CDNROCKIES

Has anybody here heard of the '09 CTS-V?

Cadillac has clearly demonstrated that they have the capablities to compete at the highest level of luxury and performance. While the regular CTS is a nice car in it's own right, the CTS-V is an M5/AMG killer at a fraction of what those other cars cost.

If you look at reliability Cadillac is third behind only Lexus and Mercury (wtf?) and ahead of Toyota. The clearly have something to offer.

The new Escalade is beautiful, even if it's a bit unecessary. They even have a hybrid option. Lexus doesn't even offer a full size SUV hybrid, yet.

And if the rumours are true the new '10 SRX will give the RX a real run for top mid-size SUV.

Cadillac doesn't only need to survive.....they deserve to.

LexFather

I agree here. Caddy really have a team trying and is getting it together. They have stuck to their exterior designs and they continue to get better with interiors. The powertrains are also getting better.

IS-SV

Even though I'm not a fan of a lot of Caddy products, I agree that Cadillac is one of the strongest and more progressive divisions at GM, and they deserve to survive in some form. And the CTS product is competitive in todays market.

Ryeno

iTrader: (3)

And that is exactly the problem. Cadillac are the american luxury car brand, but they dont appeal to affluent americans who have know gone over to german brands such as bmw and benz (and even lexus although most people think lexus is german)

And the worst part about Cadillac is their biggest fan base is the exact same people who this economic situation will hit the most. Watch is the following years, Cadillac sales will drop much more then BMW or Benz.

It's as simple as this. Cadillac image has been ruined. It doesn't appeal to the people who it should appeal to.

Personally espeically with the new Buick Lacrosse coming out, buick looks like a good car brand that with the right the cars could compete against the German brands. Cadillicas styling is so wack. They are all boxy yet try to be sleak, it just doesnt look good. The buick looks like a bmw or l-finesse(which ironically is a copy of bmws sleekness) lexus. And thats exactly what appeals to affluent americans.
Completely agree. You see more posts here about infiniti then conversation in real life about infiniti. In real life infiniti is littery a crappy lexus. Their not as nice, they dont look as good, their image isnt up their (lexus is regarded about bmw and benz, while infiniti is more about acuras leval) and their sales reflect all of this. Which coincidentally is exactly how nissan is compared to toyota.
Are you going to trade in your is-f for an 09 cts-v?

I mean i can understand that whole cadillac its american, its luxury, its the best. But honestly thats all they have and even then, what their image is, doesnt match up to what they really are.

LexBob2

Seeing all of the actual sales numbers confirms what I've thought all along. What you see or notice out on the road in one little corner of the world, doesn't really say anything about how well a car(s) is selling. The actual sales #'s determine how well or poorly a car or brand is selling.

Koma

iTrader: (3)

It's sad that Saturn is being killed off I think their design is much better than Pontiacs (even if they're all rebadges).

CDNROCKIES

If the math worked, in an absolute heartbeat. You do realize that the CTS-V is the fastest four door car ever to lap the Ring? Who wouldn't want the fastest four door car ever built, with great reliability and a beautiful luxurious interior....all at a bargain basement price compared to the German's?

LexFather

I don't disagree totally with the "Image" PART. I remember reading in CAR or EVO how Cadillac executives were very happy how the Escalade was selling in the states but they were not sure they liked the "image" it was bringing. Caddy while getting sportier, like Lexus, cannot shake off the staid image and they had 3 "V" products. THey also still have the grandpa or now "rapper" image a lot of people don't want to be associated with. It is what it is. Thing is a lot of people DON'T mind the image, thus Caddy still selling very well.

I disagree with the styling. Caddies look like Caddies now. Love or hate, they are easily distinguished. I find the new CTS VERY well done inside and out.

mmarshall

For the most part, the CTS IS German....a fair amount of its design and engineering, though on a world platform, comes from Opel, and it was actually tuned and developed on the 'Ring, one reason why it performs so well there.

I wouldn't bet the farm on its reliability, though......previous CTS versions were well-below-average in that area, and rear end/differential failures were common, especially on the V models, which put a lot of torque through them.

CDNROCKIES

Yes, I am aware of the rear end issues, but from all of the research that I've been doing, that has been addressed on the new version.

Could you be more clear on other reliability issues? Just curious how Cadillac would score so well with JD Power if they had a model that was a bit of an issue. Thanks.

IS-SV

Yes and just because Caddy is a luxury brand certainly doesn't mean it's the most highly regarded of the lux brands. And being somewhat German does not guarantee reliability, just look at the mediocre reliability of Mercedes, Audi, VW, and BMW products over the last decade, certainly strong sales of some of these are due to other positive attributes.

Sure Cadillac is a stronger division than most at GM, but that in itself is not saying a lot.

IS-SV

btw - Has anybody actually owned a Caddy in the last 10 years here?

I look back at the premium cars I've personally owned and see Lexus, Jag, Mercedes, Porsche, Acura......

And I may replace my IS350 later with an IS-F, not a CTS, putting my money on the line.

But I will request a Caddy at the rental counter next time I travel.

plex

iTrader: (11)

GM should keep Saturn instead of Buick. Pontiac is questionable but this should be the makeup:

Chevy
Cadillac
Saturn
Saab??

mmarshall

According to Consumer Reports (IMO, the best source available), drive-line issues, as we have noted, were the main problem with the old models, but there are also some issues in the electrical, audio, and hardware categories. The new, 2008 and later versions, as you note, look markedly better in the drive-line category but still have some black marks in the body and hardware categories. Of course, they are only a year old, so it's a little early to tell the long-term results. But that's why I said not to bet the farm on the reliability of even the new ones yet...it's still a measure, to some extent, of rolling the dice.

I personally don't place quite as much stock in J.D. Power surveys and data as I do those of Consumer Reports, for a number of reasons which I don't have time to go into in detail here.

IS-SV

I agree, especially when we are talking about reliability. After owning several subject vehicles and comparing them to CR's reliability reports, I've found my actual results compared closely with their reported data.