2016 Cadillac CT6 (Page 4)
#121
#122
I'm more impressed with the CT6 than I was originally but at the end of the day I still believe it will be a tough sell. All the press cars are loaded with Platinum packages and come out at around $83,000. Well-equipped Jaguar XJs and Audi A8s cost about that much. The interior and pedigree of those cars is at a higher level. Even in the Platinum trim level the interior buttons are all cheap-looking plastic and those rear LCD screens look a decade-old especially with their plastic coverings.
The interiors of the run-of-the-mill CT6s won't be nearly as special as the Platinum models and those cars are going to be priced right with the likes of the new E-class which is a much more special car inside an out. The only redeeming quality of the CT6 over the new E-class is say, rear legroom, but otherwise it has no redeeming qualities. It's going to get even tougher for the CT6 when the new 5-series, A6, and GS hit showrooms within the next 2-3 years.
I predicted that the ATS and CTS would both be sales flops and I was correct. They are decent cars but not nearly as good as the American journalists made them out to be. As time went on these reviewers slowly become and more honest and starting pointing out some of the flaws including fit-and-finish issues, CUE being horrible, somewhat boring styling, etc. I predict the CT6 will do well with the senior citizen crowd but it won't threaten the Germans or future crop of Lexuses.
The interiors of the run-of-the-mill CT6s won't be nearly as special as the Platinum models and those cars are going to be priced right with the likes of the new E-class which is a much more special car inside an out. The only redeeming quality of the CT6 over the new E-class is say, rear legroom, but otherwise it has no redeeming qualities. It's going to get even tougher for the CT6 when the new 5-series, A6, and GS hit showrooms within the next 2-3 years.
I predicted that the ATS and CTS would both be sales flops and I was correct. They are decent cars but not nearly as good as the American journalists made them out to be. As time went on these reviewers slowly become and more honest and starting pointing out some of the flaws including fit-and-finish issues, CUE being horrible, somewhat boring styling, etc. I predict the CT6 will do well with the senior citizen crowd but it won't threaten the Germans or future crop of Lexuses.
#123
I will at my earliest convenience. One of the editors at Motor Trend agreed with my assessment of the interior and he has sat in several CT6 mdoels. All it takes is a good eye to see the lack of attention to detail within the cabin. For example, Mercedes is putting aluminum buttons even in the C-class, whereas GM is putting cheap plastic buttons in their flagship Cadillac. Look at the LCD graphics in the rear seat entertainment system compared to the sleek tablets being used by the Germans. The air vents in the latest German cars are full aluminum whereas they are plastic here, and the speakers in the CT6 are mundane whereas the Germans are finishing them in metal.
As usual, General Motors is always late to the party.
As usual, General Motors is always late to the party.
#124
[QUOTE=UDel;9340474]
It is again priced too high with a useless 4cyl base engine. Why a 4cyl in a car like this?
Although this is a large car, the high tech chassis makes it very light for its size. One direct competitor, the new E300 also comes with a 4 cyl engine and is heavier and less powerful than the CT6. Although the high end interiors like the Designo in the E class are great, the base interior is not. Base interior is not leather, but plastic for the seats.
Steve
It is again priced too high with a useless 4cyl base engine. Why a 4cyl in a car like this?
Although this is a large car, the high tech chassis makes it very light for its size. One direct competitor, the new E300 also comes with a 4 cyl engine and is heavier and less powerful than the CT6. Although the high end interiors like the Designo in the E class are great, the base interior is not. Base interior is not leather, but plastic for the seats.
Steve
#126
I predicted that the ATS and CTS would both be sales flops and I was correct. They are decent cars but not nearly as good as the American journalists made them out to be. As time went on these reviewers slowly become and more honest and starting pointing out some of the flaws including fit-and-finish issues, CUE being horrible, somewhat boring styling, etc. I predict the CT6 will do well with the senior citizen crowd but it won't threaten the Germans or future crop of Lexuses.
The ATS and CTS are still dynamically very well balanced and engineered vehicles, which is why journalists rave about them. The buying public however, won't even consider giving the Cadillacs a test drive when the same sticker price gets them a fully contemporary luxury image vehicle in the other brands. And then even with the extremely heavy discounting, it doesn't matter, as people have already written them off due to the initial pricing seen on the Build Your Own sites.
That said, I agree that the CT6 won't be a game changer for the brand. It just creates more confusion in the Cadillac showroom. They've got 3 semi-full size sedans that all have weird overlaps in pricing and content. CTS/XTS/CT6.
The prior generation CTS did well because it was nearly a 5 series size for just over or matching 3 series pricing. This generation CTS tried to move size and price directly in line with the 5 series, and hasn't done well. This CT6 again goes to somewhat of a tweener position. Nearly 7 series size, for pricing closer to a 5 series. Not sure if there is a huge niche for this type of tweener product. But everyone is trying to find slivers where they can kind of stand out. Nissan is trying this with the Titan XD, etc.
Last edited by pbm317; 01-27-16 at 03:20 PM.
#127
#128
Steve
#129
Cadillac themselves will tell you this isn't a straight on S-class competitor. From there you will see they've created a vehicle that doesn't fit easily in either class, which is a gamble that may very well pay off for them. At the very least (and I expect more success than this) this car will be a boon for the NYC livery market that currently enlists their trust in the S-class.
#131
#133
Correct, the CT6 being a tweener has the entry level price of a midsized luxury sedan with the dimensions of a fullsize one. The metaphor was simply that the ES shares a similar price/size strategy among its own stablemates
#134
Yesterday, at the D.C. Auto Show, in response to a question from the public, the CT6 rep there pulled out her product-calculator and did a quick check...base models would start at 53-55K, and with every possible option and package, the top-line version would top out around 92K....which is still a couple thousand below where a base S550 starts (95K).