WayneE

Why do people come on an AMG/E55/Mercedes forum to start threads to defend their cars? Insecurity? It's not like anyone was talking about Caddies until STSdoofus started posting about his beloved Grandpa-mobile.

Don't feed the trolls, kids.

Loadtoad

I did not come to defend the car. Either like it or not! Personally, it's got a few short comings like the POS rear (supposidly fixed for 06), the shifter really is garbage, no MP3 capability, and I really miss the HUD I had in my ZO6.

It's the "facts" spewed by the Brit that I have a problem with.

WayneE

But my point remains, why are you posting your opinions here? Go preach to the choir over on cadillacforums.com.

Loadtoad

Opinions?

vixapphire

Agreed. Having owned both a '92 Fleetwood 60 Special (FWD) and an '02 DTS, I have to say that for the money they were both excellent cars. The '92 handled several trips the length of Route 66 in all 4 seasons with aplomb, had a strong torquey engine and superb comfort (not to mention real thick wood trim, those "button-upholstered" leather seats and real removable fender skirts!) and got decent mileage. Had a nice manageable exterior size as well. The '02 was likewise a very comfortable car with nice interior appointments and a hellacious stereo. I wasn't as excited about the sacrifice of low-end torque for higher horsepower in the '02 DTS (a standard Deville will pull better in city driving), and they could've used another gear or two on the autobox, but overall I've had excellent experiences with my Cadillacs and would have loved to buy another one, but I would've liked to see the CTS styling - not watered-down - expressed in the larger bodied STS (it is said that Lutz ordered the corners rounded down, etc. - you notice it in the bumper line in front of the front wheelwells, among other places), and perhaps lowered a tad more than the CTS / CTS-V both are (are they off-road capable or something? Why so high-riding?). Additionally, while I think the XLR is one of the most striking exteriors on the road today, I was disappointed in the quality of the interior paneling - the feel was not up to Cadillac/Lexus/etc. standards, and I couldn't believe that there was no package shelf behind the seats like the SL. Why pay $76k for what's interior-wise the same size as an '02 SLK? That strikes me as a lost opportunity to really get it right all the way. Still, I wouldn't turn one away at the right price, though...

v

Bubbaboy

I've always been a big fan of American muscle too...I really like the CTS-V and the fact that it is American only makes it more appealing to me...Toad thanks for stepping up it seems everybody loves crappin on America these days.


JD

ndabunka

The car itself is nice looking from the outside. In fact, I nearly considered one until I saw the Piece of Crap American interior. ArrrruuugghhhHJ! It was all I could to to stop fom puking in the seats! I mena REALLY! That interior is like .05 cheap plastic they make toys out of. The center console is that same RIDICULOUS one they have on ALL the CTS's. Sorry, but until GM gfets the interior right, the exterior and all the performance in the world can;'t correct for that mistake. Heck, even the interior on the new '05 isn't as bad as the Caddy CTS-V ...Puke:

vraa

2006 STS-V (I think it's a more compro vs the E55 than the CTS-V)


2006 MercedesBenz E55


BMW M5


2006 Lexus GS


Is there anything else I've missed?
Personally I find the M5 to be the best looking, while the GS and the E tie in quality-wise looks as well as feeling with the GS taking a slight lead only because it's a newer car and the E has been decontented lately.

The STS-V looks very disorganized, especially with the wood around the headunit/navigation screen and the large flat plastic black around the (?) cd slots.

My gripe with the Lexus GS interior is the transmission. I perfer a leather boot and a straight shift in an automatic, rather than the J Gate crap. However, the advantage I think in the J Gate setup is that when you go into sport mode, the shift knob is placed even more where you hand naturally falls.

I think the BMW would be much improved if they had chosen some type of wood, because lets be honest here. When buying a car that costs more than some houses and what not, you don't get it to look cheap. At least that's my opinion anyways. Although I like the minimalistic styling, I think the anthracite wood trim would make a big difference in making the car look better on the interior, yet still retain the main theme of .. well.. no distractions (but with iDrive..... )

I'm not going to comment on the E55, because this is a freaking E55 forum.

vixapphire

I think the STS-V interior is actually quite nice. Seems they were trying to continue the verticality theme (headlights) in the air vents in the dash or something. Not a bad looking interior, but the fair comparo is clearly with the Jaguar S-Type R, from which many of the materials/colors of the STS-V are derived, including the mesh grille (I know, I know, mesh grilles are nothing new per se, but the Jag R's had them first in the current generation of performance autos), and Cadi's use of the black wood dash is another nod to the R's design. As to who used the black-stained wood first, Jag, Benz or whomever, it's an open question; the R debuted as an '03, with the current e55... Nonetheless, the Jag's dash is basically a big wooden plank in your face (sort of like the CLS), so they take the woodsmanship honors in my opinion. It wouldn't surprise me if Cadi sought to emulate Jag in this market segment; if that's the case, the V cars are a nice opening volley. Hopefully from here the company will continue to raise its sights and elevate its game to become a true contender with the other brands pictured above.

Then again, GM could go bankrupt tomorrow, or so it seems...

v

Grumpy666

I agree with vixapphire, the STS-V interior is quite nice (at least as shown in the image above). Personally, with a charcoal interior, I would prefer a rosewood burl instead of the black-stained-wood look . I think rosewood coloring would add warmth and a better sense of luxury. The black-stained wood would be better suited with a pewter color interior. Depending on how they decide to price it, this car would definitely be on my short list.

I also agree with Ricky that the Bimmer is the best-in-show here. The brushed aluminum look works well with the car's sport image. The two-tone color scheme looks good. Very tastefully done.

The E has a nice, simple elegance that is not over-bearing. Here,too, I think rosewood would be a better option. However, the nav screen needs to be higher in the dash like the other three cars to put it closer to the driver's line of sight.

I don't care much for the Lexus interior. It has that me-too look that seems to be predominant in Japanese cars.

SoulBladeZA

The M5 and E55 interiors are miles ahead :p

Apart from the E55's instrument cluster and the M5's leather colour, there isn't anything I would change. The E55 looks more 'classy' while the M5 looks alot more sporty and appealing to get in and drive. Both are drop-dead gorgeous.

The Lexus doens't look bad at all, but the shifter really kills it for me. The STS-V looks like the entry-level Audi A3 interior to me

One thing though, did a few people just say the M5 has a nice interior!? Such heretic statements aren't allowed here :v

IanSL55

I agree the M5 interior is more sporty than the E55... probably due to the lack of wood trim. I still think Audi walks away with the best interior (A6) looks and quality wise.

~ Ian

SoulBladeZA

Our M5 has the wood trim. The parents are out shopping for summer clothes in it now, but I'll see if I can hook up some photo's of ours for comparison vs the white leather and aluminium trim. For me personally the black leather with the Alu is the ****

Our neighbour (well he lives about 5 houses away) had a black E55 with Black leather and dark wood. Looked real Mafia. Was a very sweet ride. He has a CLS 500 now which IMO isn't as nice as the E500 or E55. The E55 with a dark colour and dark interior looks too sombre for some, but I think it's awesome.

leloz

Criticism is good when it is justified, however in this case-->what in the world are you talking about?

Audi A3 interior:

vixapphire

the black wood in all of these cars denotes the performance zoominess, as opposed to brown woods, which impart a sense of luxury. i'm partial to the black, since brown wood is kind of ordinary. but that's only an opinion.

that audi a3 looks like crapola! anyone who says that's comparable with the STS most likely just can't bring themselves to give credit where it's due when it's due a cadillac. too bad.

v

Falco

LMAO!!! that is f$%%ing good stuff!!! Keep up the comedy!


...um oh, you were serious...

CE750

on it's best day, a Cadillac interior is no match for the lowest Audi..


Forget the "look" .. actually sit in one, and feel the plasticy interior of the Caddie... it's awful... the leather stitching is poor, the fit and finish typical Chevy/GM. To me American cars are a lost cause.. closest ones to approaching German workmanship are the Ford/Lincolns that are borrowing a lot form Jag/Volvo now..

vixapphire

uh, come on rock me amadeus...

i mean, don't get me wrong; i'm not wedded to the idea that the color of the wood is per se racier or whatever -- that's a pretty foolish argument if you ask me...

but not necessarily a baseless observation: i have a suspicion that the marketing mojo's at a few of the major car companies seem to share the delusion that black/charcoal-toned wood denotes "race version" (when they're not equipping their cars with CF or aluminum, that is). why else have they outfitted the performance versions of the MB E class, Cadillac STS, Jaguar R-series, and probably a few more i can't think of, with "exclusive" black/charcoal wood trim, while their non-performance counterparts all feature brown wood? it wasn't my idea!

and no, i wasn't promoting the idea that black wood makes a car faster than other colors of wood, herr komissar.

don't be so quick to call me crazy, mr. vienna calling: the wood thing is just an observation (not an argument).

leloz

Wow, have you actually sat in a A3 or A4? What was the last Cadillac year/model you sat or drove in? My son has a 2003 DTS and the interior is far superior to any Audi of the same year. I have had plenty of seat time in a CTS-V and new STS V8, and they are far different than the previous generations. To each their own though...

CE750

Wow... I don't know what to say . For me it was painfully obvious that the quality of the plastics, and fit and finish on the Cadillac was pathetic at best. Like you said.. "To each their own"

vixapphire

as for the quality of plastics, etc. interior "feel" thing, I think the DTS is well-appointed w/ real, soft leather door inserts, real wood on the doors, etc. the CTS certainly doesn't feel that way - it's not even trying to be in the same league. what surprised and disappointed me was that aside from the nice looking wood and the interestingly-textured metal, the plastics (door panels, mainly) and even to a degree the leather of the XLR sports coupe are really off the mark. how i wished that they'd hit it out of the park with that car; unfortunately, the interior quality does fall short of others in its class (lexus coupe, sl, etc.)

SoulBladeZA

Apart from the centre console and the rounded vents, they look alot the same to me

Actually, the A3 looks better

SargeinAZ

Audi has the best interiors in my opinion, then Lexus and Mercedes come in 2nd. The new BMW interiors are very spartan and ugly to me, they have a cold feeling to them. With that being said, Id love a new M5 haha, but Id take an e55 or an RS6 over it.

leloz

Have you ever driven or sat in a CTS-V or 4th generation STS? Cadillac has come a long way in the past 10 years, but then again this is a Mercedes-Benz or should I say Daimler-Chrysler enthusiasts message board so it has a bias.

CE750

that has nothing to do with it. I'm a proud American, and would love nothing more than to see an American car actually compete with the German's and others..

GM just doesn't get it.. first they try to pass of front wheel drive STS's as $50K + cars.. comparable to MB, and now that they finally fixed the drive trane, they still refuse to kick up the interior quality to a level above their regular GM line. I mean, an Olds, Pontiac, or Caddilac, they're all the same cheap plastics, and crappy fit and finish.. sorry. I say the same about Chrysler.. the 300C is a lost opportunity.. the shifting gate is made of plastic not worthy of my 3 year olds' throw away toys!