I just realized it has been 4 months since I got my new car. I meant to write a little something earlier. The details:
2006 Cadillac CTS
3.6L V6 Luxury Package (255 h.p.)
Memory driver seat
10-Way power seats with power lumbar
Heated front seats
Universal home remote
Theft deterrent system
17" Wheel Sport Package
4 Wheel independent suspension
Stabilitrak stability control
Limited slip differential
High intensity headlamps
Sunroof
Auto Transmission (with sport mode and the manual shifting override - not sure what it is called)
Bose Stereo with 6 disc in-dash changer and XM built in
What I didn't get:
18" Wheel package
Navigation system
6 Speed manual transmission
I wanted a sporty luxury car and preferred to buy something made in the US. I really liked the looks of the new Cadillacs and have seen Cadillac perform well on quality surveys such as J.D. Power. I would have preferred the larger size of the STS, but felt that the CTS was more in within my budget.
My impressions in no particular order. The car has some pep to it....it can get the tires squealing. However, the Stabiltrak and traction control do get in the way at times of some "fun" driving. I haven't looked yet to see if there is a way to turn them off...I suspect not. This is a rear wheel drive car, so the Stabilitrak and traction control do come in handy. I have driven front wheel drive cars for about 14 years, so I can feel the difference in how the car handles - it take a little to get used to.
I have been impressed with the fit and finish of the car. I have had the car for four months and have not had any problems. The only thing I have noticed is some wear on the door lock tabs from moving in and out of the door panel....no biggie. In the past, I have felt that Japanese cars had much better fit and finish - the tolerances were just much tighter. I always had one thing that really demonstrated to that to me - the sound of the door closing. The Japanese cars just had a nice, solid, tight sound when you closed the door compared to American cars. Well, the CTS has that Japanese sound and feel.
One disappointment I have is the stereo. Now, it does have like 10 speakers and sounds very good with nice bass. I like the 6 disc changer...but find myself wishing the car had a hard drive that I could plug my mp3 player into and transfer all my songs. Or even just a jack to plug an mp3 player into. Also, I was a bit shocked that it only has a 3 band equalizer. Hell, my 1994 Chrysler LHS had 5! It does come with 5 preset equalizer settings that are changeable with a button push. With another button you can change the DSP settings which are remembered fir each radio station - nice.
One feature the car has is heated seats. I didn't really care about these, but they came with a package. I have to say though, I kinda like them on those cold mornings! Nice feature. Another thing I really like is the sound insulation. This car is very quit compared to any other car I have been in. Very nice, especially on long drives.
Another new feature for me is the automatic transmission "special settings". You can move the shifter over into "sport" mode where it improves the performance of the car - I usually drive that way. From there you can upshift and downshift - kind of like manually over-riding the manual transmission, although the car does intelligently take over as needed (like not letting you over-rev or not letting you try to start from a stop with it in 5th gear).
The car handle very well...I was impressed at how little roll there is when taking off ramps at high speed....to the use the ol cliche.....like it is on rails. It also has a very good turning radius.
Another thing I don't like so much is the back seat room. I am sure it is fine for adults to sit relatively comfortable, but it just seems cramped when dealing with 2 kids and their car seats.
Well, that is all I can think of for the moment. Overall, I like the car very much.