Electronics & Computers Deals here!
-
Average user rating:
- My rating: 0 stars
Full user review
-
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful
4.0 stars
"Excellent luxury car that shows GM can indeed compete."
Pros: Affordable luxury that makes no excuses to anyone.
Cons: Interior materials, fit and finish still not up to par with its import competition.
Summary: FYI, the DTS moniker has been around for some time; the only difference between this and earlier iterations (besides the engineering, equipment and styling changes) is that the Deville name is no longer part of the marketing equation (well, it still gets the 'D' in DTS).
I've driven earlier Deville and DTS sedans, and look forward to testing the new car. I've always liked the Deville in DTS form; it has a commanding road presence for a sedan, and was reasonably tossable for such a large car. Motorweek's review of the '06 DTS was very intriguing. Engineering changes seemed to show an even more sporting and agressively set-up car, which to me is a very good thing. The typical GM complaints over interior materials and finishes still pervade, at least according to Motorweek's own review, although given what I personally experienced with the latest C6 Corvette I am unfortunately not surprised at this revelation.
Here's a full-sized sedan that actually deserves its classification. Interior room is generous and comfortable for both occupants and packages (the trunk is HUGE). My past drives in DTSs would tell me that this one will at least be as good, if not notably better, and that says a lot about the good that's going on at Cadillac.
If there's any gripes, it has to lie with the continued use of a front-wheel drive layout for the drivetrain. Even Honda revised the Acura RL to an AWD layout, the least a car company can do to cater to the lux sports sedan enthusiast. Still, the previous DTS was still an enjoyable drive being a torque-steerer, and nothing I've heard to date would lead me to believe that the new DTS is any lesser a machine. But with this handicap it's still not going to be able to compete performance-wise at the level a BMW 5-series or a Infiniti M45, and that's the rub.
Cadillac for years has been trying to shed its traditional cliente image. When GM chose FWD for its Deville and Seville over a decade ago, it was clearly a break from its own past and a nod towards the affluent import sedans of the time (think Acura Legend, Audi 100), but it also was chosen for cost reasons as well (FWD packaging is typically cheaper). Now that every lux maker and their mothers are returning to RWD or AWD drivetrains, the DTS's FWD does seem like an ancient holdover from more frugal days. One other area I might quibble over is the boxiness of the design. Some may love it. Some may state that it fits the current Cadillac family profile. But for me its rigid slab-sided, three-box format is a bit too much of a remnant of the 1980s; there's really nothing wrong with a few curves and character lines here and there.
In the end, I believe the new DTS will carry proudly the new tradition of Cadillac. Its previous iteration was a VERY good car itself, and I do see this car being a worthy successor and look forward to test driving it myself.
