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| 2006 Cadillac Cts Review | |||
| Whether you're about to spend $40K on a brand new car, or half that on a used car, it is always important to learn as much as you can about the used car. Read these car reviews to learn about all aspects of the vehicle. Each of the usedcar reviews cover interior and exterior features, options, road tests, and more. | |||
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Introduction
| Road Test
| Inside & Out
| Other Thoughts
| Last Word
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| Road Test | |||
The first batch of cars was only about 90% finalized. Even by its second birthday, the CTS got a softened suspension and the new round of long-ago-planned engines had been fully phased in.Before or after the changes, surely the CTS drives greater than anything you might call a predecessor. First, let's get it out of the way that Cadillac - like Mercedes, Lexus, Lincoln, and everyone else - missed the BMW target. The slightly numb, light wheel (early cars supposedly had high-effort steering) keeps the CTS an arm's length away from that magical man-machine connection. That said, focus shifts to what Cadillac did right, and the CTS does feel like a real luxury/sport sedan with fairly responsive steering, a good front-to-rear balance, and honest feedback through the hands and feet. The very gradual response of the drive-by-wire throttle might be off-putting to some, but there's no "slop" here or in the other main controls. (Our car didn't have the optional SpeedPro speed-sensitive steering.) Likewise, if the CTS responds a little slowly to the wheel at creep-and-crawl speeds (the steering wheel has 3.4 turns of play), it feels right at all others. The tight turning radius makes it feel smaller than it is, and you can place this car right where you want on the road with no hint of old-time Cadillac ponderousness. Our test car was fitted with average-sounding 16-inch wheels (17s and 18s are optional), but they grip better than their specs promise. They also keep it easy to use power to kick out the tail, which in the CTS breaks away gradually. GM is best advised to remember all this as evidence that creating a new-from-the-ground up platform can pay off. Likewise, the new engines were worth the wait. The CTS now has both 300 fewer pounds to pull than the Catera and an extra 55 horses to pull them, letting the new car dust the old by about two seconds in 0-to-60 (mid-6s vs. mid-8s). Our car had the new-in-2004 3.6-liter V6, GM's global all-aluminum piece with two cams, variable timing on all 24 of its valves, a dual-stage intake manifold, and all that other good stuff. Its 255 horsepower falls short of 3.5-liter engines from Mercedes, Infiniti, and Lexus (268, 280, 306) and its exhaust note is a little too anonymous, but it still gets the CTS around with haste. The 210-horsepower 2.8-liter V6, now the only other engine, shares all aforementioned design cues, and together they give Cadillac the only two engines in this class that don't ask for premium fuel (though the 3.6 prefers mid-grade). The rare news of a stickshift in the Cadillac empire (it's a 6-speeder made by Aisin) will cause a few smiles, but let's focus on the 5-speeder HydraMatic that will serve the masses. For 2006 it gets that much-demanded manual-shift feature (Driver Shift Control) so drivers can tap north (to upshift) or south (to downshift) on the lever to row their own gears. Unfortunately, GM modeled its system after Toyota's, meaning the gear you choose merely becomes the highest gear to which it will shift on its own schedule. Blah, what was the point? I just sampled a perfectly programmed manumatic on a Pontiac G6, one of GM's supposedly lesser cars. Coordination, guys! Well, no need to scrutinize a trivial feature too deeply. What matters is that the tranny has the right number of gears and shifts at the right times (if a little often). It seems partial to holding lower gears on downhill inclines to provide engine braking, but otherwise all was normal. The CTS also covers the "TS" part pretty well, treating all riders to a fairly quiet experience and isolating them from what lies beneath. The worst bumps cause too much deflection and jounce in the suspension, but the double wishbones and multilinks treat you well the rest of the time. Customers trading in their 20th century Cadillacs won't feel an ounce of familiarity, but can expect a ton more satisfaction. |
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