XJ-S: I’d rather have a ’70 chevelle SS

Torquemonster – I agree about wood trim in cars. I simply don’t see the attraction of wood over some form of brushed metal. Nice metal always has a great machined appearance whereas shiny wood (no matter how real and how rare) always looks like crappy plastic – no matter what car it is in.

Any of you who are in the market for this class of car really should take a look at it.

Really like the interior here. The lines follow the exterior’s features which makes the entire car’s design unified.

If I had to buy in this class tomorrow, it’d definitely be on the list.

Also waiting patiently for Impulsive’s SUPER DUPER OBJECTIVE FACT OPINIONS on this car.

This CTS shows great forward thinking. Someone needs to take the reins and lead American some type of greatness where all the others have chosen to fail. Put this way if Ford would have just built a better 500 then the wouldn’t have had to rename it the Taurus which didn’t fix the problems. American’s are consumers and most of us want the best will pay a little more if we have to get it. But the funny thing is with most imports you can still get better then what most of America has to offer for the same or less…… Wake up America.

The exterior is flawlessly beautiful, unless marred with the ugly reverse sensors on the back bumper. The crystal red color is absolutely beautiful.The interior feels very compact for a car its size, but not in a bad way. It provides luxury comfort and content while still giving the driver a very tight cockpit feel. Fiberoptic highlights come on at night and the nighttime interior look is awe-inspiring.

The electronics are top-notch, with an excellent sound system and almost anything you would want at your fingertips. Nav? Yes. Satellite radio? Yes. Hard drive? Yes. Etc, etc…

The car was equipped with the original 255hp 3.6L V6 and a 5-speed automatic (6-speed comes with the DI engine), and the ride was very smooth with decent pickup for a base model. The soundproofing in the car is incredible. It’s almost dangerous in that you can be going 50mph and still feel like you are at a stop, there is no vibration or road noise whatsoever. Let me disclaim that by saying Las Vegas’ roads are extremely well-maintained.

I compared it to my 2007 GTP I left at home. It has basically a FWD version of the same powertrain. The base CTS is slower than the GTP, you can somewhat feel the extra weight and lack of a gear (the gearshifts are so smooth, though, you barely notice shifting). The DI engine would provide a 6th gear and offset the added weight to bring it in line with the GTP in straightline speed. I could feel the difference in turning behavior though, and I can safely say a RWD DI CTS would absolutely spank the GTP on a circuit (as it should for almost twice the money). So not the fastest luxury sedan in a quarter-mile contest, but on a proper track the competition should watch out.

Anyway, this post has gotten long enough. Long story short, CTS gets a 9 out of 10 from me.

This car seems good enough, but I’m not going to be buying a sedan anytime soon.

LamborghiniZ: “Why does LLN only test GM vehicles? No imports, no FoMoCo, no Chrysler, no NOTHING. Only GM. This seems very strange.”

i was thinking that myself.

F451,

The CTS kept getting poked and even slammed for, among other things, not having a Glitzy interior. Whether we like it or not, when an automaker actually listens to their customers, some things happen that the some of us will not like.

That said I think the dash and center stack at a bit overdone. Too many small objects and details. But then, most who drive the car will likely think it somehow bland as that text message and eat while driving at 85 to and from work or whatever.