I am looking to buy an STS but am having trouble deciding to buy the v6 or v8. I currently drive a v6 truck 3.6 l and a van with a v6 3.9l. the van has plenty of pep. I test drove the v8 on the freeway and it flies. I drove the v6 in town and it was fine but never drove it on the freeway- I ran out of time to do another test drive. what is the consensus for a 50+ male and female driver?

they both have power... V8 is super... V6 has enough power


You have to check for other options to decide...

ACC, which is Adaptive Cruise Control (Radar that keeps distance from front car), I believe it's not available in V6....


I think also V6 doesn't have seat ventilation... only seat heater... (I'm not sure)


Plus, V6 doesn't have the Magnetic suspensions (sporty)...which makes it ride softer... Some V8's have Magnetic suspension which rides a little bit stiff... more like e-class...

I have a V6 and it has plenty, also you can put it in manual or sport which allows you shift out at higher RPM for more power.
Also the V6 does have seat ventilation and heaters. I hopes this helps.:thumbsup:

I love my v8.

You live in the USA.....

get the V8.

What happened to the good ol days when you could ONLY get a V8 in a Cadillac..... or the even older days when the V8 was the "economy" engine and the V12 and V16 were the best of the best.....

We picked up the wife sts v6 awd 2 nights ago. We had to drive the expressway on the way home. The car did fine. The v6 is a tried and true engine. If the car was for me I would get the v8. I drive my 94 most of the time. BTW I lived the "good ol days". Hope this helps.

Ralph

V-8 by far :D
That doesn't mean V-6 is bad it's because of magnifiecent ride of V-8 ;)

<Darth Vader's voice> If you only knew the Power of the V8 Side ! </Darth Vader's voice>

http://smilies.vidahost.com/contrib/owen/vader1.gif

I drove an SLS with the V-8 Northstar for 10 years. It was one of the first with the Northstar, so I was loving the power. I traded it for the STS V-6 which has noticeably less power. However, I don’t drive like I used to and having less power keep me driving safer. Anyway, both will do you, but if you want the “punch it” passing speed then the 8 is the way to go. Either way, I would opt for all wheel if you plan to drive in any bad weather conditions.

I agree with those here that note that the V6 is plenty powerful for average driving. It is interesting to note that the V6 used in the new STS produces 255 horsepower. The entry-level (if you could call it that) SLS of '98- '04 had a Northstar that produced 275 HP. Not too great a difference. Gas mileage figures are failrly close. I think the 6 gets maybe 1 1/2 to 2 more miles out of a gallon. So fuel econony is not a a reaseon to get a 6. There are quite a few features available with a Northstar equiped car that are not on a V6, but you should go to the Cadillac website to compare.

V8 Ftw.

You'll regret not getting the V8. The V6 is one helluva engine, but the STS is one helluva big automobile, and for those times that a V6 simply will not cut it, you'll say to yourself, "I coulda had a V8!"

P.S. I'm in your age group too.

I recently bought the 1SC with the V6 and have driven it around town, putting around, spritied, and on the highway. I have ZERO complaints. It will get up and move. All of my other vehicles have 330-417hp. I thought I would be a bit let down. The 1SC will get you all of the toys of the Lux Perf V8 except the Zenon (sp?) headlights, Mag ride, and headlight washers. Everything else would be the same. Oh yeah, the Northstar too! ;) Too me, the $8000+ price difference wasn't worth it. It's just my opinion. I dorve them both and the V8 certainly moves.

After reading a bunch of posts here regarding gas mileage, I have been making it a point to look at mine. Over the past four tanks, I am averaging 22 mpg with an even mix of highway and back road driving. Far better than I thought. As most have said; not a reason to buy a $50k++ car but thought I would throw it out there for statistics.

Best of luck!
Steve

People located in hilly or mountainous areas might prefer the V8 -- not necessarily for climbing power, but for less power lost at high elevations.

Unless you are really fast driver , haul alot of people or stuff all the time, or just want extra power, or all the bell's and whistles. I'd get the V6. I've got the v8 and have had it about a lil over a year now. I love the power and the car. But really is overkill when you think about it.

The extra power is nice when you have a car full, or just want to leave a GS420 in the dust! But for everyday driving I agree with the others the V6 engine is fine. It's just the extras that make a different, like mag ride control and xenon lights. I'd use the xtra money to get some upgraded cadillac rims and tires. The 18 inch's or 20's give the car a whole different look.

I agree with those here that note that the V6 is plenty powerful for average driving. It is interesting to note that the V6 used in the new STS produces 255 horsepower. The entry-level (if you could call it that) SLS of '98- '04 had a Northstar that produced 275 HP. Not too great a difference. Gas mileage figures are failrly close. I think the 6 gets maybe 1 1/2 to 2 more miles out of a gallon. So fuel econony is not a a reaseon to get a 6. There are quite a few features available with a Northstar equiped car that are not on a V6, but you should go to the Cadillac website to compare.

When you look at the torque the differance is great, torque is what gets a car moving, HP determines top speed (general rule of thumb).

In some cases the 8 might get better fuel economy (towing, long trips with luggage and full car times), it does more with less. If you get into a situation where the V6 needs to use all its umph, if you had opted for the 8 you have more wiggle room. Borrowed from another GM brand (GMC) its not more than you need, just more than your used to. :)

When you look at the torque the differance is great, torque is what gets a car moving, HP determines top speed (general rule of thumb).

In some cases the 8 might get better fuel economy (towing, long trips with luggage and full car times), it does more with less. If you get into a situation where the V6 needs to use all its umph, if you had opted for the 8 you have more wiggle room. Borrowed from another GM brand (GMC) its not more than you need, just more than your used to. :)

I agree with this completely.

Something I appreciated about the V6 when test driving and performing research was the low RMPs the torque entered the powerband. I believe it was 22-2800 rpms(I forget the exact #). This makes is a bit more usable without putting your foot into it.

I agree with this completely.

Something I appreciated about the V6 when test driving and performing research was the low RMPs the torque entered the powerband. I believe it was 22-2800 rpms(I forget the exact #). This makes is a bit more usable without putting your foot into it.

For V6 standards the V6 in the STS is a great engine, plenty of power. When compared to other V6 engines it holds its own. (Its holds it own against some V8's). Its certainly got the power that "we're used to" with 80's/90's cars.

The V8 has the power that we all deserve at one point or another, to use and have at our demand. This is the power that was lacking in the 80's and 90's in sedans (excluding europeans, but even they have some underpowered 80's/90's cars). Its in that over 300HP/300lb-ft club.

If you can, treat yourself to the V8, thats one option worth getting where as some others could come off to make room for it in the price tag...my uncle is probibly they only guy who takes stadard equipment off of cars just to get the bigger engine and drive the price down a bit.

The Northstar also gives a world renowned feel and with that nice ensignia on the rear of the car, every cadillac owner will know, he has the 8 :).

Boils down to if you want the car for pure luxury (in that case the DTS might be a better choice) or to have some extra cirucular activity from time to time.

Graphs from GMPOWERTRAIN.COM for those who visulize it better this way (you know other than that feeling of getting pushed back in ones seat):
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v348/BigEd2006/automotive/v8LH2.jpghttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v348/BigEd2006/automotive/v6LY7.jpg

I found the V6 to be a surprisingly nice engine. I think having a willing 5-speed tranny helps a lot. Ultimately I went V8 and don't regret it.

It's hard to compare the graphs because they're on different scales. I would love to see the data in a shared chart. Not having raw data I just made one with Photoshop. It's close enough to get the idea. Attempting to attach it here.

Eric