Andaluz

Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah...I still would take the Mercedes CLS 55 AMG over that FUGLY Cadillac STS-V.

In the of the day, the Caddy is just another fabled GM product. GM ruined Saab.

The new BMW M5 (you do get used to the look of it) is quite possibly the BEST Sport-Saloon money can buy today.

E55_POWER

I think the interior of this Caddy doesn't look bad at all. Is that an I-Drive thingy by the shift lever?

Our Escallade interior looked like pure ****, THAT was a bad looking interior, this one is not that bad and looks sorta like a Lexus interior and we ALL know Lexus has one of the BEST looking interiors out there for sub $150K cars, sadly, much better interior than my CL55 (minus the leather dash)

vraa

Whoa, when did Lexus have one of the best looking interiors?
That is highly subjective!

Grumpy666

This whole thread is subjective since it's entirely based on opinions. And you can get a good read on the character and maturity level of each poster by looking at the quality of their post.

vraa

I'm sure we as mature Mercedes enthusiasts can have a true objective discussion. No one will say that Car X is faster in the quarter mile when it runs slower in the quarter mile than Car Y.

Roupin

Vixapphire, Mercedes may also have plastics throughout the interior (who doesn't these days?) but they feel more upscale than the Cadillac's plastics.

Case in point: My sister's little 06 C230 feels way better on the inside than my uncle's $60k 2005 Cadillac STS V8. He even said this new Caddy feels like crap and he doesn't enjoy driving it. This is his 3rd STS and he can't wait to give this one back when the lease is up.

WayneE

Post quality is subjective.





































BTW, you didn't ditch your M5 and get a Caddy on us, did you Grumpy?

Bubbaboy

Feels more upscale?...come on man...now you're saying that Mercedes' are most likely made with higher grade polymers than Cadillacs are?...also if your uncle says it feels like crap why is it his third one?

E55_POWER

Possibly, it was my opinion. However, I could have sworn that Lexus always gets praises from every rag about their interior design, fit and finish. IMO, Lexus blows away all 3 German in fit and finish and ergonomics. I wouldn't drive a Lexus due to their "boring-ness" but their interior just looks and feels "rich".

vixapphire

I have the same recollection of Lexus winning mucho plaudits for its interiors. Having sat in their big barge sedan once or twice, I'll say the leather is softer than the inside of a belly-button, and is of a piece with what one should expect of a car in that segment. One of my colleagues has the little slk-roofed coupe by Lexus and it's likewise a very nice car inside. Unfortunately for Lexus and Toyota, the company has never made a car that has inspired me to send any dough in its direction; even based on the silly notion of a Led Zeppelin tune or perceived 'underdog' status, I'm partial to Cadillacs if it's a choice between the two, notwithstanding any quality differences. So I'm subjective!

and Roupin, I agree; there seems to be something subtle but distinctively different in the feel of the plastics used by Cadillac v. Merc. Note the door panels on the XLR coupe, for example. How they could take such a promising car and miss by a hair's breadth like they did, I don't know. GM always finds a way to miss the mark by a whisker, don't they?

I'm also glad you said it's an '06 C class your uncle was comparing. When I had my slk, I was provided one of the "original interior design" current-bodied C 240's, and what a piece of crap it was (I drove these loaners on several occasions, so I speak from the experience of more than one drive). I couldn't believe that Mercedes Benz had actually degraded their name and badging to a car whose look, feel and design of its dashboard was no better or worse than a Dodge Neon. What a disappointment. The redesign of the dash/centerstack certainly did wonders for that car's interior; one would hope that the guys at Cadillac might consider something along those lines for the CTS' interior.

p.s. no kidding this entire thread is a subjective discussion! who would've thought otherwise?

CE750

I think if one did a reasonable comparison side by side of a Cadlillac interior and an MB interior, one can OBJECTIVELY prove the MB interior build is significantly superior..

Seriously, if you cannot tell the difference by simple inspection, you really should be concerned about your perception skills, this could be treatable with medications, etc... :p

vraa

My opinion too, the Lexus LS430 versus it's peers feels much better in fit and finish, but the feeling of being 'rich' I think is a trick because unlike it's competitors, it doesn't have a leather shift boot and a few other very small things. Not downing the LS430, it's just how it is.

vixapphire: I said that subjective line because if you look in the first post, it's all about numbers and off the line stuff. Not about fit/finish/feel whatever. Whenever a thread goes into subjectivity such as those topics, it just goes on forever.

Bubbaboy

I'm not talking about the general quality of the interior I'm talking about the quality of the polymers used or plastic if that is what you call it genius...maybe you should treat your own perception skills you tool.

Roupin

His third one and his last one.

Vixapphire and CE750 know exactly what I'm talking about. It's just a feel you cannot explain, but must experience. Go to the Caddy dealer, sit in the STS and slam the door shut. You'll understand.

slk55lvr

I agree with both of you, if your decision is based solely on interiors both Lexus and Acura have the best by far. If they weren't so boring to drive < and acura would give up that fwd luxury car concept--please!> , They'd be a better choice than a mercedes right now. But they don't, so they're not <for me at least>

Grumpy666

Now THIS is the STS-V GM should have put into production:

(excerpt from http://www.thecarconnection.com/Auto...198.A8498.html Re:The annual SAE conference earlier this year)

STS with 505 hp

"Another treat from GM was in the form of the Cadillac STS "SAE 100" Technology Integration Vehicle (TIV). Meant as a tribute to SAE's 100th anniversary, the TIV also sports 505 hp at 5600 rpm, but in this case it's a supercharged version of the LS2. The TIV packs a substantial 520 lb-ft (at 3600 rpm) of torque thanks to next-generation throttle control and an active valve (multipath) exhaust system. It gets its power to the ground via a 6.0-liter 90E six-speed automatic with sequential shift capability, an electronically-controlled limited-slip differential by GKN and very unique wheels that feature a carbon-fiber rim and a magnesium center for ultra-low weight.

The brakes are huge Brembos (six-piston front/four-piston rear) with ceramic rotors while the front suspension is a McLaren-designed multilink system; special MR (magnetorheological) dampers are used all around. The TIV also has LED headlights, a carbon-fiber hood and inner fenders, "capless" refueling and more electronic features than we can possibly list here. The good news is that many of these features will see production at some point. The active muffler system already has (on the '06 Z06) while the LED headlights are clearly the direction the industry is headed in based on what was said during several of the technical presentations and the precedent set by Audi with LED daytime running lights on the A8."

Although it's not mentioned here, I believe the boost level is only 7 psi. Think of the relatively inexpensive upgrade potential this beast would have. With the Eaton-based blower, changing boost would take about 30 minutes and cost less than a C-note.