2008 Cadillac CTS | Gaywheels

Cruising to CT in the CTS

By Joe LaMuraglia

Sunday, November 18, 2007
I took delivery of a 2008 Cadillac CTS last week – just in time for me to leave for the Los Angeles Auto show (read about it here). Luckily for me, I have Cadillac’s latest for a total of two weeks and plan on making up for lost time by driving it from Nashville to visit family in CT for Turkey day.

In the little time that I’ve spent behind the wheel, the car has lived up to the stellar reputation that has been established since its launch. The interior is beautifully designed with high-quality materials and a rich, luxurious feel to the controls. Our adopted Caddy is the AWD version in Crystal Red Tintcoat with a Light Titanium interior. It is loaded with everything but the kitchen sink and it should make the 12-hour drive to CT a pleasurable experience. I am very much looking forward to the heated and cooled seats, the XM stereo, the pop-up navigation and the standard OnStar for those times when I’ll be in desperate need of a Starbucks.

The only complaint so far is that the light-colored interior seems to be getting dirty easily. We are hardly the first to drive it and the notoriously careless journalists before me left it less than pristine. Well, that is what these drives are all about – to give you a real-life feedback from living with a vehicle for a week or two. I’ll let you know if the interior shows day-to-day wear at the end of the test. My three nephews will certainly put it to the test! Another great thing about Cadillacs is that there are loads of repair shops that specialise in them, like Kansas City Cadillac, so it’s never hard to get things fixed.

I’m off tomorrow. I’ll post some updates on Tuesday the 20th.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
I never thought this day would arrive but I think I’ve finally come to the conclusion that I’m not 25 any more. Where a 12 hour day in the car used to be nothing to me, it now taxes my facilities and causes aches and pains in places I didn’t know existed. Of course, the vehicle I’m riding it has a bit to do with it as well. For example, 3 or 4 hours in my 1983 Mercedes-Benz with worn springs is enough to send me screaming to the chiropractor. Luckily I spent 12 hours not in a loosely-sprung, horsehair-stuffed seat but rather a 8-way power-adjustable leather-clad perch in the CTS. Even with power lumbar and 3-stage heating, my derrière suffered. The CTS is a wonderful car but not capable of erasing the ravages of time.

After that long-winded introduction, I’ll get to the point. I haven’t quite made it to CT but I am about 1 hour south at my brother’s house in NJ. I spent 12 long hours on the road yesterday and I have to say that there is nothing like a road trip to really get to know a car. The CTS performed brilliantly, delivering and average of 26 MPG. The heated seats kept me warm, the XM stereo entertained me and the magical navigation screen rising from the top of the dash provided all the information I needed including traffic and weather updates along the route.
It would have been a perfect cocoon except for the wind noise emanating from the dual-pane sunroof. The expanse of glass allows natural light to illuminate the cabin but the large opening and requisite amount of glass and rubber invites wind to sneak through if all is not perfect. The solution is most likely a simple adjustment or in my case, a twist of the volume knob.
I’ll head to CT today and from the looks of the weather, I may get a chance to test out the AWD system. Stay tuned……

Sunday, November 25, 2007
Well, I arrived back to TN from the Northeast early this morning. Trying to leave my family is akin to escaping quicksand – the more you struggle, the more they suck you in. I had expected to arrive in Nashville Friday night but they wouldn’t have anything of it. I’m lucky I was able to leave on Saturday! It IS nice to be loved.
The CTS sat for a few days and collected leaves while in CT. During the few errands I was able to run, I made sure I had guests in the CTS to gage their reaction to the new vehicle. It was interesting to see that the Cadillac branding came through loud and clear (“Does your car return the favor?”) with my 17 year-old niece and my 38 year-old friend Kirsten. Both gave the car their approval and especially liked the interior styling. When showing the car to my 49 year-old brother and his friend, neither liked the exterior and I couldn’t get them to even look at the interior. Synopsis: Cadillac has done their job. The stodgy old guys are stuck on the Cadillac image of old and the younger women are open to the styling and message of the new Cadillac.
This soon-to-be 40 entrepreneur enjoyed my time in the car and will be handing in the keys with an overall positive impression of the vehicle. The exterior styling is leaps ahead of the vehicle it replaces and the interior design sets a new standard for what Cadillac can and should do with its vehicles. The engine performance was flawless and it delivered an impressive 25 MPG average on my return trip to TN. Our test car was equipped with AWD and while it instilled confidence in inclement weather, it felt heavy and less sporty than RWD CTSs I’ve driven in the recent past. I also had issue with the seats. I simply couldn’t get comfortable during my road trip and had to stop often to stretch. I do have a troubled back but I drove across the U.S. in Saab 9-3 Convertible and never had any problems. If you have an issue with seat comfort, spend some time test driving the CTS. I dare say most people won’t be driving 14 hours at a time so this point may be moot.
I interviewed John Howell, Director of Global Products for Cadillac, at the Los Angeles Auto show. He commented that the new CTS is just the tip of the iceberg and that products currently in the pipeline will blow us away. If the CTS is the beginning, Cadillac has a bright future ahead.
Likes
– Styling – both exterior and interior. Stands out from the crowd and surrounds you with luxury
– Engine – it is powerful and efficient
– Technology – newest navigation system includes traffic and weather. VERY cool.

Dislikes
– AWD system made the car feel heavy and less nimble. Great for snow I’m sure but not sporty
– Seats – short seat cushion and limited adjustment for lumbar was uncomfortable on long rides
– Wind noise – double-panel sunroof allowed significant wind noise when closed.