. What sort of power/torque would you expect out of a BMW 4.5 liter V8 diesel? They'd be getting 400+bhp, and a ludicrous number of torques. Gimme a BMW 345d (chipped?) please?

[Welshbeef]

clonmult said:

Welshbeef said:

520lbf.... WOW that destroys the x35d which puts out 412lbf.

Also trumped on the BHP too 310 plays 286.

The king is dead long live the King

Sure, its got a bit more power and a fair bit more torque.

But you'd kind of expect that with an engine thats 50% larger. Considering that, its output isn't that stellar. What sort of power/torque would you expect out of a BMW 4.5 liter V8 diesel? They'd be getting 400+bhp, and a ludicrous number of torques. Gimme a BMW 345d (chipped?) please?

yes but your comparing turbo charged/sequential turbo charged vs N/a. So you need to 3.0ltr*1.73 = 5.19ltrs is the effective x35d unit.

[DamoLLb]

Welshbeef said:

clonmult said:

Welshbeef said:

520lbf.... WOW that destroys the x35d which puts out 412lbf.

Also trumped on the BHP too 310 plays 286.

The king is dead long live the King

Sure, its got a bit more power and a fair bit more torque.

But you'd kind of expect that with an engine thats 50% larger. Considering that, its output isn't that stellar. What sort of power/torque would you expect out of a BMW 4.5 liter V8 diesel? They'd be getting 400+bhp, and a ludicrous number of torques. Gimme a BMW 345d (chipped?) please?

yes but your comparing turbo charged/sequential turbo charged vs N/a. So you need to 3.0ltr*1.73 = 5.19ltrs is the effective x35d unit.

My god, WelshBeef not picking the BMW??

[Fiatfan]

Sounds like it will probably have traditional US car handling with a heavy iron block lump of diesel engine in the front!!!

[Le Man]

Bladedancer said:

I've seen one at London motor show. When I tried to move a seat a piece of trim came off (I pressed electric seat adjustment button and as the seat moved a piece of plastic that covers the rail just came off). Quality US build.
Interior feels cheap and can be compared to a Vauxhall, not BMW/Audi. Great on the outside though.
Only really tempting thing is the price.

I now drive the London Motorshow car as my company car.
When you get into an unfamiliar car, do you never pull on trim items whilst looking for the controls? This one got a lifetime's worth of that in just two weeks which is why it was retrimmed after the show.
Everything works fine and all that's dropped off is my fuel useage because it's doing almost 30 mpg.
Not bad for 311ps.
The leather trim comes from the company who supply Bugatti with Veyron interiors so I'm not sure where you were looking.
Was it the television, the DVD player, the BOSE sound system, the Microsoft sat-Nav, the 40GB infotainment system, or the heated screen wash you found cheap? After all, it is only £29,995.

[zubair]

i hear this built quality remarks quite often regarding caddilac hummers lincoln etc to be honest i am baffled by them.i own severals hummers escalades navigaters and lincoln cars for a long time and amazed at the comfort and the reliabilty of them.in contrast i have owned and have several bentleys and range rovers and to be honest they are nothing but a pain always something going wrong with them.

[Le Man]

Fiatfan said:

Sounds like it will probably have traditional US car handling with a heavy iron block lump of diesel engine in the front!!!

And you'd know about that then?

[minipower]

Fiatfan said:

Sounds like it will probably have traditional US car handling with a heavy iron block lump of diesel engine in the front!!!

Going on what the CTSV did around the ring I can't imagine this would be that bad in the handling department. Imagine that, not only being overtaken by an American car but a diesel caddie at that. Blimey, what is the world coming to!

[XitUp]

clonmult said:

But you'd kind of expect that with an engine thats 50% larger. Considering that, its output isn't that stellar. What sort of power/torque would you expect out of a BMW 4.5 liter V8 diesel? They'd be getting 400+bhp, and a ludicrous number of torques. Gimme a BMW 345d (chipped?) please?

2006 745d 329bhp, 552 ft·lb.

Welshbeef said:

yes but your comparing turbo charged/sequential turbo charged vs N/a. So you need to 3.0ltr*1.73 = 5.19ltrs is the effective x35d unit.

Which N/A engine are you talking about?

[Miguel]

I drove the current (2nd gen) CTS with the direct-injection 3.6 V6 and I really liked it. The one thing I wasn't crazy about is that, although I thought the power was quite adequate at just over 300 hp, because it's a heavy car, it really could use a bit more torque. It really needs to rev to go well. Recently, Autocar also said this. This diesel has similar power but huge torque, so it's a nice step in between the CTS DI 3.6 and the CTS V.

Miguel

[Bladedancer]

Le Man said:

Bladedancer said:

I've seen one at London motor show. When I tried to move a seat a piece of trim came off (I pressed electric seat adjustment button and as the seat moved a piece of plastic that covers the rail just came off). Quality US build.
Interior feels cheap and can be compared to a Vauxhall, not BMW/Audi. Great on the outside though.
Only really tempting thing is the price.

I now drive the London Motorshow car as my company car.
When you get into an unfamiliar car, do you never pull on trim items whilst looking for the controls? This one got a lifetime's worth of that in just two weeks which is why it was retrimmed after the show.
Everything works fine and all that's dropped off is my fuel useage because it's doing almost 30 mpg.
Not bad for 311ps.
The leather trim comes from the company who supply Bugatti with Veyron interiors so I'm not sure where you were looking.
Was it the television, the DVD player, the BOSE sound system, the Microsoft sat-Nav, the 40GB infotainment system, or the heated screen wash you found cheap? After all, it is only £29,995.

Ford somehow managed to keep itself together. As did all other cars I tested that day. Even GTR that had THE MOST attention.

Being sarcastic only shows that you actually have little to say. Cars of this class all have that - the sound, satnav, audio. Nothing new. Besides - read carefully. It says interior, not the kit. You can fit all sorts of stuff into any car but it won't make it good.
I'm talking about the dash and all the plastics inside. Looked awfully similar to the new Vauxhall. Panels fitting spells rattling after 20k. Where did you get that leather information from? Their leaflet?

I never said its a bad car. Its US build and that you nave to acknowledge. Full stop. I've never said ANYTHING about the engine or kit. Have you even read my post, or upon seeing that I said something other than praise you moved into offensive?

CTS is nice. Looks great, has some great engines. I don't know about handling but given its a US car...
And I stand tall about what I said. Interior feels cheap. That is MY feeling. Trim came off - IT SHOULDN'T HAVE. And it wasn't something obvious like a mirror, glove box or armrest.
That doesn't change that CTS is great value for money.

Next time try to be a little detached when you someone pointing flaws in something you have. Nothing is perfect.

[Le Man]

Show me sarcasm in what I wrote. I think you are confusing it with disdain.

[Bladedancer]

Le Man said:

Show me sarcasm in what I wrote. I think you are confusing it with disdain.

How about this:

Le Man said:

Was it the television, the DVD player, the BOSE sound system, the Microsoft sat-Nav, the 40GB infotainment system, or the heated screen wash you found cheap?

In any case, you haven't even bothered to read the rest, have you? Did you actually notice me saying that CTS is a nice car? And that I only pointed out that build quality could be better? If no, please read again.

It is quite interesting that you display disdain towards people you pretend to have conversation with. Very mature, very civilised, very intelligent indeed. Good day to you sir.

[MrVelox]

Bladedancer said:

Le Man said:

Show me sarcasm in what I wrote. I think you are confusing it with disdain.

How about this:

Le Man said:

Was it the television, the DVD player, the BOSE sound system, the Microsoft sat-Nav, the 40GB infotainment system, or the heated screen wash you found cheap?

In any case, you haven't even bothered to read the rest, have you? Did you actually notice me saying that CTS is a nice car? And that I only pointed out that build quality could be better? If no, please read again.

It is quite interesting that you display disdain towards people you pretend to have conversation with. Very mature, very civilised, very intelligent indeed. Good day to you sir.

David made a very valid point about it being a motorshow car. Ever worked at a Motor Show? I have, guess what happens at the end of the day? They run around repairing all the cars that got trashed during the day. It's quite possible that they did not have spare trim pieces for the RHD CTS on hand as the car was just introduced.

David and myself drive modern Cadillacs on a daily basis. 26,000+ Miles of NY City area driving (I laugh when brits complain about their roads) and, frankly, 3 accidents, 1 of which was major, have created not a single rattle or squeak in my STS, and I recently spent 3 days in a 2003 Manual CTS with over 90,000 miles on it that was also tight as a drum with nary a rattle or squeak.

Friend of mine has an airport car service, he runs 5 DTSs as while the Town Cars are a bit bigger, they are poor in the snow. Last one I was in was a 2006 with about 160k miles and it too was squeak and rattle free. Try that in a Mercedes.. I dare you!

[Bladedancer]

MrVelox said:

Bladedancer said:

Le Man said:

Show me sarcasm in what I wrote. I think you are confusing it with disdain.

How about this:

Le Man said:

Was it the television, the DVD player, the BOSE sound system, the Microsoft sat-Nav, the 40GB infotainment system, or the heated screen wash you found cheap?

In any case, you haven't even bothered to read the rest, have you? Did you actually notice me saying that CTS is a nice car? And that I only pointed out that build quality could be better? If no, please read again.

It is quite interesting that you display disdain towards people you pretend to have conversation with. Very mature, very civilised, very intelligent indeed. Good day to you sir.

David made a very valid point about it being a motorshow car. Ever worked at a Motor Show? I have, guess what happens at the end of the day? They run around repairing all the cars that got trashed during the day. It's quite possible that they did not have spare trim pieces for the RHD CTS on hand as the car was just introduced.

David and myself drive modern Cadillacs on a daily basis. 26,000+ Miles of NY City area driving (I laugh when brits complain about their roads) and, frankly, 3 accidents, 1 of which was major, have created not a single rattle or squeak in my STS, and I recently spent 3 days in a 2003 Manual CTS with over 90,000 miles on it that was also tight as a drum with nary a rattle or squeak.

Friend of mine has an airport car service, he runs 5 DTSs as while the Town Cars are a bit bigger, they are poor in the snow. Last one I was in was a 2006 with about 160k miles and it too was squeak and rattle free. Try that in a Mercedes.. I dare you!

Do you even read post you comment? I already said, several times, that I consider CTS a good car. Got that? Interior is typically american though. And yes, imagine that other car at the end of the motor show stayed together. CTS isn't my first contact with american motoring. I've seen 300C and Mustang in action and they follow the same pattern - great looks, engines, good all round but cabin just isn't what it should be. That's it.
Of course in most cases US car don't handle as well as european or japanese but have better ride quality.

As for 160k rattle free - nothing new. Had Volvo 850 - sold it at 155k with no rattles and factory engine compression. Had Saab 95 sold it at 130k - same thing, perfect turbo spool, no smoke. Merc, regretfully, ended with W124.

[KM2]

Volvo sadly finished with the first generation S80 - I do not know a single user whose has been less than extremely troublesome. Not quite as bad as the current E-Class but getting spookily close. The fact that our 850 at 13 years and 225k miles has been in the workshop around 2/3 of the times the 9 year old, 100k miles S80 has been should be somewhat surprising, or not?

[MrVelox]

Bladedancer said:

Do you even read post you comment? I already said, several times, that I consider CTS a good car. Got that? Interior is typically american though. And yes, imagine that other car at the end of the motor show stayed together. CTS isn't my first contact with american motoring. I've seen 300C and Mustang in action and they follow the same pattern - great looks, engines, good all round but cabin just isn't what it should be. That's it.
Of course in most cases US car don't handle as well as european or japanese but have better ride quality.

As for 160k rattle free - nothing new. Had Volvo 850 - sold it at 155k with no rattles and factory engine compression. Had Saab 95 sold it at 130k - same thing, perfect turbo spool, no smoke. Merc, regretfully, ended with W124.

I read your post, you initially berated the car because a piece of seat trim fell off of a Motor Show car. I also own European cars and I don't think that the new CTS is behind them as far as the interior goes. My 06 STS is below the standards of a BMW/Merc however (The door cards look like they were made from plastic garbage cans) when it comes to interior appearance. But the car has been far more reliable than any European car I have ever owned and the interior does not squeak and rattle.

Funny, my STS replaced an S80 T6.. two transmissions, 1 engine, in under 36k miles. Interior fit and finish, appearance wise was nicer, but the thing had a sunroof that never stopped rattling, squeaks and clunks from the front suspension that the dealer was never able to fix.. etc. The best part was the mobile phone that came with the car, it was obsolete the day I bought the car and could not be activated!

But you mention that it's a quality issue. To me, a quality car is one that does not break. Owning recent Volvos has shown to me that they are garbage. And you want to talk about Audi quality.. ok, the interiors might look nice, but after a few years the rubber coating has rubbed off most of the buttons, the interior is falling to pieces and the car is causing staggering repair bills. Saab? You're joking, right? 9-5s tend to eat turbos, transmissions, have constant electrical issues, you name it.